Annual Report 2019

Calgary Area Council 2188 Brownsea Drive NW Calgary, Alberta T2N 3G9

☎ 403-283-8348 [email protected] http://www.calgarygirlguides.com

Published: April 2020

Contents

Message from the Area Commissioner ...... 1 Financial Report ...... 2 Cookies ...... 4 Our People ...... 6 Facilities...... 10 Camping ...... 13 International ...... 17 Membership...... 18 Program ...... 22 Public Relations ...... 25 Training ...... 27 Districts ...... 29 Rally Day 2019 ...... 52 Link ...... 54 Trefoil Guilds ...... 55 Area Adult Events ...... 62 Donations ...... 65 Index ...... 66

Message from the Area

Commissioner

It was an honour to be elected as Calgary Area Commissioner effective July 1. My heartfelt thanks to outgoing Area Commissioner, Arzmund Teja, for her leadership and dedication over the past three years.

Calgary Area was excited to surpass 6000 members in 2019! Fun and engaging programming at the unit, district, and area level continued to make Guiding a program of choice for families in Calgary, Cochrane, Canmore, Banff, and Chestermere. We recognized the contributions of our amazing members at the annual Calgary Area Youth Awards Ceremony, Trefoil Tea, Area Dinner, Volunteer Awards Celebration, and the Memorial Grove Ceremony. Camp Jubilee celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a commemorative crest.

Annual Area wide events continued to be hugely successful including STEM Days for all branches, GGC Archive sessions, History Wrangler Heritage Nights, Sparklefest, Brownie Camp Academy, Guide Skills Day, Night Trek, Backpacking and Canoe Weekends, as well as Spring and Fall Ranger Camps.

New Area events in 2019 included Heritage Train trips at Aspen Crossing (all ages), Nature Day (B,G) at Ralph Klein Park, Stampeder Sleepover at McMahon Stadium (all ages), Winter Fun Day (S,B,G), Adventure Trek (G) with girls hiking and completing challenges at stations along the way, and Camp Cook Off Competition (P,R) where teams were judged on their ability to create a three course meal including three secret ingredients without using electric appliances. The winners got to take home the bronze, silver, and gold spatulas!

ANY-Council Rally Day was held on May 11 at the Stampede grounds with 1500 attendees. The full day event included a pancake breakfast and an entertaining stage show at lunch time that included an opera singer, talented team skipping demonstration, and a visit from Mayor Naheed Nenshi. Girls could choose to participate at over 20 different hands-on activities such as African drumming, line dancing, astronomy, rockets and aerospace, water and nature, service project for Meals on Wheels, curling, and self-defence classes.

Finally, Calgary Area girls travelled on a record number of 17 domestic and 8 international trips. Popular destinations included BC, LEAP in Ontario, the Maritimes, NWT, the World Centres, France, and Italy.

Throughout all 22 districts, you could find girls and women jumping into awesome activities, making new friends and discovering how they could make a difference in the world.

Yours in Guiding, Michele Harding Calgary Area Commissioner

Annual Report 2019 Page 1

Financial Report

Calgary Area Treasurer: Shalyn Davis

Statement of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2019

Revenue 2019 2018 Expenses 2019 2018 Cookies 1,707,907 1,614,866 Cookies 1,377,784 1,294,342 Membership fees 283,535 264,728 Administration 378,261 380,308 Camp facilities 205,330 178,519 Camp facilities 167,371 142,094 Unit facility rental 71,640 74,950 Area events 213,983 143,715 Fund development* 90,758 70,009 Unit facility rental 150,448 213,313 Area events 113,286 78,120 Membership fees 78,546 107,436 Other 38,339 12,806 Fund development 33,774 13,858

Unrealized gain on investment 50,602 2,516 2,400,167 2,295,066 Excess revenue 161,230 1,448 2,561,397 2,296,514 *Includes fundraising and casino

Page 2 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Reserve Funds Calgary Area has reserve funds that are set aside to ensure funding for critical infrastructure and important projects that fall outside of our normal budgeting process.

Reserves Balances 2019 2018 Stabilization reserve 390,162 338,480 Guide House lease 33,195 40,390 Property maintenance and improvements 102,875 177,300 Area events fund 5,000 20,000 Finance Information Support Team The Finance Information Support Team (FIST) provides support to the district and unit treasurers by overseeing the review of district and unit books semi-annually, reviewing budgets in the fall, reviewing trip binders, and monitoring an email account that all district and unit treasurers can reach out to with any bookkeeping related questions.

In addition, the committee provides semi-annual District Commissioner and District Treasurer (DC/DT) workshops where there is an overview of different bookkeeping and compliance topics.

Members of the FIST Team in 2019:

Meribeth Barclay Bushra Ikram Shalyn Davis Susan Sarrasin Lisa Franklin Michelle Tremblay Morgan Hansen Sandy Williams

Annual Report 2019 Page 3

Cookie Orderer: Amanda Rose

As the Girl Guide official fundraiser, revenue from selling cookies allows us to

■ Subsidize registration fees for families ■ Maintain our Calgary Area office and camps ■ Provide Area-wide programs for girls ■ Train and support our Guiders ■ Deliver programming for girls, including unit meetings, service projects, field trips, sleepovers, outdoor adventures, camps, and international travel Our cookie sales keep increasing. In 2019, Calgary Area sold an amazing 42,732 cases of cookies. (Each case has 12 boxes of cookies inside.) That's $2,563,920 worth of cookies!

Spring Cookies: 22,351 cases

Fall Cookies: 20,381 cases

Page 4 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Cookie proceeds are divided in the following ways.

Annual Report 2019 Page 5

Our People

The Calgary Area volunteers and staff work together to Grow Guiding and support our members! Commissioner Team

Area Commissioner: Michele Harding

Deputy Commissioners: Kathy Dion Michelle Kromplak Cyndi Williams

Left to right: Kathy Dion, Michele Harding, Cyndi Williams, Michelle Kromplak

Page 6 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Staff The staff are an important resource for all Calgary Area Girl Guides and volunteers.

Administrative Assistant: Brandy Brigden

Membership Database Coordinator: Brenda Shandera

Operations Coordinator: Jocelyn Desmarais

Bookkeeper: Bushra Ikram

Camp Maintenance: Terry Lloyd, Darrel Woldum

Left to right: Brandy Brigden, Brenda Shandera, Terry Lloyd, Jocelyn Desmarais, Bushra Ikram

Annual Report 2019 Page 7

Area Council The Calgary Area Council includes our Area Commissioner, Deputy Area Commissioners, Treasurer, Secretary, Committee Advisers, and District Commissioners.

Front row seated (left to right): Leslie Jones, Jan McCaghren, Michelle Kromplak, Michele Harding, Kathy Dion, Cyndi Williams, Stephanie Morgan Standing (left to right): Amanda Saigeon, Devina Shah, Jovita Dias, Twila Tayfel, Janelle Smiley- Wiens, Megan Belenky, Debbie DeCampos, Annette Jaenen, Dawn Resch, Allison Hunter, Tasha Dion, Lynette Lui, Melanie Murray, Rebecca Keeler, Rosanne Bowman, Spencer Tomasello, Debra Brisbin Not Pictured: Meribeth Barclay, Deadra Berkan, Pat Istead, Laurie Lin, Teresa Nelson Keller, Caitlin Reid

Page 8 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Committees Calgary Area includes six committees that run programs, give training, promote Girl Guides, and generally support our members. Each committee includes an adviser, and many committees also include a team to assist in running programs. The committees include the following:

■ Camping ■ International ■ Membership ■ Program ■ Public Relations ■ Training

Front row seated (left to right): Leslie Jones (Camping), Debra Brisbin (Membership)

Standing (left to right): Jovita Dias (PR), Jan McCaghren (Training), Amanda Saigeon (International), Rebecca Keeler (Program)

Annual Report 2019 Page 9

Facilities

Deputy Area Commissioner: Michelle Kromplak

Calgary Area maintains four properties for the camping enjoyment of our membership. Collectively, they offer unique opportunities to teach girls about the environment, work as a team, gain leadership skills, and build self confidence.

Camp Jubilee Jubilee continues to be our busiest site and celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2019. Projects included the repainting of the exterior of Pallesen House. Pallesen also received a new well pump, and the ongoing septic issues were investigated. During the summer, RMS Canada volunteers repainted all our picnic tables, fire pit seating, Pallesen boardwalk, and lats.

In addition to regular Girl Guide camping, this site is used by Cochrane units for weekly meetings and numerous external renters including an outdoor pre-school, Cochrane schools, and other youth-focused organizations. Over the summer, Jubilee hosted the National How-to Adult camp, as well as Alberta Council Colour Your World and Arts camps.

This site saw 28,704 camper days in 2019.

Page 10 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Camp Iasg Camp Iasg is our hidden oasis for those wanting a wilderness experience close to home. Approximately 75 minutes NW of Calgary, Iasg is close enough for a daytrip. For the more adventurous, there are two tenting sites and a yurt which sleeps 18. With its Nature Conservancy of Canada easement, Iasg will always remain a low impact, rustic camp. The Nature Conservancy conducted a site visit in June and were pleased with the diversity of the flora and fauna and the condition of the camp.

Iasg had 453 camper days this year.

Camp Westover Westover was very busy this year. The Alberta Lake Management Society (ALMS) conducted water quality testing during the Beginner Backpack and Canoe Weekend in early June. Approximately 250 girls and 55 adults were introduced to the science of Limnology and water testing methods. Detailed analysis will happen the winter of 2019/20. ALMS will publish the results of the tests in late winter 2020. During the summer, Westover hosted the Alberta Council Canoe and Backpack camp with girls canoeing at Westover for two days before moving on to Camp Mockingbird.

We have added two durable, stable canoes to our collection. The solo Clipper canoe was dedicated to Leeanne Smith, Area Commissioner 2013-2016 and instrumental in renewing the Westover lease. The Baycrest canoe, donated by the Moonlighter Guild over 20 years ago, was refurbished and relaunched for the 2019 canoe season.

Westover had 1,375 camper days this year.

Annual Report 2019 Page 11

Camp Mockingbird Located off Waiparous Valley Road, Camp Mockingbird is a great site to “rough it” with some amenities. There are heated buildings, and the tenting sites have cook and activity shelters. Heat, light and cooking are with propane fixtures. Water needs to be hauled from the well and everyone uses the lats. During the summer, Mockingbird hosted a portion of the Alberta Council Canoe and Backpack camp with girls canoeing at Westover for two days and then moving on to Camp Mockingbird for another three days.

Mockingbird was open from spring through to the first weekend of December. Even with the reduced occupancy of Lodge/Trailers, our usage rates increased almost 50% over the 2018 rate.

Mockingbird had 5,389 camper days in 2019. Girl Guide Centre The Calgary Girl Guide Centre, located on the north bank of the Bow River in Calgary, is leased from the City at a nominal annual fee. It houses administration, property coordination, and membership services for the Calgary Area. Members use the conference space for program events such as STEM days, training events, unit meetings, Trefoil events, sleepovers, and many other diverse uses. The building is also used for Area Council meetings, committee meetings, storage of PR supplies, and historical archives.

We are fortunate to have a wealth of property resources in Calgary Area, and we take pride in our stewardship.

Page 12 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Camping

Camping Adviser: Leslie Jones

Deputy Adviser: Philippa Wagner

Secretary: Skye McIntosh

Members of the Camping Team

Front row seated (left to right): Kate Bourne, Skye McIntosh, Leslie Jones, Philippa Wagner, Kirsten Johnston Standing (left to right): Donna Yaklin, Kimberly Ivy-Hogue, Victoria Woodward, Katelynne Saville, Maire Shelast, Lynette Lui, Barb Gowan-Mullie, Kate Johnston Not Pictured: Nikki Giguere

Annual Report 2019 Page 13

2019 Camping Events The Calgary Camping committee had a busy year in 2019, organizing and running 12 Area camping events. We introduced 3 new events this year! Unfortunately, we had to cancel Guide Skills due to inclement weather but watch for it next year. The following is a summary of the events.

Winter Fun Day This was one of our new events! It was well received with 240 Sparks, Brownies and Guides attending. Sparks and Brownies Date: January 26 were grouped together and participated in several stations Location: Camp Jubilee consisting of snow sculptures, winter safety, wide games, a hike, and craft. Guides participated in stations of snow sculptures, sled racing, snowshoeing, compass, and winter survival skills. The day ended with a campfire.

Brownie Camp 228 Brownies with 45 Guiders attended the event. The Brownies Academy traveled from station to station learning about tents, first aid, dressing right, fire safety, and camp chores. They also made Date: March 9 their very own snack. The day ended with a campfire. Location: Camp Jubilee

Spring Ranger/ Girls from a variety of Calgary Area Ranger and Pathfinder units Pathfinder Camp enjoyed a fun weekend of friendship and activities. Third-year Pathfinders learned what it is to be a Ranger and what they Date: March 1 to 3 might have to look forward to next year. Throughout the Location: Camp Jubilee weekend, girls participated in a variety of activities including making stop motion animations, creating patterns, sewing their own pajama pants, creating cutlery cases, learning to program ozobots, creating mazes, playing games, and socializing. A great weekend was had by all.

Sparklefest 141 Sparks attended this day event. The day started with a flag raising ceremony. The Sparks then proceeded through five Date: April 13 stations: nature bingo, first aid, craft, and wide games. They also Location: Camp Jubilee made their own snack. The fun and active day ended with everyone around the campfire.

Backpack/Canoe 34 Pathfinders, Rangers, Trex, and their leaders backpacked in Weekend on Friday evening and participated in canoeing and backpacking workshops on Saturday. As the campers headed out on Sunday Date: May 31 to June 2 morning, 45 Guides and leaders hiked in for the day to enjoy the Location: Camp Westover wildflowers and an introductory canoe experience.

Page 14 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Guide Adventure Trek We had 57 Guides attend our first Guide Adventure Trek! The theme was Harry Potter, and teams of Guides moved from Date: June 22 to 23, 2019 station to station completing challenges along the way. There Location: Camp Mockingbird was even a station with hot dogs and drinks! Dinner was tacos in a bag, then a campfire before heading off to bed in tents.

Tenting 101 This was a joint effort between the Training committee and the Camping committee. The trainers worked with the Guiders Date: September 14 to 16 providing OAL training. The Camping committee and many Location: Camp Mockingbird fabulous volunteers had the 117 Brownies and Guides rotating through several stations with a camping theme. The girls participated in outdoor cooking, compass and trails, archery, first aid activities, and wide games. We finished off the day with a campfire before heading to our tents!

Canoe Day 53 Pathfinders, Rangers, and Trex girls came out to Westover to camp and canoe. 60 Guides made it out for a day trip. Canoe Date: September 20 to 22 certified volunteers took all the participants through an Location: Camp Westover introductory shore training on canoe parts, safety, and paddling strokes, and they supervised the girls for a 75-minute paddling session on the lake. A roaring campfire on shore was greatly appreciated by the units to keep warm and fully enjoy their camping experience.

Annual Report 2019 Page 15

Camp Cookoff 81 Pathfinders and Rangers came out to our first ever camp cookoff event! Each team of girls made an appetizer, entrée, and Date: October 6 dessert using three different secret ingredients. The teams Location: Camp Jubilee brought their creations to the judges to be rated on presentation, nutrition, creativity, use of secret ingredient, and taste. Fun was had by all!

Nite Trek We had 237 Pathfinders comprising 48 teams attend the event. We could never run the event without all the Ranger units that Date: October 18 to 20 come out to run the stations. The Pathfinders and Rangers Location: Camp Mockingbird enjoyed the Super Heroes theme. After completing the hike, the Pathfinders warmed up with hot dogs and hot chocolate before heading off for bed in their tents.

Brownie Camp We decided to move Brownie Camp Academy to November due Academy to inclement weather in February and March. We had 233 Brownies come out for the day to learn about camping. Learning Date: November 9 to light a match and a candle is always a highlight! Location: Camp Jubilee

Winter Camp 5 units with 32 girls braved the cold to learn about winter camping skills. Everyone learned how to set up camp in the Date: November 29 to snow and cook outside in the winter. They also did a winter December 1 scavenger hunt in the sunshine, went snowshoeing, and built Location: Camp Mockingbird ridiculous sleds to pull their friends on.

Page 16 Calgary Area Girl Guides

International

International Adviser: Amanda Saigeon

There were eight Independent trips from Calgary in 2019! Three of the five World Centres were visited: Our Chalet, Our Cabaña, and Pax Lodge.

Calgary Area was well represented across the world for nationally- sponsored trips. We had three girls, one alternate girl, one young adult, one Guider, and one alternate Guider selected for nationally-sponsored trips! These Calgary Area members traveled to Japan, Rome and Paris, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Quebec, and Newfoundland.

Annual Report 2019 Page 17

Membership

Membership Adviser: Debra Brisbin

In spite of ongoing, challenging economic conditions in the oil and gas industry, Calgary Area was very pleased to maintain membership at the same level as the previous year. The Area had 316 units with well over half of them operating at full capacity, and many units had waiting lists as well. Guiders in units with space worked hard to welcome new girls throughout the membership year with bring-a-friend nights and other special events such as a district event at Heritage Park.

Period Girls & Adults Total Youth Members

2018-2019 4,901 1,100 6,001

2019-2020 4,889 1,111 6,000

Numbers of Girls by Branch

Page 18 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Our Volunteers Our adult volunteers grew to 1,111 in 2019. Volunteers are what makes this organization run. Our volunteers work hard as leaders, Trefoil Guild members, Treasurers, Link members, and many other roles. The leaders are here to encourage and help the girl members to be the best that they can be, giving them confidence to move forward and reach their potential.

Annual Report 2019 Page 19

Awards Girl Guide awards recognize volunteers for their dedicated service. In 2019, 153 awards were presented to our members, recognizing achievements including providing special programming for girls and volunteering at the district or Calgary Area level.

It is with great pleasure that we recognize our volunteers for their service. The following numbers of awards were presented to our members in 2019.

Award # Presented Certificate of Appreciation 3 Letters of Commendation 5 Calgary Gold Special Award 2 Gold Thanks 41 Silver Thanks 4 Bronze Unit Guider 42 Silver Unit Guider 11 Gold Unit Guider 5 Team 10 Commissioner 2 Bronze Merit 12 Silver Merit 3 Gold Merit 4 Medal of Merit 4 Alberta Rose 3 Provincial Commissioner Promise 1 Fortitude 1 4 TOTAL: 153

The Awards were presented at district and Area events, at the Calgary Area Dinner in May, and at

the Volunteer Awards Celebration in October.

Page 20 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Awards Committee

Awards Lead: Bev Wahl

The Awards Committee assists members with submitting awards, reviews the applications, and hosts an annual volunteer celebration.

Left to right: Rosalyn Schmidt, Johanne McIntosh, Cynthia Zuidema, Lydia Karabin, Bev Wahl, Laurie Holtby Not Pictured: Debra Brisbin

Annual Report 2019 Page 21

Program

Program Adviser: Michele Harding (until July 2019) Rebecca Keeler (July 2019 to present)

Members of the Program Committee:

Front row seated (left to right): Denise Lawson, Rebecca Keeler, Tanya Downes Standing (left to right): Lana Pohl, Wendy Saddler, Victoria Watson Not Pictured: Madeline Bemrose, Allison Burry, Janet Haegedorn, Michelle Kromplak, Victoria Watson, Karla Williamson

The Program Committee is passionate about helping Guiders by organizing exciting events and providing program resources through the Calgary Area website and the ENews. Our goal is to inspire and help Guiders plan fun activities to engage the girls in the program.

Page 22 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Youth Awards Calgary Area was proud to present awards to over 130 girls who attended the Youth Awards ceremony on October 27. Approximately 260 awards were earned in Calgary Area, including the Lady Baden Powell, Canada Cord, Commonwealth, and Trailblazer Awards.

The ceremony included a motivational speech from Mayor Nenshi and the young entrepreneur Sophia Fairweather. STEM Events In 2019 we worked with Cybermentors at the University of Calgary to provide STEM events for all levels of Guiding. A total of 750 girls got to experience new STEM activities.

Examples of the exciting activities were learning how to make cheese, drawing pictures with colorful bacteria, learning about communicable disease, and exploring science in nature.

Heritage Events The History Wrangler Rob Lennard joined us again for 2019 to provide fun, interactive Alberta history lessons through song and stories. Around 500 girls attended the five Heritage Night events in 2019. The Program Committee also organized a new event with the History Wrangler: the History Train, held at Aspen Crossing. Over 200 girls, during two events, rode a historic train to a grain elevator and listened to the History Wrangler's songs and stories of Alberta's history. We are thankful for the Southern Alberta Pioneer's Building and Fish Creek Historical Society for hosting us at their historic properties.

Annual Report 2019 Page 23

Archives The archives team led exciting archives events for all branches during 2019. Girls were able to try on previous uniforms, explore the artifacts in the archives room, and play games from the past. The team is looking forward to providing evening archives programming and archive boxes to be rented out to units in the upcoming year. Disc Golf Debuting this year, Disc Golf was held at Baker Park for all branches of Guiding. The enthusiastic and Guinness world record holder, Frisbee Rob, joined 80 girls to demonstrate and teach the skill of throwing a frisbee. The girls got to play the course at Baker Park and put their skills to the test. This fun and energetic event was a great hit! Nature Day Nature Day was held in October at Ralph Klein Park, Canada's largest manmade wetland. 68 Brownies and Guides explored the wetland by doing a pond study and observing different natural artifacts native to Alberta.

Stampeders Sleepover New this year, groups from all branches watched the Stampeders game and had a sleepover on the field. This exciting and chilly event was a great success, with over 100 girls sleeping over.

Page 24 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Public Relations

PR Adviser: Jovita Dias

The PR Committee has made strides towards promoting and creating an awareness of the Calgary Girl Guides brand on social media. We are now active on various social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The new communication channels ensure we capture and reach all our audiences from Guiders and girls, to parents, and potential volunteers.

The purpose of launching Calgary Girl Guides on social media was mainly to: Social Media Statistics ■ Be relevant and up-to-date (as of December 2019): ■ Bring our large existing community online Facebook: 444 likes ■ Interact and change the narrative/perception (Launched in April 2019) ■ Cross-promote between districts, provinces, and national Instagram: 269 followers ■ Act as a resource for the leaders in Calgary (Launched in October 2019) Area The success of our social media is kudos to the amazing PR Committee volunteers who are always posting, engaging and curating content to share with the Calgary Area guiders. The PR Committee volunteers range from leaders, to youth members, to girls.

Front row seated (left to right): Shannon Jaeger, Ashley Dion

Standing (left to right): Diane Kirk, Jovita Dias, Dana Dutton

Annual Report 2019 Page 25

PR Events in 2019

Calgary Pride Parade Thank you to everyone who participated in the first Calgary Girl Guides - Calgary Pride Parade event. We had a contingent of nearly 50+ adults and girls representing GGC Calgary.

Cochrane Outhouse Races Thank you to the Rotary Club of Cochrane: all proceeds from the Cochrane Outhouse Races were donated towards building an inclusive playground at Camp Jubilee.

Calgary Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss Calgary Area Pathfinders and Rangers helped at the Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss in December 2019.

Member Communications

ENews Editor: Shannon Jaeger

Calgary Area keeps its members informed with our twice monthly CalgArea ENews. All upcoming Calgary Area events are highlighted in ENews.

Website Coordinator: Louise Winhold

Our Area website includes a wealth of information about our upcoming events, and it contains our online booking system for events and campsites.

Page 26 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Training

Training Adviser: Jan McCaghren

Deputy Training Adviser: Leah Cooney

The Calgary Area Training Committee consists of 18 Trainers. Five of these were Trainer Candidates who completed their training in 2019 to become fully appointed Trainers. We had one Trainer move to Ontario in June. During 2019, these ladies brought training to 779 Guiders in Calgary Area over more than 1,465 training hours. Guiders who take training can receive a Training Committee crest.

We continue to offer several Safe Guide sessions every year so that new Guiders can complete this mandatory training in the first 6 months of their membership. We offer a hard copy of the newest edition of Safe Guide to every participant who attends a face-to-face SG session. Trainings this Year

Safe Guide (73 Guiders) OAL a joint initiative of the Calgary Area All About Your Branch S, B, G, P, R (41 Guiders) Training and Camping Committees Building Unit Guiders Skills (34 Guiders) Various sessions (153 Guiders)

We also offered sessions in The Girl Program (48 Guiders), which is one of the New Guider Learning Path sessions. Other sessions included the following:

Financial Management Performance Management Team Building/New Playground Event Planning Effective Communication Safe Guide Refresher Time Management Cookie Selling Ceremonies Outdoor Cooking

Annual Report 2019 Page 27

A La Carte Program In the fall, we introduced our A La Carte program. A menu of sessions was offered to the districts. The appetizer was set as a short team building session. The Guiders then could choose up to 3 entrée sessions and one dessert session. We went to 8 Districts in 2019 with many more holding their sessions in the New Year. In 2019, 166 Guiders took part.

As part of the A La Carte program, we introduced a set of 10 new crests. One is for everyone who attends an A La Carte session. The others are for specific topics to try to encourage the Guiders to take training. The crests are for the following:

Unit Guider stream Safe Guide OAL Residential International OAL Tenting Administrator Getting Outside Personal Development Building Unit Guider Skills

Other Training More Guiders are taking training via telephone or webinar sessions. These are Provincial initiatives, so they don’t reflect in the Calgary Area attendance numbers.

National introduced a new stream for the Unit Guider in the fall. These sessions must be taken by new Guiders within their first six months of membership. All of these sessions are available online, and the Calgary Area team is also offering them as face-to-face sessions. The sessions are

The Girl Program Safe and Inclusive Space (only Safe Guide available online through

Building Unit Guider Skills All About Your Branch (branch specific)

Our Trainers offer training at the Provincial level through telephone and webinar sessions. Many of our Trainers lead sessions at the Commissioners Workshop, Trainers Workshop, Multi-Faceted, HodgePodge, the Girls Arts Event, and the Adult Arts Event sponsored by the Provincial Training Committee. We have Trainers who go to units to sing with the girls.

We bring Training to the Guiders! Some sessions are held centrally at Guide Centre. Other times, Trainers go to the Districts. We offer a variety of topics—whatever the Guiders need. We already have an exciting list of sessions for 2020.Watch for more!

Page 28 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Districts

Calgary Area is divided into 22 separate districts. The districts include neighbourhoods in the City of Calgary as well as surrounding communities, including Banff, Canmore, Chestermere, and Cochrane.

The Girl Guide units and volunteers in each district are overseen by a District Commissioner. She may also have up to three Deputy Commissioners as well as a Treasurer.

Calgary Area includes the following districts.

■ 12 Mile Coulee ■ East Bow ■ Sarcee Hills ■ Adelaide Glenn ■ Famous Five ■ Scenic Bow Valley ■ Annie Bannister ■ Nitanisak ■ Silverbirch ■ Beth Riddoch ■ North Star ■ Sunrise ■ Blackfoot ■ Patterson ■ Three Sisters ■ Co-West ■ Paxhill ■ Westglen ■ Crystal Palace ■ Prairie Mosaic ■ Wichewakn ■ Deerfoot

See the following pages for an overview of the number of Girl Guide units in each district and their amazing activities!

Annual Report 2019 Page 29

12 Mile Coulee

Serving the Communities of Crestmont, Tuscany, Valley Ridge

District Commissioner: Tammy Robbins Number of Cookie Cases

Deputy District Commissioners:

Karla Krewulak Spring Lauren Ostridge Fall Dawn Resch 587 593 Treasurer: Neilla King

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Multi Totals

Units 3 3 3 2 1 1 13 Girls 61 57 54 31 8 20 231 Guiders 56

District Activities The 2019 Guiding year was a busy one for 12 Mile Coulee!

With our amazing and dedicated leaders, our girls have been able to attend some very cool events and places, such as Story Book Theatre, our local Fire Station 42, and The Military Museum. We’ve had sleepovers at the Hanger Museum and the Zoo, attended multiple STEM events, had multiple camps out at Jubilee, toured the Cochrane Humane Society as well as the local Library, and attended Canoe Day and Nite Trek.

Page 30 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Adelaide Glenn

Serving the Communities of Bridlewood, Evergreen, Evergreen Estates, Millrise, Shawnee Slopes, Shawnessy, Silverado, Somerset

District Commissioner: 2018/2019: Stephanie Nicklassen 2019/2020: Deadra Berkan

Deputy District Commissioner: Number of Cookie Cases Cheryl Wilson

Treasurer: Spring Fall 2018/2019: Shannon Guyett 2019/2020: Dawn Wilson 844 679

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 1 3 3 2 1 10 Girls 15 49 58 28 8 156 Guiders 32

District Activities Unit sleepovers included Heritage Park and the Royal Tyrell Museum. One unit camped at Mockingbird. Other activities included visits to a fire hall, Zoo Lights at the Calgary Zoo, Sports Hall of Fame at COP, and the Rothney Observatory.

Annual Report 2019 Page 31

Annie Bannister

Serving the Communities of Chaparral Valley, Lake Chaparral, Lake Midnapore, Lake Sundance, Legacy, Wolf Willow, Walden

District Commissioner: 2018/2019: Jennifer Bridle 2019/2020: Allison Hunter

Deputy District Commissioners: Treasurer: Number of Cookie Cases 2018/2019: Nikki Giguere, Allison Hunter, Donna Pratt Camilla Williams

2019/2020: Michelle, Bane, Amanda Broomfield, Spring Kristy Copeman Fall 1015 905 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 3 3 3 2 4 15 Girls 36 55 58 27 16 188 Guiders 40

District Activities Annie Bannister continued to flourish in 2019 with strong leadership, amazing Guiders, support from several Unit Assistants, and incredible girls. One of our Ranger units had the opportunity to travel to Camp Olave. In the fall of 2019, we saw a lot of new and first-time Guiders join our team. We were also able to open another Pathfinder unit as our enrolment in this age group significantly increased.

Annie Bannister District continued to offer amazing experiences to all of our girl members. A highlight included visits to and from local paramedics, police officers, and women in non-traditional career roles. Our girl members also experienced yoga, visiting the new Calgary Library, attending and receiving awards at the Adult and Girl Award Ceremonies, going to Rally Day, singing carols at local seniors centres, making Christmas cards and collecting food for local veterans, stuffing food bags for the Calgary Food Bank, working on the Stuff-A-Bus campaign, having a behind the scenes look at the Jubilee Theatre, indoor rock climbing, painting pottery, doing glass fusion, making blankets for young residents of Hull Family Services, and participating in Nite Trek. Several units had sleepovers and camps at The Calgary Zoo, Heritage Park, the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the Hanger Flight Museum, Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, Camp Horizon, and at various GGC camp properties.

Page 32 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Beth Riddoch Serving the Communities of Balmoral, Cambrian Heights, Crescent Heights, Greenview, Highland Park, Highwood, North Haven, Mount Pleasant, Mountview, Rosedale, Rosemont, Sunnyside, Thorncliffe, Tuxedo Park, Winston Heights

District Commissioner: Number of Cookie Cases Caitlin Reid

Deputy District Commissioners: Treasurer: Spring Fall Dayna Boser and Tanya Downes Sandy Williams 909 576 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 3 3 5 3 2 16 Girls 35 70 52 32 8 197 Guiders 52

District Activities Beth Riddoch has had another adventurous year filled with exciting programming, camps, and outings. Our girls began earning Girls First badges and have been loving the new things they get to do with the new program in both regular meetings and during outings.

Over the last year, our units have overnight activities at the Zoo, Royal Tyrell Museum, Flip Factory, and even overnight laser tag. Our units have also spent several weekends camping at Guiding sites such as Mockingbird, Jubilee, and Iasg, but also in Canmore and Camp Cadicasu! Two of our Pathfinder units ventured out of Alberta for National Events—one unit to LEAP in Ontario and the other to Voilà in Quebec.

Annual Report 2019 Page 33

Blackfoot

Serving the Communities of Acadia, Canyon Meadows, Downtown Calgary, Elbow Park, Fairview, Haysboro, Inglewood, Maple Ridge, Southwood, Willow Park

Number of Cookie Cases District Commissioner: 2018/2019: Christie Courtland

2019/2020: Megan Belenky Spring Fall Deputy District Commissioners: 1880 1539 2018/2019: Megan Belenky, Lillian Szentmiklossy 2019/2020: Amanda Omelusik, Morgan Turigan, Shaylene Urquhart

Treasurer: 2018/2019: Freda Osborne 2019/2020: Paula Jarding

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Multi Totals

Units 7 6 6 5 3 1 28 Girls 92 96 129 39 12 17 385 Guiders 94

District Activities It has been another great year for Blackfoot District! We have many new faces and some familiar faces this year. Our experienced Guiders are helping to mentor our first year Guiders, ensuring that we can offer the best programming and activities to our units.

There have been many bridging events within our District, such as laser tag, skating, swim nights, perogy making, and yoga classes. Our units love to camp, rain or shine. Our younger units attend fun and interactive sleepovers, such as the Calgary Zoo, Heritage Park, and the Royal Tyrell Museum.

Within our different communities, our units work together to share fundraisers, different activities, enrolment/advancement ceremonies, and volunteer experiences, including Birthday Boxes for the Calgary Food Bank, Snack Packs for Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids, building "Little Free Libraries", selling Poppies for the Legion. and many more. And of course, we sell cookies!! We also had units off exploring the coasts of Canada, celebrating Canada Day in Vancouver, BC and Halifax, NS.

Page 34 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Co-West

Serving the Towns of Bragg Creek, Cochrane, Redwood Meadows

District Commissioner: Devina Shah Number of Cookie Cases

Spring Deputy District Commissioner: Fall Jennifer Baker 795 810

Treasurer: Marion Phillips

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Totals

Units 1 2 3 2 8 Girls 36 64 50 24 175 Guiders 36

District Activities This year has been filled with many exciting adventures for our Co-West girls. Our girls were active in the great outdoors and could be found geocaching, horseback riding, and paddling. Some were even brave enough to try goat yoga! Camps and campfires were had, Rally Day enjoyed, and hands-on experiences helped us to learn new skills such as bicycle maintenance, coding and robotics, wet felting, power tools, and some Harry Potter wizardry. Our girls and Guiders have had a ball! We were excited to welcome new girl and adult members this year as well, adding a new Brownie and Pathfinder unit to our District.

One particular highlight was our 1st Pathfinders participated in an exchange to Newfoundland in July. Their dedication to selling cookies and fundraising paid off with an unforgettable trip!

Annual Report 2019 Page 35

Crystal Palace

Serving the Communities of Abbeydale, Bridgeland, Mayland Heights, Marlborough, Marlborough Park, Renfrew, Vista Heights

District Commissioner: Meribeth Barclay Number of Cookie Cases Deputy District Commissioner: Amanda Rose

Treasurer: Spring Fall Kathie Nosworthy 502 495 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Trex Totals

Units 2 2 2 1 1 8 Girls 26 18 32 5 3 84 Guiders 21

District Activities The 71st Guides traveled to PEI in July of 2019 and will be travelling to Toronto in July of 2020. The Spark and Brownie units have done several camps and sleepovers throughout the year. The 18th Pathfinders did a road trip to Revelstoke in July 2019 and are planning a lot of great adventures for this year. The 18th Trex unit has been keeping busy with all sorts of outdoor activities, including Caving in April 2019. All units within our district have been getting more involved in our communities by volunteering at movie nights and dances and carnivals.

Page 36 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Deerfoot

Serving the Communities of Country Hills, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, MacEwan, Panorama, Sandstone

District Commissioners: 2018/2019: Joelle Callaghan, Joan Gallagher 2019/2020: Lynette Lui

Number of Cookie Cases Deputy District Commissioners: Keri Bruce, Jennifer Burlingham

Treasurer: Spring Fall 2018/2019: Lynn Harquail 1170 1395 2019/2020: Trish McInnis

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 4 4 4 3 2 17 Girls 64 75 95 41 21 296 Guiders 55

District Activities

We have a large membership in our district that keeps busy with bridging camps and events among the various levels.

Our district has many units that attend various city events like Nite Trek, STEM days, Rally Day, Sparklefest, Brownie Camp Academy, and Guide Skills. When we are not in our meeting spaces, we enrich our units’ activities by taking the girls outside or other indoor facilities where the girls get to go skating, dog sledding, swimming, canoeing, and geo caching.

Annual Report 2019 Page 37

East Bow

Serving the Communities of Albert Park, Applewood, Chestermere, Dover, Erin Woods, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Ogden, Penbrooke Meadows, Radisson Heights, Riverbend, Southview

District Commissioners: 2018/2019: Holly Sweeney, Leslie Horton Number of Cookie Cases 2019/2020: Debbie DeCampos

Treasurer: Spring Fall Lani Loewen McKnight 1278 985 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Totals

Units 5 5 4 3 17 Girls 68 95 74 18 262 Guiders 40

District Activities We had a group of Guides travel to Halifax taking in the sites and adventures like being a deckhand for the day on a tall ship, visiting Anne of Green Gable in PEI, and seeing Peggy’s Cove.

We held our Annual Thinking Day Event with many of the units attending. Working on the WAGGGS Challenge and the provincial CWFF Challenge. A large percentage of units took part in Calgary Area Rally Day.

Camps and Sleepovers: It was a fun year with many sleepovers (Royal Tyrell Museum, Flip Factory, Zoo, Heritage Park, Banff/Canmore). We held several multi Unit camps: Full Steam Ahead Attended by Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Let’s Get Cooking attended by the Sparks. Pathfinders units experienced Nite Trek.

Program: All the units are doing a great job delivering exciting programs for the girls, whether it was the new Girls First program or finishing the old program. Units had trips to the Apple Store, Perogy Man, Calgary Search and Rescue, Heritage Park Once a Upon Christmas, Archery, Remembrance Day Ceremonies, fire halls, and the local library. Multi level advancements included a Tree House and Heritage Park for Ghouls Night Out.

Page 38 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Famous Five

Serving the Communities of Deer Ridge, Deer Run, Diamond Cove, Lake Bonavista, Bonavista Downs, Parkland, Queensland

District Commissioners: 2018/2019: Bonnie Jones 2019/2020: Pat Istead

Deputy District Commissioners: Number of Cookie Cases 2018/2019: Andrea Boehm and Pat Istead 2019/2020: Sue Fortunka Spring Fall Treasurer: Catherine Ranger 428 339

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 3 3 3 2 1 12 Girls 32 39 38 16 4 129 Guiders 28

District Activities ■ Sleepovers, camps ■ Police station and fire hall tours ■ Calgary Humane Society, pet stores, Bow Habitat Station ■ CTV station tour ■ Winter Fun Days ■ Skating, hikes, walks in the community, Nite Trek ■ Martial Arts ■ Veterans Food Bank, Calgary Food Bank, ■ Christmas Cards to Veterans, Christmas and Valentine decorations to Seniors ■ Holiday singing for Seniors

Annual Report 2019 Page 39

Nitanisak

Serving the Communities of Edgemont, Evanston, Hamptons, Hanson Ranch, Hidden Valley, Kincora, Nolan Hill, Sage Hill, Sherwood

District Commissioners: 2018/2019: Marcie Calhoun 2019/2020: Kathy Dion (acting) Number of Cookie Cases

Deputy District Commissioner:

Suzanne Tonner Spring Fall Treasurer: 1281 1498 Michelle Olfert

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Trex Totals

Units 3 3 5 2 2 1 16 Girls 43 64 94 25 7 10 243 Guiders 52

District Activities Nitanisak District is a thriving community of girls and Guiders. Our Guiders are dedicated to providing the best opportunities to our girls.

■ Our Spark units are always on the go with Zoo sleepovers and their annual Spring camp at Camp Jubilee for all units, Santa visits and mother/daughter sleepovers. ■ The Brownies were busy with camps at Jubilee, Area Winter Fun Day, Flight Hanger sleepover, and meetings at the Glenbow and the Sports Hall of Fame. ■ Guides participated in tent camps in the spring and in the fall! They did kayaking, Telus Spark sleepover, and bridging camp with Brownies and Rangers. ■ The Pathfinders, Rangers, and Trex went to West Edmonton Mall, Canmore, Kananaskis Hostel, horseback riding, kayaking, coding at Apple Store, and of course, Nite Trek. Our District has been very busy with community service projects for Kincora Community Association, Hidden Valley Community Association, AARCS, Soap for Hope, Stephen's Backpack, bat boxes, Valentines for Vets, and many more. One of our Rangers developed a traffic safety presentation based on her own experience.

Page 40 Calgary Area Girl Guides

North Star

Serving the Communities of Beddington Heights and Huntington Hills

District Commissioner: Tasha Dion

Deputy District Commissioner: Kirsten Lawson Number of Cookie Cases

Treasurer:

2018/2019: Susan Sarrasin Spring Fall 2019/2020: Bronte Bowerman 313 283 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 2 2 2 1 1 8 Girls 16 27 20 8 10 81 Guiders 24

District Activities ■ Thinking Day District Carnival ■ District Advancement ■ Volunteering with Community Stampede Breakfasts by providing bouncy house supervision and face painting ■ Girl Guides Rally Day ■ Pride Parade ■ Nite Trek and the Stampeders Sleepover on the same weekend ■ An “Awesome Man & Me” trip to the Apple store to learn to code (224th Brownies) ■ Making dog toys for Pawsitive Match animal rescue (224th Brownies) ■ Volunteering with the seniors at Bow View Manor (54th Guides) ■ Zip-lining in BC over the summer (6th Rangers) ■ Plus: indoor and outdoor camping, games, crafts, outings, theme nights, bridging events, and more!

Annual Report 2019 Page 41

Patterson

Serving the Communities of Auburn Bay, Cranston, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, Seton

District Commissioner: Number of Cookie Cases Teresa Nelson Keller

Deputy District Commissioners: Lesli Fietz, Dana McNeill, Amber Watt Spring Fall 1742 1935 Treasurer: Natasha Raimbault

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Totals

Units 6 7 6 3 22 Girls 104 145 120 42 411 Guiders 78

District Activities Girls and leaders came together for two district events: a Garden Birthday Party for Lady Baden Powell where girls gardened and celebrated Guiding, and our “Stay Calm It’s a Sing-a-Long” where girls sang their hearts out!

Unit activity highlights this year include:

■ Sparks baked at Cobs Bakery, visited the helicopter at Seton Library, made shoe box donations, visited seniors, hiked, and more! ■ Brownies had a sleepover with the dinosaurs in Drumheller, made sandwiches for the Mustard Seed, met a therapy guide dog and experienced Art in the Dark. ■ Guides visited Ottawa for Canada Day, the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, and the police station. They also went geocaching, learned first aid, and participated in STEM days. ■ Pathfinders toured downtown, went horseback riding, had clothing drives, and more. ■ Branching events included disaster preparedness, Halloween parties, a paint nite, and camping experiences. Guiders also shared some fun at a year-end Bunco social event and our annual Holiday Christmas party.

Page 42 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Paxhill

Serving the Communities of Banff Trail, Brentwood, Capitol Hill, Charleswood, Collingwood, Dalhousie, Hounsfield Heights/Briar Hill, Parkdale, St. Andrews Heights, University Heights, Varsity, Varsity Estates, West Hillhurst

Number of Cookie Cases

District Commissioners: 2018/2019: Elena Favaro Spring Fall

2019/2020: Janelle Smiley-Wiens 934 984 Deputy District Commissioners: 2018/2019: Janelle Smiley-Wiens 2019/2020: Finley Rogers

Treasurer: Linda Pic

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 3 3 3 3 1 13 Girls 49 77 52 41 10 227 Guiders 57

District Activities Paxhill District continues to grow, with new girls and new leaders. In February 2019, Paxhill District hosted a Pathfinder Ranger Camp at Camp Jubilee where girls were able to choose from a number of activities including financial management and arts and crafts. They learned how to organize meetings. We hosted a district-wide camp called “Leave it Better” where girls participated in the Students Rebuild Ocean Challenge prior to camp and then were tasked with building small societies. We went trampolining, canoeing, participated in Nite Trek, camped, and sold cookies. We honoured our girls and guiders at a District Advancement at camp and we look forward to doing the same this year.

Annual Report 2019 Page 43

Prairie Mosaic Serving the Communities of Castleridge, Cityscape, Coral Springs, Falconridge, Martindale, Monterey, Pineridge, Redstone, Rundle, Saddleridge, Skyview Ranch, Taradale, Temple, Whitehorn

District Commissioners: Treasurer: 2018/2019: Karma Lanneville Dorothy Peartree Number of Cookie Cases 2019/2020: Twila Tayfel

Deputy District Commissioners:

2018/2019: Lynn Britton, Debbie Lukes Spring Fall 2019/2019/2020: Rebecca Mansfield, Maire Shelast 1372 1056 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Multi Totals

Units 2 2 2 2 1 2 11 Girls 21 40 48 43 16 55 223 Guiders 41

District Activities This year the 3rd Pathfinders toured England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and attended the Charnwood International Scout/Guide Camp in England. It was a camp to be remembered even with the unprecedented rain. Girls from the 9th Sparks, 119th Brownies, 413 Multi-unit, 22A Multi- unit, 99th & 26th Guides, 103rd & 3rd Pathfinders, and 28th Rangers headed out camping numerous times, had sleepovers in Drumheller with the Dinosaurs, volunteered at events like Stampede Breakfast Green Teams, Global Fest, tree planting, shoreline/community clean-ups, and Remembrance Day ceremonies. Units also participated in Calgary Area events such as Tenting 101, Nite Trek, Rally day, Pride Parade, and the Secret 3K Marathon.

We also learned new skills like computer programming and scuba diving and did fun activities like dogsledding, going to InjaNation, and visiting the Police Interpretive Centre. In addition, girls from the 28th Rangers went to Victoria and the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre during Spring Break, having a hands-on experience learning all about the ocean. In August, two patrols of girls from the 99th Guides and the 103rd Pathfinders headed east, first stopping in Montreal and Ottawa, before heading off to experience LEAP at Doe Lake Camp. We also had a District Camp in June taking part in The Amazing Race! A great Guiding year of 2019 was had by all.

Page 44 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Sarcee Hills

Serving the Communities of Aspen Woods, Christie Park, Coach Hill, Cougar Ridge, Discovery Ridge, Patterson, Signal Hill, Springbank Hill, Strathcona Park, West Springs

District Commissioners: Treasurer: Number of Cookie Cases 2018/2019: Lisa Franklin Lisa Franklin/Cindy LaValley 2019/2020: Kathy Dion (acting)

Deputy District Commissioners: Spring Fall 2018/2019: Megan Khosla, Cindy LaValley, Tara Leatherdale 2019/2020: Megan Khosla, Tara Leatherdale 1513 1482

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 5 5 6 4 2 22 Girls 81 100 120 45 19 365 Guiders 69 District Activities This year we had three district wide events—two sing-a-longs and a carnival. These are organized by the older girls and unit Guiders.

■ Our Sparks have been stuffing stockings at Mastermind Toys, making cards for troops, carolling with seniors, and working on the Women of Valour and Plastic-Free challenges. ■ Our Brownies have been making birthday boxes, shopping for groceries for camp, riding the LRT downtown to visit the central library, and touring the Military Museum. ■ Our Guides went to LEAP and Tenting 101 and have been making cat toys for the Humane Society, working on the Famous Five challenge, and taking a WAGGGS World Centres food tour. ■ Our Pathfinders went to DAWN and the Stampeders sleepover and have been working on Nevaeh’s challenge and learning about pocket knife safety. ■ Our Rangers have been fundraising through bottle drives and a district movie night and enjoyed a summer trip to Switzerland and Italy.

Annual Report 2019 Page 45

Scenic Bow Valley

Serving the Communities of Bowness, Montgomery, Scenic Acres, Silver Springs

District Commissioner: Annette Jaenen Number of Cookie Cases Deputy District Commissioner: Lorna Stevens

Treasurer: Spring Fall Doug Stevens 450 329 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Trex Totals

Units 2 3 2 2 1 11 Girls 35 37 29 16 6 123 Guiders 20

District Activities Girls have worked on activities from Girls First Platform, held Sleepovers; Camps, done community service, gone to 4Cats & Crock-A-Doodle for crafts, and gone to University of Calgary Observatory. We have a District Day Camp & Advancement Ceremony planned by Trex & 3rd Year Pathfinders in April.

Page 46 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Silverbirch

Serving the Communities of Bayview, Braeside, Cedarbrae, Oakridge, Palliser, Pumphill, Woodbine, Woodlands

District Commissioner: Rosanne Bowman

Deputy District Commissioners: 2018/2019: Lola Cline 2019/2020: Rosemarie Enokson Number of Cookie Cases

Treasurers: 2018/2019: Cheryl Herle Spring Fall 2019/2020: Barb Augustyn 695 703 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Totals

Units 2 3 3 2 10 Girls 40 56 58 9 163 Guiders 37

District Activities Our district loves to celebrate together; we start out the Guiding year with a Meet & Greet, where parents can connect with the Guiders, fill out the forms, order uniforms, etc. We usually have lots of bridging for Hallowe’en parties, sleepovers, and other activities. We celebrate Thinking Day as a District and hold group Advancement Ceremonies.

During 2019, our 49th Guides attended LEAP in Ontario and our Rangers/Pathfinders travelled to Jasper for zip-lining, hiking, and completing the Hosteling Challenge. Our Sparks and Brownies had enormous fun during sleepovers at the Science Centre, Heritage Park, and the Hangar Museum. Guides went camping (in the snow) at Jubilee and Mockingbird, and Pathfinders went backpacking at Westover. Our Pathfinders and Rangers are regulars at the Canoeing weekend, Nite Trek, and the Banff Film Festival.

Annual Report 2019 Page 47

Sunrise

Serving the Communities of Copperfield, Douglasdale Estates, Douglas Ridge, Inverness, McKenzie Towne, New Brighton, Prestwick, Quarry Park, Shepard, Stonegate

District Commissioner: Melanie Murray

Number of Cookie Cases Deputy District Commissioners: Carolyn Charles, Sonya MacQuarrie

Treasurer: Spring Fall Keith Edwards 1362 1110 By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 5 4 3 2 3 17 Girls 68 69 65 18 15 235 Guiders 46

District Activities Sunrise District Girl Guides had a busy year in 2019. Through district and unit events alike, the Guiders in our district are working hard help the girls become “Everything She Wants to Be”. Some of our unit adventures include the Guides going to West Edmonton Mall and the Alberta Guide House, the Pathfinders excelling at the annual Nite Trek camp, and the Rangers learning life skills & planning their trip to Thailand in 2020. The Sparks and Brownies also learned a lot with sleepovers at Telus Spark and Heritage Park as well as camping at Camp Jubilee and bridging activities with other units among many other activities.

Our district service projects included Valentines for Vets, donating to the Food Bank, building backpacks at Stephen’s Backpack, participating in Neighbour Day, and collecting donations for the Mustard Seed.

Page 48 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Three Sisters

Serving the Communities of Banff, Canmore,

District Commissioner: Treasurer: Number of Cookie Cases Kathy Dion (acting) 2018/2019: Debbie Morgan 2019/2020: Erikka Bronstein Spring Fall Deputy District Commissioners: Debbie Morgan, Katie Urbach 410 204

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Totals

Units 2 2 2 2 1 9 Girls 25 13 17 7 8 70 Guiders 18

District Activities 2019 began with three separate unit camps (including a Unicorn camp!) at Namiyi (Jubilee) and ended with a full 'STEAM' themed District Camp at Centennial (Jubilee), where the girls earned their Alberta Arts and STEM Challenge crests. In between, our youth members braved the water at the Westover Canoe weekend, camped, hiked, and ran a station at Mockingbird for Nite Trek, took part in the Area Guides Adventure Camp, and slept at Heritage Park. Canmore Pathfinders and Rangers finished selling over 12,000 boxes of cookies, and took the trip of a Guiding lifetime to Adelboden for a Mini Swiss Challenge at Our Chalet. During a two-week trip, they visited Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy. Their 'two stars' were a gondola ride in Venice, and a very emotional visit to the Dachau concentration camp (although Juliet's balcony in Verona received an honourable mention, as did being shown around a medieval walled city by a monk). One 'wish' was less fundraising!

Closer to the community, we have helped out the Anglican Church Women at their community events, Mother’s Day lunch, Thanksgiving Supper, and Christmas bazaar, as well as visiting the Seniors at Cascade House. Our units served at the Mountain Grannies/ Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers ‘Chilli in a Bowl’ event. Unit meetings included the inaugural 'Thinking Day Mystery Box MasterChef 2019' where the girls were challenged to create a dish from each of the first four World Centres, A Captain Marvel 'Representation of Women in Film' night, camp skills, fire-starters, and a hall-based visit to 'Mexico'. Our Ranger on the National Youth Council attended the GGC AGM and continued to contribute as a youth voice helping to shape the future of the national organization.

Annual Report 2019 Page 49

Westglen

Serving the Communities of Altadore, Bankview, Beltline, Currie Barracks, Glamorgan, Glendale, Killarney, Lakeview, Marda Loop, Rosscarrock, Rutland Park, Shaganappi, South Calgary, Spruce Cliff, Sunalta, Westgate, Wildwood

District Commissioner: Number of Cookie Cases Spencer Tomasello

Deputy District Commissioners: Rose Crowley Kampel, Yvonne Orme, Amanda Saigeon Spring Fall

Treasurer: 1556 1505 Donnelle Watson

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Trex Multi Totals

Units 5 5 6 3 1 1 2 23 Girls 73 93 136 57 18 8 42 427 Guiders 88

District Activities Westglen has been busy in 2019! We had our Carnival District Camp with over 300 girls in attendance in May. In September we had our Annual District Campfire lead by our Rangers. We had two Patrols attend LEAP in Ontario. Our units were equally as busy with Thinking Day events, camps, trips to Banff and Edmonton, sleepovers at the Zoo, Flip Factory, Heritage Park, the Guide Centre, and our local community centres. Units built birdhouses, went to IKEA, took self defense class, went to the Cat Cafe, had potlucks, visited Senior Homes, had bridging events, went on hikes, and did many crafts.

Page 50 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Wichewakn

Serving the Communities of Arbour Lake, Bearspaw, Citadel, Hawkwood, Ranchlands, Rocky Ridge, Royal Oak

District Commissioner: Laurie Lin Number of Cookie Cases

Deputy District Commissioners: Spring Fall Kathy Ervin, Teegan Jessop 1163 866 Treasurer: Rena Bremner

By the Numbers

Sparks Brownies Guides Pathfinders Rangers Trex Totals

Units 3 4 6 2 1 1 18 Girls 31 66 105 34 1 7 245 Guiders 50

District Activities Wichewakn means “Friendship” in Cree. Some of the most beautiful parts of friendship are learning, playing, and growing together. We are! It has been a wonderful year in Wichwakn. We celebrated the Guiding year with girls, Guiders, families, and friends with a Fly Up ceremony at Bowness Park. It is so open and welcoming that everybody at the park became part of us.

We guide and support each other. Our Trex girls often take the little ones, Sparks and Brownies, out camping. Our Pathfinders made their way to Europe and Mexico. Challenges were turned into opportunities. With support from Area and ANY, the Mexico trip in spring led to another Mexico trip in fall. It is a one of a kind stories we wrote together. Guides continue to thrill in adventuring planned by our fantastic Guiders and girls. Our Sparks and Brownies bring the community closer where we get to meet siblings, parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents, and even grandaunts! We are growing as a community, internally and externally. With the support from our community partners, we can expand the horizon of our Guiding journey with funds, resources, and most importantly, partnership.

Annual Report 2019 Page 51

Rally Day 2019

Here are some fun facts about our incredible day with 2000 girls and leaders.

■ 128 amazing volunteers helped to plan/facilitate the event—they were incredible! Pathfinders ● Rangers ● Guiders ● Moms ● Dads ● Husbands ● Link ● Trefoil Guilds

■ A traditional Stampede-style pancake breakfast was served outside for 1000 early arrival girls and leaders–hurray for great weather!

■ A local pub donated all the giant trefoils that decorated the stage and our venue (they were actually green shamrocks for their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, but we reversed them and painted them Girl Guide blue!). ■ All branch levels attended, and Pathfinder and Rangers expertly ran some of the activity stations. ■ Mayor Nenshi visited us at lunch time and loved his new Girl Guide jersey so much that he put it on right there at the podium. ■ We had a great sing-along at lunch time with Guider Sue and Otter-B—it’s always exciting to hear that many voices singing!

Page 52 Calgary Area Girl Guides

20 companies/external guests were incredibly excited to join us.

■ City of Calgary policewomen, female firefighters, ■ Opera Singer Michelle Minke and female paramedics with their police car, EMS ■ Safe4Life Self Defence vehicle, and firetruck ■ Rocks-and-Rings Curling ■ U of C Cheer ■ Trout Unlimited ■ Calgary Stars Cheer ■ Wildlife/Nature ■ Calgary Skip Squad ■ AstroDome Planetarium ■ Line Dancers ■ UofC STEM Aerospace ■ PALS therapy dogs ■ UofC STEM Build-a-Beak ■ City of Calgary Waste & Recycling ■ Heritage Park ■ Circles of Rhythm Drumming Circle ■ Calgary Area Archives

Our client/venue (The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede) were so incredibly impressed with the girl’s outstanding behaviour, the logistics of the event, the fun-filled activities, and the 30-minute end-of- event clean up/exit. They had never seen anything like it. “Girl Guides are Amazing!”, they constantly told the committee.

The Rally Day Committee had a great time planning this successful event. A huge thanks to:

Cerena Bond Laurie Holtby Lauren McLeod Sarah Brazeau Michele Kromplak Laura Vogel Sue Fortunka Karma Lanneville Cyndi Williams Michele Harding Louise Lines

Annual Report 2019 Page 53

Link

1st Calgary Link President: Kate Hanna Email: [email protected] Facebook: 1st Calgary Link unit

2019 was a fairly active year for the 1st Calgary Link Unit! Created in 2017 to give Calgary Area Link members a place to socialize during the busy 18 to 30 age period, our unit had 57 members at the end of the year who attend events when they fit in their busy schedules.

Events in 2019 included an afternoon of board games, a paint nite and a holiday movie marathon (among others). Paint Nite was great fun—a bit of a surprise choice from our not-so-crafty unit, but the artwork all turned out amazing. It was also a great opportunity to “link” with the Calgary Area Commissioner and her deputies.

2020 looks to be just as exciting, including events like The Secret Marathon and maybe an escape room later in the year. Looking forward to more young adult adventures!

Page 54 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Trefoil Guilds

Trefoil Guilds are for Guiders either active or retired who are 30 years old and over and who wish to maintain a contact and association with Girl Guides of Canada. Women join Trefoil Guilds to keep their spirit of Guiding active, for fun and fellowship, and to give service to Guiding and the community.

Calgary Area has 11 Trefoil Guilds.

■ Claytons

■ Crazy Calgary Campers ■ Emonis Ake ■ Frayed Knots ■ Guiding Lights ■ Happy Campers ■ Missing Links ■ North Star Nomads ■ Sunrise Girls ■ WestRockers ■ Y-Knots

Trefoil Guild Activities in 2018

Trefoil Guild Sample Activities

Claytons Our Group remains pretty stable number-wise this past year. These members consist of original members and daughters of former or present members. President: Phyllis Davis We continue meeting every two or three months to celebrate significant birthdays by going out for dinner. Although our group is not involved with a service project any more, many of the members are active doing service work individually. Some members continue to be involved with Calgary Area Special Events which affords those members an opportunity to keep in touch with girl members and current Leadership Gals in Calgary Area. The friendships gained by working in Girl Guides are strong and is the greatest legacy we all share and enjoy.

Annual Report 2019 Page 55

Trefoil Guild Sample Activities

Crazy Campers For 2019, we have helped plan and facilitate these Calgary Area events. Winter Tent Camping, Brownie Camp Academy, Ranger Spring President: Camp, Sparklefest, Guide Skills Days, Iasg Campsite Event, Beginner Victoria Woodward Backpacking, Tenting 101, Canoe Weekend, Night Trek, and Winter Fun Day, Guides Adventure Trek, and Golden Spatula (Iron Chef).

: GlobalFest is dedicated to celebrating

and artistic excellence. We always end the guiding season by going out for a walk and dinner at a local restaurant with all the members of the Calgary Camp Committee and the Trefoil Guild. Total members 26. Frayed Knots Our guild has been open for several years, but it is made up of wonderful, very busy, unit Guiders and we are President: finding it difficult to find extra time Leslie Horton get together to do guild events, but we do keep trying! We did have an activity in November of 2019 with over half of our members attending. Our session was glass painting, and we had a lot of fun with great results! We are planning on a service project early in 2020, and hoping to get together more often this year.

Page 56 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Trefoil Guild Sample Activities

Emonis Ake Emonis Ake Trefoil Guild is a casual Guild with a primary focus on social activities. Many of our members are still very active in Guiding as unit Guiders, with positions on District and Area Council, and involved with President: committees. Eileen Johansen Things we did this year are: ■ We supported Archives at the Rally in the spring by running the table and leading activities with the girls and their leaders. ■ We sent Remembrance Day Cards to female military members in November. ■ We enjoyed an afternoon of decorating cookies. ■ We held our annual BBQ wind-up in June. ■ We had a picnic and walk at Fish Creek in the summer. ■ Spaghetti Factory. ■ We had potluck snack nights and dinners. ■ We attended the Area Trefoil Tea in the fall. ■ We held our annual Christmas Party and Gift exchange.

company and just had some fun.

Guiding Lights We have 7 members in our Guild and have had an enjoyable year. Some of our activities included: President: ■ Movie afternoon to see Mary Poppins Returns Jan McCaghren ■ although they turned out very different ■ Out for supper at a pub ■ Attended Trefoil Roundup in Red Deer ■ Visited Cochrane for lunch at Boston P ■ Did the Sisterhood Challenge ■ Christmas Ornament exchange and out for supper We also provided a Christmas gift for a senior.

Annual Report 2019 Page 57

Trefoil Guild Sample Activities

Sunrise Girls This year the Sunrise Girls made a strong effort to revive the Guild. The Guild started out as a place where the adult members of the Sunrise District could come together outside of unit meetings. In the last year we have found our District unit leaders forming stronger bonds, coming together collaboratively, and supporting each other not just with Guiding related activities, but in our personal lives as well. Sisterhood has been a strong focus and as such more interest in the Guild has formed. We are now also recruiting outside of the District Guiders as we encounter adult women in our community looking for sisterhood. In March we went for an Axe Throwing event. All of the ladies loved the empowerment of throwing axes and are looking forward to doing this again. In November, we had a Pink Tea to talk about where we saw the Guild now and how we wanted to proceed in the coming year. Many of the ladies agreed that they were heavily involved with volunteer projects within their units and in other groups they were associated with, so they wanted the Guild to be a place of fun and sisterhood without the focus being on volunteer work in the community. In December, we gathered at a Prairie Dog Brewing for a holiday toast and social. For 2020, plans are underway for a different member to host an event every month going forward and the membership is excited for drumming, a gynecology presentation, and more axe throwing.

Page 58 Calgary Area Girl Guides

Trefoil Guild Sample Activities

WestRockers January started off with a planning meeting held at the Calgary Area Guide Centre. Exciting plans and projects were established for the next several months. ■ On February 23rd, the WestRockers hosted an area World Thinking

President: Donna Leonard Leadership. This entailed leadership from the PAST, the PRESENT, and Robb into the FUTURE. ■ On March 27th, we had the executive director of The Doorway, a not for profit whose mission is to provide assistance to young people on the street in Calgary choosing to rejoin society, speak to our group. ■ Eight members spent a very pleasant June day having a personal tour of the Stoney Mission Society by their Executive Director, a descendant of George McDougall.

■ In July we were treated to the second annual High Tea. ■ September started our year off with a meeting and preparing for the Calgary Guiders donated overwhelming amounts of program and craft materials, camping gear, used uniforms and a plethora of treasures for unit Guiders. It was a very successful event! ■ On October 21, members catered dinner for Calgary Area Council prior to their meeting. ■ Our last activity for the year was a visit to Lunchbox Theatre on December 5

We have had a very busy and productive year, with 20 of our members attending most of our events. This year we welcomed four new members.

Annual Report 2019 Page 59

Trefoil Guild Sample Activities

Y-Knot Trefoil The Y-Knot Trefoil Guild is a working guild and we do hospitality service Guild for Calgary Area at various area girl events along with several service President: projects for various agencies in Calgary. We try to plan a meeting or get Anne McSavaney together, as we call them, for every month except for the summer times.

■ In January, Calgary Area came out with a new winter girl event at Camp Jubilee called Winter Fun Day. The members of the Trefoil prepared lunch for the core staff and hot chocolate/snack for the girl participants. ■ In February, 3 members of our Trefoil went to Our Cabana in Mexico for the Monarch Butterfly Festival. The ladies did a service project at one of the schools and were very impressed by the students there. ■ In March, we did the hospitality for Brownie Camp Academy at Camp Jubilee. We prepared lunch for the core staff and snack for the girl participants. One member received her 35-year pin. ■ During the month of April, we lost a very precious member, a friend and a Sister-in-Guiding, Dianne Neisz. Dianne was a 37-year active member of Guiding. She was presented with the Fortitude Award while in hospital a week prior to her passing. ■ May was a busy month for the Trefoil. Nine of our members volunteered to help at the Calgary Area Rally Day. We also had Area Dinner, Trefoil Roundup, and Honorary Life Members Luncheon to attend. The Trefoil had a good showing at all 3 events. ■ In June, the Trefoil placed a bench at the gazebo at Camp Jubilee in memory of Dianne. This was done during the Memorial Grove ceremony which is one of Calgary Area events that we assist with the hospitality and set up. Three members of our Trefoil attended the National Trefoil Gathering in Sudbury, Ontario. We ended this month and our season with our annual BBQ. ■ We restarted our new season in September, again with a BBQ. ■ October was our Annual General Meeting. Several of our members attended Calgary Area Trefoil Tea held at the Girl Guide Centre. ■ In November, o and snacks and drinks for the girls at the Brownie Camp Academy. Our ladies also visited the Mustard Seed where they helped prepare and serve meals to the residents. The ladies also helped with the Christmas gift wrapping at the McMann Society. ■ The month of December starts with the Lamda Society Christmas Dinner. Several of our members help with serving the Christmas meal to the members of the society. December ends with our annual Christmas party where we exchange gifts and have a wonderful meal. Our membership during 2019 has grown to 21 members. We had 4 new members join our Trefoil, and we are happy to have them. Several of our members have done some extensive travelling during the

2020 will bring!

Page 60 Calgary Area Girl Guides