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Annual Report 2020 Girl Scout Year TablePage Titleof Contents Goes Here Contents Letter from 5 the CEO Our 6 Members Our 11 Programs Your 12 Impact Financial 15 Report Thank You to Our Board of Directors! Celeste Patterson, Board Chair Joanna Conley Stephanie McDaniel Peri Widener, Vice Chair Alfred Dowell Tera Rica Murdock Vicki Smith, Secretary Lisa Fox Becky Sharpe Loren Chumley, Treasurer Caren Gabriel Catherine Street Agenia Clark, GSMIDTN CEO Regina Hambrick Sarah Trahern Lee Ann Ingram Barb Zipperian 2 ToPage Make Title the Goes World Here a Better Place As Girl Scouts, when life throws us curveballs, we face those challenges with courage and confidence. This past year presented unique challenges to our community, our nation, and our world. But your commitment ensured that Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee remains a strong and vibrant force in our communities. Through your support, our council was able to navigate this year of change with resilience, ingenuity, and innovation. When the global pandemic brought a halt to in-person gatherings, we were quickly able to transition to virtual programming to continue delivering quality experiences to girls. In fact, girls had 7,109 unique virtual experiences from March through September. Your generosity helped girls across our region stay connected and maintain some sense of normalcy. Thank you for ensuring we continue to meaningfully engage with the girls in our community. In the Girl Scout Law, we promise to “make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout.” This year, Girl Scouts lived their values and pulled together to: • lead relief efforts following the devastating March 3rd tornadoes; • make face masks for those in need; • stand in solidarity against racism and hate. I am truly humbled and inspired by these efforts to take action and give back to our community, and I hope you enjoy seeing how your support made a positive impact in Middle Tennessee. I believe Girl Scouting is uniquely poised to help parents, citizens, volunteers, leaders, and girls make the world a better place. By providing a supportive environment to engage with their peers and explore new skills, girls develop the courage to overcome obstacles, the confidence in themselves, and the character to navigate a world that is at times challenging. Thank you for being an advocate and supporter of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. Together, we can make the world a better place. Warm Regards, Agenia Clark President & CEO 3 Page Title Goes Here Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try To serve God* and my country, To help people at all times, and To live by the Girl Scout Law. *The word “God” can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one’s spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word “God” with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate. Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place and be a sister to every Girl Scout. We call the 39 counties in Middle Tennessee home. 4 Our Members In 2020, 14,995 girls had the opportunity try new things, develop a range of skills, and take on leadership roles with the help of 5,486 adult volunteers. 3,504 4,817 3,583 2,122 609 360 Daisy Brownie Junior Cadette Senior Ambassador (grades K-1) (grades 2-3) (grades 4-5) (grades 6-8) (grades 9-10) (grades 11-12) 1,357 girls participated in L.E.A.D. which gives girls from lower socioeconomic backgrounds the Girl Scout experience in a non-traditional troop setting. 32 girls participated in Troop 6000, which serves girls without permanent housing in Davidson County. 65% retention rate for both girl and adult members. Because of your generosity, we were able to award $217,154 in financial assistance for memberships, programs, and uniforms, which is a 12% increase from 2019. 5 Our Programs While girls were not able to gather in-person this this spring and summer due to COVID-19, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee reimagined essential Girl Scout experiences to keep girls engaged and connected. From March through September, girls had 7,109 unique experiences through 111 virtual programs. This summer, 630 girls were able to find the spirit of camp at home through Adventures Anywhere. Highest Awards are earned by creating and implementing sustainable projects that benefit the community.Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Girl Scouts contributed 8,240 hours of community service. 176 40 34 BRONZE AWARD SILVER AWARD GOLD AWARD GIRL SCOUTS GIRL SCOUTS GIRL SCOUTS Our Product Programs 3,284 girls participated in the Fall Product Program and 10,732 girls participated in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Girls in our council set a new record by selling 2,155,002 boxes of cookies. 6 Tornado Relief In the aftermath of the devastating March 2nd tornadoes, we were overwhelmed by stories of local Girl Scouts volunteering in relief effort. We are so proud of the girls for taking action to help others and live by the Girl Scout Law. We would like to highlight inspiring Middle Tennessee Girl Scouts who are selflessly jumping in the wake of this natural disaster to make our community a better place. Girl Scouts are #TennesseeStrong In the aftermath of the devastating March 2nd tornadoes, we were overwhelmed by stories of local Girl Scouts volunteering in relief effort. We are so proud of the girls for taking action to help others and live by the Girl Scout Law. We would like to highlight inspiring Middle Tennessee Girl Scouts who are selflessly jumping in the wake of this natural disaster to make our community a better place. Operation Busy Bags Putnam County Girl Scouts started “Operation Busy Bags” where they collected and assembled hundreds of grab-and-go bags full of small toys and activities to help families keep their kids positive and their minds busy. These bags were donated to local shelters and schools. Many troops across the state have adopted this idea and started a similar project in their own affected areas. Refueling First Responders and Tornado Victims with Girl Scout Cookies Troops 3019 and 1366 delivered Girl Scout Cookies to the Mount Juliet police and tornado victims. Troop 2836 donated Girl Scout Cookies to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. 7 Girl Scouts Stay Connected During COVID-19 When COVID-19 brought a halt to in-person gatherings in March, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee found innovative ways to help girls across our region stay connected and maintain some sense of normalcy. Because of your generosity, we were able to transition to virtual programming to continue delivering quality experiences to girls. Making Masks for Those In Need Girl Scouts across Middle Tennessee stepped up early during the pandemic to make masks for those in need. Girls made over 9,051 masks surpassing our goal of 7,500! GSMIDTN Goes Virtual Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee was able to continue our important work even during COVID-19 lockdowns and social isolations. 630 girls were able to find the spirit of camp at home through Adventures Anywhere, gathered online to participate in fun activities. Girl Scouts Promotes Social and Emotional Learning Social and emotional learning is a big part of what we teach at Girl Scouts. Now more than ever, it is important for girls to engage with their peers in safe and supportive environments to become strong and confident, connected to others, and self-aware. Through our virtual programming, Girl Scouts were able to virtually connect with friends, overcome challenges, and learn new skills. In these settings, girls learn to show compassion for peers, understand others, and deal appropriately with situations that arise. 8 Girl Scouts Stand Against Racism and Hate This year brought many challenges including feelings of pain and reckoning with racial injustice. At Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, we remain committed to building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make our world a better place, free from racism and injustice. As Girl Scouts, we take action when we see a need and we live by our Girl Scout Law, which demands we seek racial equity for everyone. Stand in Solidarity On June 8 at 8:46am, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee hosted a unified moment of solidary. For 8 minutes and 46 seconds, Girl Scouts and their families joined together to stand against racism and hate. In support of our Black sister Girl Scouts changing the world, we share with you a few of their amazing stories. Makayla Provides Books to Children in Need For her Gold Award Take Action Project, Makayla created a 200+ book library for Bethlehem Centers of Nashville and the Learning Academy so children living below the poverty level could easily access to books. Gabrielle Delivers Happiness and Community to Seniors Gabrielle created Bright Day Bins to address the issue of loneliness in the elderly community for her Gold Award Take Action Project. The bins are filled with thoughtful gifts, activities, and cards to brighten someone’s day and were distributed to those in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Jahzara Brings Comforts to Children in Distress For her Silver Award Take Action Project, Jahzara made and donated stuffed animals to combat child abandonment, abuse, and neglect. The stuffed animals show children in difficult situations that there is someone who cares about them.