Annual Report 2018

Edmonton Area Council

3rd Floor, 11055 107th Street

Edmonton, AB T5H 2Z6

Phone: 780-421-2263 www.EdmontonAreaGirlGuides.ca

Printed: April 2019

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 2 Contents Area Commissioner Message 4

Financial Report 7

Cookies 8

Area Council 9

Staff 10

Facilities 11

Committees 12

Districts 19

Trefoil Guilds & Link 59

In Memoriam & Donations 60

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 3 Area Commissioner Message

I cannot believe another year has passed. 2018 was an amazing year for Guiding in Edmonton Area. The opportunities, events, trainings and adventures that have taken place have ensured that our 4000 members have had the chance to accomplish their goals, learn new skills and make new friends. Our year started out with the 3rd annual Girl Guides at the Oil Kings hockey game on January 1st. We love to start out the year with a big bang! As is tradition, the winter months also bring the Friendship camps. Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers each had the chance to get outside and camp while making friends from all over the Area. These camps are extremely popular and fill up quickly, showing how much girls love to camp! February brought on the new Commissioner’s Challenge for 2018, where units were tasked to collect as many dimes as they could and then build something cool with them. We not only raised money for the CWFF but also created amazing designs and even clothing! The 3rd annual Light the Bridge took place for Thinking Day. Over 1000 girls walked across the new Walterdale Bridge, had a dance party complete with a local DJ and watched the fireworks go off. Many units and Districts also held Thinking day carnivals, parties, campfires and held imaginary trips to the World Centres. In March, we held our 22nd Annual Hike for Plenty to support the local Food banks. Over the entire area we collected 9136 kgs of food, including donations to the Fort McMurray, Fort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Wetaskiwin and Sherwood Park food banks. What an amazing way to give back to our communities. March also saw many groups traveling over Spring break. Just one of the things we are able to offer to young women in our Area. April, was cookies. Edmonton sold so many cookies this year that we won the Provincial Spring cookie award for the most cookies sold per capita! Way to go! As spring is starting to show groups are starting to get more

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 4 and more outside and camping season is upon us. We also held our fundraiser with 1500 supporters coming out for a fun day on the rides. In May we held our Annual Guider Appreciation and Award Banquet. It is a simple but profound way to say thank you to the many volunteers that we simply could not exist without. This year in May, we held our bi-annual Stir-it Up competition. The theme of cinqo-de-mayo created a lot of interesting dishes for the judges to taste but the team work was inspiring. June is of course the wrap up of the Guiding year, with many groups heading out to camp. Both Tangletrees and Sandy Beach Lake were booked solid throughout the month. There were also lots of advancements and sad goodbyes as girls moved to the next level of Guiding. The summer meant traveling to girls in Edmonton Area. From Atlantic Canada, to Europe, Africa, and all across girls finally saw all their hard work in fundraising and planning come to fruition. We also held our Casino in August this year. The money raised from this casino allows us to continue to improve and repair our campsite facilities. A big thank you to everyone who worked this event. The summer and into September also was filled with the annual hunt for affordable meeting space. As well as the recruitment of new leaders, again without whom we would not be able to operate. September was a busy month of events in Edmonton Area. We held our first Girl Guides at the Edmonton Eskimo’s game and sleepover. The girls had so much fun sleeping on the football field, although the late night and very early morning departure were less fun. We also held our Annual Girls Award Ceremony in September outside at the Legislature grounds. Who could have known that it was going to snow in September? Although a much smaller group stuck it out, it was a great afternoon celebrating the achievements of many girls in Edmonton Area.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 5 September also saw most of the District Commissioners taking part in a training weekend. This is an excellent way to build your support network, learn and have a lot of fun at the same time. October brought mint cookies, and more mint cookies. Also in October was the bi-annual Edmonton Area Competition Archery Camp. It amazes me to see the skill that these girls develop in such a short time. They can achieve anything they want to. Edmonton Area also held a team building day in October for members throughout the Area. The morning was spent in conversations and answering lingering questions. The afternoon teams were formed and challenged to work together to earn the most points. Many laughs, spills and unknown talents were exposed. In November we held a few events for Sparks and Brownies, as well as participated in the Grey Cup Parade. The toques and mittens sported by the parade participants received rave reviews and kept the girls warm and cozy. November and December also held the annual Commissioner’s Challenge. This year groups were given a list of the most needed items for YESS (Youth Empowerment Support and Services), and once again they did not disappoint. Over 4000 items were donated to help the homeless youth in our communities survive the winter. Please keep reading for more highlights from our amazing Districts. They have done so many activities, service projects and events that it is impossible to share it all. All of these events are managed, supported and run by volunteers. This dedicated group of Guiders is what makes each of us proud to belong. As Edmonton Area Commissioner I am grateful for the support of my deputies, Kathy House and Cheryl Skorobohach and all members of the Edmonton Area Council; the Edmonton Area Guiders; our office staff and the Alberta Provincial Council members. Without each and every one of you, Guiding would not be as amazing. Respectfully submitted, Heather Monahan Edmonton Area Commissioner

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 6 Financial Report

Please see the audited financial report for complete details.

Revenue

Revenue 2018 2017 $1,600,000.00 $1,400,000.00 $1,200,000.00 Cookies $1,156,026.00 $1,420,092.00 $1,000,000.00 $800,000.00 Camp Facilities $82,208.00 $79,355.00 $600,000.00 $400,000.00 Area Events $89,706.00 $67,998.00 $200,000.00 $0.00

Membership Fees $224,096.00 $31,330.00

Total $1,554,054.00 $1,600,792.00

2018 2017

Expenses 2018 2017

Cookies $1,024,252.00 $940,740.00 Expenses Membership Fees $157,050.00 $129,456.00 $1,200,000.00 $1,000,000.00 Camp Facilities $77,129.00 $110,642.00 $800,000.00 $600,000.00 Area Events $125,096.00 $94,925.00 $400,000.00 $200,000.00 Training $7,622.00 $12,193.00 $0.00

Member Support $22,605.00 $16,110.00

Office $87,618.00 $159,768.00

Administrative $30,484.00 $147,644.00 2018 2017

Total $1,531,856.00 $1,611,478.00

Difference $22,198.00 -$10,686.00

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 7 Cookies

As the Girl Guides official fundraiser, revenue from selling Girl Guide cookies allows us to: • Subsidize registration, camp and uniform costs for struggling families • Maintain the Edmonton Area office • Provide Area wide special events for girls and Guiders • Train and support our guiders • Deliver girl led programs for girls, including field trips, camps, crafts, outdoor adventures and travel.

In 2018 Edmonton Area Units sold over 32,700 cases of cookies. That is an amazing 393,240 boxes of cookies! That is $1,966,200 worth of cookies. Of the funds raised: • $155,325 went to Girl Guides of Canada – National • $130,000 went to Girl Guides of Canada – Provincial • $24,525 went directly to member and rent subsidy in Alberta Council • $155,325 went to Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area • $940,125 went directly to Districts and Units in Edmonton Area.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 8

Area Council 2018 Area Commissioner: Heather Monahan Area Deputy Commissioner: Cheryl Skorobohach and Kathy House Area Treasurer: Christina St. Gelais Area Secretary: Tara Hawkins District Commissioners: Borealis Gateway: Lynn Brown Betty Martin: Jennifer Goodwin & Robyn Stobbs Emily Murphy: Sharlet Zaretski Glowing Ember: Genessa Belzile Helen Burns: Leah Betker Maywood: Ingrid Carleton-Dodds McCourt: Leanne Hemphill Midway North: Celine Gibson & Carol Banks Northeast: Anita Gerlinsky Northern Lights: Cherie Phinney Papaschase: Gultaj Kara Sherwood Park: Shari Laschuk Committee Advisers: Training Committee: Nadine Beyersbergen Weiting Program Adviser: Claire Cordingley PR Adviser: Elaun Cable Camping Adviser: Tiger Rousseau Membership Adviser: Ann-Marie Fuernkranz

International Adviser: Heather Monahan (acting, currently vacant)

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 9

Staff

Edmonton Area staff work hard to ensure that our camps run smoothly, registration for events happen, and generally keep everyone happy and things running. Without them we would not be able to offer the programs, events and camps that we do each year.

Hazel has been with us for 3 years now. She has a smile on her face and is more than willing to go above and beyond for each member of Edmonton Area. Hazel is responsible for all membership issues, financial records, and is the support to Edmonton Area Council.

Courtney joined us this year and has instantly become an invaluable member of our team. Courtney is quick to learn and eager to help everyone out. She is responsible for registration for all trainings and events, resource and camp bookings as well as creating and maintaining the Edmonton Area Website.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 10 Facilities

Facilities chair: Beverly Wilson By the numbers:

TangleTrees Sandy Beach Lake Edmonton Area 3382 2157 Out of Area Guiding 381 415 Scouting 54 0 Non-Guiding 1628 203 Total # of Stays 5445 2775

Edmonton Area is fortunate to have 2 camps close enough to be used on a regular basis. By supporting our Girl Guide owned camps, we are ensuring their success and their stability into the future. What would Girl Guides be like without camping?

Many units and individuals took advantage of both Tangletrees and Sandy Beach Lake camps this year. Almost every weekend saw groups at one or both camps, usually at multiple sites as well as many days throughout the summer.

The facility committee is completely run by volunteers who are always looking for people who can and want to help out with projects at camps. These are our very own getaways but they require work! The facility committee this past year has been busy finalizing details on the Redwood renovation, installing new coolers, and general maintenance to ensure the camps safe and efficiencies are maintained.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 11 Edmonton Area Camping Committee

MEMBERS Cindy Chiasson – Adviser (till August 1, 2018) Tiger Rousseau – Adviser (August 1, 2018 →) Chantal Chiasson – Secretary Lisa Ware Denise Kerr Tanya Watts Tara Mitchell Judy Nicolas Christina Harrison Erika Smith Kim Harrison Casey Shunock Kimberly Jollimore Samantha Shewring Lauren Eng

The highlights of any great guiding year always include a memorable camp and great outdoor activities. The camping committee is there to help the guiders and girls participate in fun learning opportunities throughout the year, in every season and all kinds of weather.

We went out in January and June to help groups learn knife skills and safety, using the knife kit available for Area use. In March the committee organized and planned the Pathfinder/Ranger Friendship Camp – PASS 101 (Post-Apocalyptic Survival Skills) at Sandy Beach.

The committee organizes and runs the Stir It Up cooking competition each year. It was held on May 5th and had a Cinco de Mayo theme. Great cooking skills and wonderful recipe tasting.

In June we held our end of year wind-up at Emily Murphy Park with a potluck barbecue. We said thanks to Cindy for 3 years at the helm and welcomed Tiger as the next Adviser.

In September, several of our committee went to the Provincial Hodgepodge event and were involved in leading some great sessions for the participants.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 12 Also in September, we held a Camp Academy for Brownies at Goldbar Park. It was a cool day, but the round robin activities kept the energy up. We had over 100 girls come out.

October found Guides, Pathfinders & Rangers building friendships as they competed in the Competition Archery Camp held the weekend of October 5th – 7th.

Camp Academy for Sparks – a Spark Spree – was held indoors in November. 111 Sparks learned about Camp Life, and what to expect in the great outdoors at camp.

The committee was successful in getting 30 new compasses for Area use. A resource booklet is being prepared to go with the kit and we are working on an orienteering course for both Area camps.

Several of our committee members participated in the Grey Cup parade in November.

The committee had a busy year and we are looking forward to many more camps and activities in 2019. Most of our members are also unit guiders and hold positions at a District level. We are everywhere! There is a great deal of talent and experience on the Area Camping Committee, and we are there to help you get the girls outside.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. (Aristotle)

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 13

Program

Whether exploring the local grocery store, hanging out at the fire hall, collecting food for the food bank, or just having fun. Every time girls get together program is accomplished. Our program is Girl’s First and working to ensure they know that they can be Everything They Want to Be.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 14

Training Committee

Members: Nadine Beyersbergen Weiting – Adviser & Trainer Beverly Simpson Headon Ruth Ball Dawn Nowicki Tanya Watts Denise Kerr Tiger Rousseau Liz Barter Sara Horseman Janelle Godzisz Marianna Gagliano Jolaine Martin Mae Hadley Karen MacDonald Ingrid Carleton-Dodds Leanne Hemphill Marion Rex Luanne Taylor Kimberly Jollimore Margaret Utgoff Nancy King Maryanne Beyersbergen

2018 Highlights Trainings continue to be offered at least twice a month in Edmonton Area with a variety of topics being offered. This year we have held trainings in Travel Journals, music (both singing and instrumental), awards, felting, trip financials, regular financial, safe guide and getting started in your branch.

Also this year, there has been a big push to complete Girl’s First training. While not directly under the training umbrella, the Girl’s First Champions and the trainers have been working hard together to ensure everyone has the confidence needed to start using the Girls First platform when it formally launches in September 2019.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 15

Membership

Membership Adviser: Ann-Marie Fuernkranz Membership in Edmonton Area means fun! Our numbers continue to grow and the activities

continue to be bigger and better. From a snowy Girl’s award ceremony to the Grey Cup parade to exploring the city, everything we do influences our membership numbers. Thank you to everyone who works tirelessly to recruit new leaders and increase our numbers each year!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 16 Public Relations

Public Relations Adviser: Elaun Cable

Public Relations is all about getting out and being seen as an active group in our communities. Edmonton Area groups show their pride in this organization all year round.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 17 International

From raising money for the CWFF, to learning about other countries, to traveling to those countries Edmonton Area has a huge international footprint. Our international committee also organizes the annual Light the Bridge for Thinking Day!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 18

Borealais Gateway District

Serving the communities of: Albany, Alberta Ave, Athlone, Baranow, Baturyn, Belle Rive, Boyle Street, Caernarvon, Calder, Canossa, Carlisle, Carlton, Central McDougall, Chambery, Cumberland, Delton, Dovercourt, Downtown, Eaux Claires, Elsinore, Evansdale, Glengarry, Glenora, Griesbach, Hudson, Inglewood, Kensington, Killarney, Klavatten, Lago Lindo, Lauderdale, Lorelei, McArthur, McCauley, North Glenora, Northmount, Oliver, Parkdale, Pembina, Prince Charles, Prince Rupert, Queen Mary Park, Rapperswill, Riverdale, Rosslyn, Sherbrooke, Spruce Ave, Wellington, Westmount, Westwood, Woodcroft District Commissioner: Lynn Brown Deputy District Commissioners: Donnagail Nally & Jean Olsen Treasurer: Barb Emerson By the numbers: Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 4 39 Brownies 4 59 Guides 4 70 Pathfinders 2 18 Rangers 0 0 Guiding 1 17 Total: 15 203 Guiders 39 2018 was a strong Guiding year for Borealis Gateway. We started 2018 with a District-wide winter carnival, with about 1/3 of the girl membership (representing 2/3’s of the district units) attending. The girls of 58th Pathfinders, which reopened September 2017, planned a fantastic carnival, with songs, crafts and lots of skating on the outdoor rink in perfect January winter weather. Gofer made an appearance as well, which brought smiles to the faces of the youngest district members.

41st Guides choose for their International Service Project as sending gently used stuffies to Ecuador, to be given to patients of joint-replacement surgeries. Other units in the district also Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 19 gathered stuffies from their members, and we donated 5 large garbage bags full. When the Guide mom returned from travel abroad, she shared pictures of patients with some of the stuffies. For some of the patients (both young and old) it was their first stuffie, and those that shared stuffies were excited to see the pictures.

39th Guiding started their year off with their annual January sleepover, so that the members can attend the Alberta Avenue “Deep Freeze Festival”. 41st Guides had a Spa sleepover at the Guide house in January as well, learning how to make homemade skin care products, a visit from instructors from Marvel Beauty College, a visit to the provincial Archives, and a trip to the Alberta Art Gallery using the Metro-line LRT.

2018 saw the Guide house used for several sleepovers from units of Borealis Gateway, along with both Area camps. Mother/daughter camp, winter camping, learning about the arts, archery, fall camp skills, and mixed up holidays are just a few of the camps that unit members participated in.

Light the bridge 2018 had 8 units from the district attend, and the two Pathfinder units were extremely happy when the bridge stayed “Pathfinder Green”. For many girls, this was their first large Guiding event and the comments heard on the bus after the event, the girls were excited to attend again.

Members of 41st Guides hosted the second year members of 41st Brownies and 58th Brownies in a meeting to learn not only about Guides but also about Lady Baden-Powell. Several of the Brownies who attended the bridging meeting joined the unit in the fall.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 20 41st Guides and 41st Brownies had a bridging camp, where they work on some self-help and mental health coping strategies. The weather was perfect, and the girls were able to spend some time on the lake in canoes. For many girls, this was their first time in a canoe. They all enjoyed the adventure.

In September, 39th Guiding got back out into the community at the Kaleido festival, as a fun way to start their new guiding year off, which they attend annually. With the crazy September weather Edmonton saw the members of 41st Guides decided they really didn’t want to tent in a snow storm. They were excited when archery and knife skills were moved to their November camp.

52nd Pathfinders had a skills camp in November, learning not only traditional camping skills (camp stove cooking, safe knife use, and archery), but also how to properly camp in the winter when they woke to a small amount of snow Saturday morning.

The district leaders finished the year with a Christmas potluck and fun gift exchange. Those that were present enjoyed good company, great food, and some fun rolling the dice to exchange the gifts before they were opened. We can’t wait to see what 2019 brings for the district.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 21

Betty Martin

District Commissioner:

Robyn Stobbs and Jennifer Goodwin

Treasurer:

Angela Stetson

By the Numbers Branch 11 Units # Girls Sparks 3 40 Brownies 2 46 Guides 2 50 Pathfinders 2 28 Rangers 2 5 Trex 0 0 Total: 169 Guiders: 33

In January, Betty Martin held our annual CWFF Ice Cream Sundae Party to raise money for the Canadian World Friendship Fund. Our youth members, as well as the Guiders, feel this is one of the highlights of the year. We all enjoy the opportunity to invite our families to this event and spend time together while fundraising for a great cause.

Many of our units attended the ‘Light the Bridge’ event on February 22. The district organized the bussing to and from the event. This year we brought hot chocolate and sweet treats to celebrate Thinking Day.

All district members participated in The Hike for Plenty. This year several of the younger units went to grocery stores where they sought food donations. This new format helped the younger kids get more involved in the fundraising and food collection.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 22

In June, the District worked the Timbits Jamboree Soccer Concession to fundraise for our District. It was a beautiful day and the concession was a great success. We had adult and youth volunteers who cooked, packaged, and sold the food to hungry soccer players and their families.

The district welcomed eight new Guiders this year. Several of them are former youth Members who have continued on to become Guiders or have returned to Guiding after they completed university. We are very excited to have so many new Guiders and look forward to the ideas and fresh perspectives they bring.

Our three Spark units worked hard on their program this year. The 137 Edmonton Sparks learned about diversity, built paddleboats with the people from Wood U Build, enjoyed the “Colours and Textures” program at the , and spent time outside tobogganing. The 153 Edmonton Sparks had a soldier visit and help them make cards to send to troops overseas, participated in the Girls First pilot program, attended the Muttart Conservatory, and made clay princesses with the people at 4Cats. The 181 Edmonton Sparks had an active year with a Glow Yoga Kids session, a groovy Zumba kid’s session, and a visit to the John Janzen Nature Centre.

The Brownies had a busy year that was full of activity. The 153 Edmonton Brownies had a sleepover at the Telus World of Science, visited the local fire station, made Halloween monsters, enjoyed a pajama party, and learned camping skills like how to set up a tent. The 185 Edmonton Brownies visited Home Depot where they received wood working sets, they put the sets together with the help of parents, parents were also invited to a delicious tea party with cupcakes, and they visited Crankpots to paint plates, bowls, and mugs.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 23 The Guides filled their year with new skills, new friends, and a lot of fun. The 153rd Edmonton Guides started the year learning to play a new sport, Cricket! Following quickly after that they explored local cultures with a Hoopdance workshop. The fun continued with a visit to Monster golf. Handy and crafty skills were learned with the construction and decoration of Memory boxes. Capping off the year the unit had a visit from a police officer. In addition to the many things they learned about safety and law enforcement the unit also had the opportunity to practice handcuffing. Be prepared, indeed!

The Pathfinders enjoyed the opportunity to develop their leadership and planning skills. The 165 Edmonton Pathfinders dove into their year by planning and organizing many of their year’s activities. They joined the Guides for a camp at Tangletrees where they played games, made crafts, and learned how to geocache. They developed their camp cooking skills and learned how to take care of their tents. The 181 Edmonton Pathfinders enjoyed the outdoors by tobogganing, ice skating, and visiting the Edmonton Ice Castle. Their active year continued as they explored games inside and outside their meeting space and camped at Tangletrees. As is usually the case with Rangers, our two units were busy, busy, busy. The 2 Edmonton Rangers planned and ran a Thinking Day skating party for all the units who meet in the same hall as them. They bridged with the Pathfinders with a visit to the Edmonton Ice Castle and ice skating. The 165 Edmonton Rangers started their year with a bridging activities with the Pathfinders. The highlight of their year, and the culmination of much hard work, was their Great Britain and Iceland trip in March. It was a whirlwind tour that included a soak in the Blue Lagoon, a kiss of the Blarney Stone, boating on Loch Ness, the Harry Potter Experience, and so much more. Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 24

Emily Murphy District

Serving the communities of Parkallan, Terwillegar,

Riverbend, Windermere, Ledrum, Haddow and Brookside (to name a few) District Commissioner: Sharlet Zaretski Deputy District Commissioner: Tonya Wolfe

Treasurer: Tara Chamberlain Ko

By the Numbers

Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 4 79 Brownies 5 120 Guides 4 95 Pathfinders 2 32 Rangers 1 9 Trex 0 0 Total: 16 units and 335 girls Guiders: 71

My term as commissioner began in February of 2018. The transition wouldn’t have been as smooth if not for the advice and coaching received by my fantastic deputy commissioner, Tonya Wolfe as well as the assistance provided by Kathy House, Heather Monahan and other DCs in Edmonton Area. I would also like to thank Amy Benson for her term as commissioner with the district and wish her well on her new endeavours in Grande Prairie. With membership still on the rise, we opened two new units to help provide relief on our waitlists. Though this helped, we will continue to require more units in the future. Finding space continues to be a challenge. Selling cookies

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 25 however, is a task the girls thrive on. Over two campaigns, members sold 2464 cases of cookies.

Emily Murphy District members had an exciting year in 2018. Most of our units participated in the District Caroling Challenge to collect food for the Edmonton Food Bank. Here are few other examples of what we were up to.

The 178th Brownie unit had another action-paced, fun-filled year. Oh and we learned a few things too, from puppet plays and origami to making bath bombs for Valentine's Day. We had a sleepover at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre where we discovered animal tracking, survival skills, and had a campfire with owls hooting in the background. Our living world taught us about water conservation, recycling and composting, the weather and plant life and we did the science experiments to prove it! Finished off the year with a weekend trip to Camp Warwa where despite the wet weather the girls enjoyed archery, fire and shelter building, low ropes, the vertical playground and of course, campfires and s'mores!

35 Sparks, Attended a Joint Zoo sleepover with the 160th Brownies and participated in the Action for Poverty challenge by making and donating scarves to the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers. A female police officer came to the unit as a guest speaker and taught about safety in the community. The year ended with a fantastic “Bugs and Blooms” camp at Tangletrees in June in the updated Redwood Lodge

32nd Brownies had a fabulous year of activities. The unit participated in 5 service projects (including caroling for food donations, candles for the mental health unit, Hike for Plenty, Valentines for seniors and thanks you cards to Veterans). Highlights included the magical Harry Potter camp at Tangletrees, the sleepover with the dinosaurs at Telus World of Science a visit with EMS services and a real live owl. Truth be told, the entire year was a BLAST. The girls earned an average of 33 crests consisting of fun and program crests this year. That is over 700 crests. WOW.

In the fall of 2017, the 32nd Guides learned about Give A Shirt, a charity that involves "kids helping kids." The girls gathered up the clothing they outgrew and donated it to Give A Shirt to be sent to an orphanage in Laos. We held a sorting event where the girls happily participated in organizing and boxing the clothing. We were able to add more than 25 boxes of clothing to the sea can, which arrived at the orphanage on October 8, 2018. (Photo attached). Later in the winter, we tried out snowshoeing in the park beside our meeting location and had movies and a sleepover in the church basement. Both October and March saw us enthusiastically selling cookies as a group in the neighbourhood, as well as at Safeway later in the spring.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 26 As the weather warmed up, on May 6, 2018, our Guides and their mothers dressed up to attend a very special High Tea at the Fairmont to celebrate Mother's Day. We all took a tour of the historic hotel and enjoyed a beautiful spring day on the grounds. Then for June 8-10 we went to Camp Woods at Sylvan Lake in Woods Hall. Fun activities included making personalized ID buttons, campfires where we made dinner and dessert on the campfire (mmm banana boats!), and of course sang silly songs with great gusto. We also went swimming and floated on inflatables and traversed a cool obstacle course. And of course made the best of some rainy weather on Sunday and did scientific experiments wearing custom-made “lab coats”. The first half of 2018 was filled with truly amazing learning opportunities and experiences for the 177th Edmonton Guides. We were fortunate to have a number of phenomenal guest speakers come to the unit to share their knowledge and help the girls to earn badges and challenges, including Carrie Doll completing the Reporting badge while talking to the girls about confidence and public speaking, and Alisa Taylor – an expert in the world of digital citizenship (and adult GGC member) completing the Decode Challenge – to name just two. We also participated in a number of rewarding service projects including the CWFF Dimes challenge, the completion of our 3rd year girls’ Lady Baden Powell Service Project (over 1100 pairs of underwear for the Mustard Seed) and preparing and serving supper to the families staying at Ronald MacDonald House over 2 nights. Two exciting events were highlights for the girls - the first being our weekend long Time Warp Camp where we celebrated every holiday in the year over the course of the weekend (including a full turkey dinner and trick-or-treating). Our year culminated in our Photo Scavenger Hunt where the leaders and girls broke into groups with a list of photo-ops to be found. This was not only a fun activity, but also a great opportunity to discover our Downtown Core, and finished with a trip on ETS and dinner out. Truly a wonderful experience for everyone.

30th Sparks started the year off working on the Exploring and Experimenting keeper badge. For four weeks in a row, we had STEM themed nights including musical instruments, building night, science night and space night. We finished up this program area with the ever popular Telus World of Science sleepover. In February, Sparks learned all about Thinking Day, Lord and Lady Baden Powell and participated in the CWFF service project collecting dimes and then turning them into artistic creations. Our girls were lucky enough to win a pizza party for their participation in this service project. Our unit bridged with 177th Guides and went to Light the Bridge. The final keeper we worked on this year was Being Healthy which included a tour of Save-On Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 27 Foods, first aid with our teddies and participating in Hike for Plenty. Half of our unit advanced to Brownies and 3/4 of our leaders opened a new unit on Monday nights in Terwillegar.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 28

Glowing Ember District

District Commissioner: Genessa Belzile Deputy District Commissioner: Heather Gillis Treasurer: Lyndsey Markiwsky

Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 7 119

Brownies 7 156 Guides 6 119

Pathfinders 4 50

Rangers 1 9

Total: 453

Guiders: 61

Glowing Ember officially changed their name on May 1, 2018 to be more reflective of the large geographical area it encompasses. Units in Glowing Ember come from the City of Edmonton, the City of Beaumont, the City of Leduc and the City of Wetaskiwin. This means a lot of travel and a huge variety of activities. As usual, January in Glowing Ember starts with our annual swim party fundraiser shared with Papaschase District. The girls and their families enjoyed a day of swimming at while we are able to support training and other opportunities in our district. Many groups took part in Light the Bridge as well as their own Thinking Day activities. February was also the month many units took on the Mighty Minds Challenge with their girls. As well groups from Edmonton and Leduc headed out to camp in the snow! The Pathfinders and Rangers tried their luck at kick sledding and snowshoeing, all ended up with sore muscles the next day! One Pathfinder Unit headed to NAIT for an evening full of culinary arts, court reporting and plumbing!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 29 The girls tried many different methods of cookie selling this year including instant tellers, door to door and via social media. Groups took on several service projects including the commissioner’s challenge, food bank trips and the Green city challenge at the Reuse centre. All of the groups held large unit advancements, celebrating the different

themes of their levels.

Glowing Ember groups love to get out and explore the outdoors. Trips include Drumheller, camp Yowochas, camp He Ho Ha and Tangletrees.

Glowing Ember District also took part in Remembrance Day services in each community. And completed Christmas Service projects including creating a Girl Guide Tree for the Leduc Festival of Trees.

Glowing Ember continues to grow, explore and learn how to make such a large district work!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 30

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 31

District Commissioner: Leah Betker

Deputy District Commissioner: Alma Kessel

Treasurer: Angie De Hann

Secretary: Jennifer Locke

Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 4 units: 4th, 56th, 68th, 76th 44 Brownies 4 units: 2nd, 56th, 68th, 75th 73 Guides 4 units: 2nd, 66th, 69th, 75th 92

2 units: 2nd, 75th 35 Pathfinders th Rangers 1 unit: 4 16 (19 total 3 trex is home unit)

Trex 1 unit: 2nd 9 (12 total 3 other units)

Total: 269 Guiders: 61 .

2018 Was an exciting year for Guiding in Helen Burns District. In February the 69th Guides participated in the Commissioners Dime Challenge and raised $217.65 We held our annual Thinking Day District Carnival. Each unit provides a carnival game for the children to participate in. We had a snack bar, a pic a ticket prize, a cake walk, nail salon, and a fortune teller. Mojo Photo and The Balloon Man are always big hits!! We raised money for CWFF and each member of our district who participated earned the Alberta CWFF challenge crest. Light the Bridge was an exciting experience with the addition of the new Walterdale Bridge and a DJ dance party. So much fun was had by all. Many of our units marched in the parade and our Ranger unit assisted in the running of the event helping with set up, crowd control, leading the parade, and clean up.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 32 In March our units participated in Hike for Plenty. We collected quite a bit of food for the food bank. A group of our girls made a chant and stood in the mall singing to patrons to donate food. They were very successful!

April brought Law Day at the Alberta Law Courts. Our own District Secretary participated in the role of the mischievous Thing 1. Our Guides had a tour of the court and even the Jail! May was exciting as we rewarded many of our district guiders with awards of recognition for all their hard work. Gail Bassett received her Honorary Life Membership in honour of all her years of service.

In June our district participated in the Edmonton Pride Parade. It was a great way for us to show support and understanding. We are the best rainbow dressers.

The 69th Guides had their year-end advancement on Bikes. They cycled through Edmonton’s river valley and enjoyed the beautiful views. A great way to roll out the year!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 33 2nd Edmonton Trex held our senior canoe trip in July. They spent 1 week on the Red Deer River learning the skills necessary for flat water, moving water and canoe tripping.

In November our Guides had a computer learn to code class. They geeked out and made some of their own games

We also had a chilly blast while participating in the 2018 Grey Cup Parade. We looked amazing in our new Mitts, Toques and Jerseys!

Lego Mania landed in November as each of our Spark and Brownie girls received their own kit to build. Girls created many different designs using their imagination.

Thanks to everyone in Helen Burns for making this a great 2018.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 34

Maywood District

Serving the communities of Aldergrove, Belmead,

Breckingridge Greens, Britannia, Canora, Crestwood,

Elmwood, Grovenor, High Park, Jasper Park, La Perle,

Lynwood, Mayfield, McQueen, Meadowlark Park, Parkview,

Place LaRue, Potter Greens, Rosenthal, Secord, Sherwood, Stewart Greens, Suder Greens, Summerlea, Terra Losa, Thorncliff, Webber Greens, Westview Village District Commissioner: Ingrid Carleton-Dodds

Deputy District Commissioner: Patricia McNair Treasurer: Cathy Wilm Secretary: Laurie Robertson By the numbers Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 3 40 Brownies 3 51 Guides 3 72 Pathfinders 2 17 Rangers 1 7 Multi-Branch 1 46 Total: 230 Guiders: 40

Unit Meeting Activities Maywood Guiders provide entertaining and engaging activities for the girls at unit meetings. Some highlights include: • 154th Brownies completed the Key to STEM with a fun five-week mystery, Clues to the Missing Toadstool, finishing at the TWOSE for a sleepover, where the toadstool was found! • 152nd Guides held a Harry Potter themed enrolment that was well received.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 35 • 108th Guides prepared and presented a puppet show. • 159th Brownies built structures out of spaghetti and marshmallows.

Many of the meetings are geared towards getting the girls involved in raising funds for CWFF in fun and creative ways. • 154th Brownies hosted a paint night, and raised $300 for CWFF. • 152nd Guides presented fairy tale puppet shows and raised $250 for CWFF.

Getting Out and About Maywood units love to go on field trips as well. Some common destinations are studios like Color Me Mine, the Valley Zoo and Telus World of Science, as well as community buildings such as fire halls and libraries. Camps and Sleepovers Maywood loves to camp! Our units are frequent visitors at both Sandy Lake Beach and Tangletrees. Several units also participated in sleepovers at the Telus World of Science and the zoo. Some notable outings include:

• 152nd Guides had a Mad Science Camp at Tangletrees. The girls made stomp rockets, and a few of them made it onto the roof of Spruce! • 14th Sparks had Mother/Daughter camp at Strathcona Wilderness Centre, which included snowshoeing in April!

Travelling Maywood likes to travel the world! One trip occurred this year:

• 71st Pathfinders/Rangers took a trip to Costa Rica in the spring.

Bridging and District Events Maywood units love to get together and provide the girls with opportunities to meet other girls in the same branch, as well as other branches.

• 15th Sparks and 118th Brownies regularly participate in field trips together. • 77th Guides and 150th Pathfinders held a winter camp together. • The District advancement ceremony was well attended. Sparks walked over a rainbow, Brownies unlocked a door using a key, Guides walked a path, Pathfinders lit candles and Rangers climbed a ladder. • Several units attended Light the Bridge.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 36

Community Service Maywood units are dedicated to giving back to their community. All units participate in the Hike For Plenty either by going door-to-door or putting together Birthday Party in a Box packages, or both. Some other ways that units have provided service to the community are:

• 2nd Sparks have been holding one meeting each month with the seniors at Meadowlark Place Lodge. In October, they trick or treated at the Lodge. The unit provided candy to give to the girls. Both the girls and seniors loved it. In December, they sang carols with the seniors. • 152nd Guides helped with Meadowlark Community League family carnival. They planned and led games, crafts and cookie decorating. • 155th Guiding Unit helped out at a dinner for seniors.

Conclusion Maywood District has had an active 2018. It is clear from all the activities that the focus is on the girls, and providing them with the best Guiding experience possible!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 37

McCourt District

Serving the communities of Rio Terrace, Patricia Heights,

Westridge, Oleskiw, Callingwood, Gariepy, Lymburn, Ormsby, Dechene, Donsdale, Jamieson Place, Wedgewood, Cameron Heights, Glastonbury, The Grange, and The Hamptons District Commissioner: Leanne Hemphill

Treasurer: Sok Srey (Soki) By the Numbers Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 2 37 Brownies 3 65 Guides 3 76 Pathfinders 1 13 Rangers 1 6 Trex 1 6

Total: 203 Guiders: 42 It is with great pride that the McCourt District looks back on all that we accomplished in 2018. Our dedicated team of Guiders ensured that our girls were given innumerable opportunities to empower themselves as they helped them to acquire new skills and take on new challenges throughout the year. Our Guiders also inspired our girls to open up their hearts and minds to the world around them as they enabled them to complete various service projects and as they exposed them to other cultural ideas and practices. It was also a fun-filled year as our Guiders made plenty of time for play and they embarked on numerous adventures with their girls. Snowflake Tea Fundraiser Our annual Snowflake Tea fundraiser was well-supported again this year, despite the change in night away from our usual Tuesday night, as there was a conflicting event at the Church where the event is held. This fundraiser is extremely important to our district because a significant portion of these funds are given to our leaders in the form of subsidies so that trainings like Hodgepodge and Multi-faceted are made more affordable to them. It is always great to see our leaders come back from these trainings with a renewed enthusiasm for Guiding and they are always happy to share what they have learned with their units. Over and above the funds that are raised, the Snowflake Tea is also a very important event in our district because it provides our parents and girls with an opportunity to appreciate that they are a part of a much larger Guiding family, one that extends well beyond their individual units.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 38 The Church where we have had the Snowflake Tea for the past 30 years is no longer accepting outside rentals, so we are currently seeking a new venue where we can continue on the wonderful tradition that is our tea. Bridging Opportunities Our units were provided with numerous bridging opportunities throughout the year both within and outside of our district. Girls from McCourt participated in Light the Bridge, Slept over at the Edmonton Eskimo Sleepover and marched in the Grey Cup parade with girls and leaders from all over Edmonton Area wearing our brand new Edmonton Area Jerseys as well as stylish mittens and toques. 8 of the girls from our Ranger unit as well as their 2 leaders went on a 15 day Europe trip including stops in Iceland, London, including Pax Lodge, Paris and Our Chalet in Switzerland. They worked tirelessly in order to make sure that the trip was affordable to every member of their unit, doing bottle drives, garage sales, as well as many other initiatives. The girls had a wonderful time and made countless memories. The 196th Guides planned a Halloween party which was attending by 71st Brownies. A fun time was had by all at stations that included mask decorating and slime making. Three members of the 82nd Rangers who aged out of the program last year have also stepped up in a major way to support the 151st Sparks. The unit was short on leaders and so the Rangers who have all recently turned 18 have become leaders and are offering a varied program including doing Valentines for Vets as a Remembrance Day activity and a winter solstice celebration. Physical Activity and Wellness This year our units also ensured that our girls nourished both body and mind as they were given numerous opportunities to participate in physical activities and wellness sessions. The 196th Guides enjoyed hiking in Edmonton’s river valley and the 72nd Brownies hiked while doing a litter chase in the Rio Terrace Community. The 75th Sparks had a Zumbathon in January to raise money for the CWFF. The 151st Guides and 80th Pathfinders had an opportunity to learn a new skill as they took fencing lessons through the Edmonton Fencing Club. The 196th Guides and the 82nd Rangers also stepped outside the box and tried axe throwing. The 4th Trex went backpacking in May along the Fortress Lake trail in Jasper. In July 6 girls and 2 leaders did the Skyline Trail in Jasper, rated one of the best hikes in the Rockies at 44 km and 4 days, 3 nights.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 39 Fun and Adventure Opportunities for adventure were also numerous in the McCourt District this year. The 208th Guides had a southern Alberta Road trip with sleepovers at the Calgary Zoo, Royal Tyrell Museum and a Church in Drumheller. The 196th Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers all had a great time and beautiful weather to explore the .

The 151st Sparks celebrated Chinese New Year by welcoming members of the Edmonton Hung Mon Athletic Club who performed a Lion Dance for them. The 71st Brownies welcomed a guest speaker from Fish and Wildlife who came to show the girls what types of animals could be found in Alberta and how to camp safely.

The 196th Guides had a summer tent camp at the Rainbow Valley campground in June with lots of opportunities to explore the natural environment while the 208th Guides did a tent camp at Wabamun. The 80th Pathfinders also had some new camping experiences when they went tipi camping this year. The 151st Guides went camping at Birch Bay where they zip lined and went horseback riding.

Both the 72nd Brownies and the 196th Guides had sleepovers at the Champion Gymnastic Centre and a great time was had by all.

There were also some very creative meetings planned throughout the year including a paint night event hosted by the 208th Guides. The 72nd also enjoyed hosting a Mother Daughter banquet with craft opportunities and great food to be shared. Both the 71st and 72nd Brownies and the 80th Pathfinders had opportunities to create art pieces made from fused glass and one Brownie unit went to Colour Me Mine to paint pottery. The 82nd Rangers attended a performance of "Blue Stockings" at Jasper Place High School. The play was set in Cambridge in 1896. It was about a group of women fighting for the right to receive a formal degree at the end of their studies. The 80th Pathfinders and the 73rd Brownies also attending a production as well this year. They went to see Shumka’s Mosquito Wedding.

The units were also able to take advantage of some of the fun activities that are offered at some of our local facilities. The 151st Sparks visited the Sea Life Caverns at West Edmonton Mall. They met a penguin and fed sea turtles. Several of our Spark and Brownie units received a tour of a local fire station and our Pathfinders and Rangers attended both Law Day and the Women in Trades at NAIT events.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 40 Acquiring New Skills and providing opportunities to Grow

Numerous opportunities were also provided so that our girls could acquire new skills and grow in knowledge.

The 208th Guides developed their first aid skills as well as had the opportunity to learn about Zumba instruction from a fellow leader in our district.

Sparks and Brownies also made “Be Prepared” kits to help them to have the supplies they need in case they were to be lost or split up from their group when out on a hike.

The Sparks and Brownies Units thoroughly enjoyed the donated Lego Friends clubhouses and developed the creativity and engineering skills as they put them together.

Challenges Several of our units took advantage of the many challenges that are available out there as a way of delivering their programs to their girls. Some of these challenges were created by Alberta Council, some by National and some from our sisters in Guiding and Scouting in the United Kingdom and the USA.

The 151st Sparks completed the Unicorn Challenge at their sleepover. The challenge was created by the 1st Somercotes Guides in the United Kingdom. The Pathfinders and Rangers had a Harry Potter Camp where they completed the expelliramus challenge.

Service to Others Service to others has always been important to the members of our district and this year we gave back to our communities in several different ways. The 196th and 208th Guides visited the Edmonton Food bank for a tour and then they helped to sort donations. The 80th Pathfinders served up meals to people at the Hope Mission. The 151st Sparks also help give service to the Environment by participating in the Yellow Fish Road program. Several of our units also participated in the Commissioner’s Holiday Spirit Challenge by collecting the most needed items for the YESS (Youth Empowerment Support Services). All members from McCourt participated in the Hike For Plenty

Reflections The year 2018 proved to be an exciting and very productive year for the McCourt District and we look forward to providing ever-more fulfilling opportunities for our girls and Guiders in the year to come.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 41

MIDWAY NORTH DISTRICT

Serving the communities of Northeast Edmonton and the Garrison

District Commissioner: Carol Banks & Celine Gibson Treasurer: Michelle Green

By the Numbers

Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 3 44 Brownies 4 55 Guides 4 75 Pathfinders 2 12 Rangers 2 5 Trex Total: 191

Guiders: 50 Our leaders have had to be very creative at providing program during the winter months, when the schools were not available. Going sledding, skating, Pizza Parties, snowshoeing and trips to the John Janzen Nature Centre were some of the activities the girls got to enjoy. Girls learned about Brownies in other countries and went to the Guide House and tried on some of the old uniforms. The Guide House was also set up for a Drive in Movie themed sleep over. Girls learned about yoga, and participated in Hike for Plenty. Some of the Guide Units planned carnivals for Brownies, learned about STEM by building structures and robots out of toothbrushes. Many of the units also had Might Minds Meetings.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 42

Spring came on us and cookie selling jingles were created. The girls learned, via pie charts, what the cookie money pays for. For Earth Day, girls grew grass in cups. Spring sleepovers, tent camping were also enjoyed.

There were trips to Prairie Gardens, magicians that amazed the girls, trips to Fire halls and learning life skills like sewing, weaving, using a hammer and power tools. Most of the units are doing a combination of Girls First and the old program. Seems to be working well. Rangers ran paint nights for Brownies, and units made Christmas Cards for the elderly and went caroling. Most importantly everyone seems to be having fun! In January the leaders enjoyed some time together at Trefoil, creating our own walking sticks, string art and then ended the day with an urban dinner, where we each had our own frying pan to cook just what we like and topped with some delicious dessert.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 43

Northeast District Serving the communities of :

Bannerman, Beacon Heights*, Belmost*, Bergman, Beverly Heights, Britnell, Cy Becker, Ebbers, Fraser, Hairsine*, Homesteader, Kernohan, Kirkness, Miller,

Overlander* Rundle Heights, Sifton Park, Bruderheim* and Fort Saskatchewan*.

District Commissioner: Anita Gerlinsky Deputy District Commissioner: Jan Brisbin Treasurer: Jocelyne Spilak Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 4 56 Sparks/Brownies 1 19 Brownies 4 67 Guides 5 75 Guides/Pathfinders 1 12 Pathfinders 2 28 Pathfinders/Rangers 1 8 Rangers 1 15 Total: 19 280 Guiders: 58 Another great year for Northeast District! Units jumped into the New Year with many exciting activities including a bowling/pizza party sleepover for the 1st Fort Saskatchewan Sparks, winter camp for the 7th Pathfinders, Park sleepover for the 1st Fort Saskatchewan Brownies and Guides, a Brazilian dance party for the 136th Brownies and the 3rd Trex had an evening at Laser Quest. Thinking Day was celebrated with many units participating in the “dime challenge” to raise money for CWFF and attending Light the Bridge. We held our annual Northeast District Thinking Day event where 185 members completed the WAGGGS IMPACT challenge through round robin activity stations (wo)manned by the 140th Rangers. Over 250 personal care packages were assembled at the event and donated to the Bissell Centre. Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 44 Many winter camps were held with “Spa” and “Harry Potter” being popular themes, as well as “Olympics” and “Dolly and Me”. The 1st Fort Saskatchewan Pathfinders/Rangers had their first winter tenting camp and everyone survived-good job! 147th Brownies/113th Guides and 7th Pathfinders spent a weekend in Drumheller including a sleepover at the Royal Tyrell Museum and the 2nd Fort Saskatchewan Brownies had a weekend at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre. All units participated in Hike for Plenty to support their local food bank, one of our favourite activities during the year. The 140th Pathfinders, 7th Pathfinders, 140th Rangers and 3rd TREX participated in the ever popular Women in Technology event at NAIT. Other outings included swim nights, movie nights, Trampoline Park, skiing/snowboarding, skating, Save On Foods nutrition tours, John Janzen Nature Centre, a couple units visited the Apple store for their programs, and combat archery. Two girls from the 140th Rangers participated in Alberta Girls Parliament and thoroughly enjoyed the event. In the spring, units found time for many activities besides cookie selling. The 133rd Guides attended Stars on Ice with their moms to celebrate Mother’s Day, participated in Yellow Fish Road and went indoor rock climbing at the U of A. The 1st Fort Saskatchewan Sparks had a sleepover at the Valley Zoo, 2nd Fort Saskatchewan Brownies and 136th Brownies held their Birch Bay Adventure camp and 1st Fort Saskatchewan Guides and Brownies as well the 136th Guides had fun at Camp Warwa. 136th Brownies cleaned up the schoolyard, the 140th Pathfinders and 140th Rangers again did face painting at the World Partnership Walk and the 3rd Trex participated in Axe throwing and other lumberjack activities as well as going paintballing. The 140th Pathfinders spent a weekend in Banff, touring the Cave & Basin Historical Site, whitewater rafting, soaking in the hot springs and enjoyed some rides at Calaway Park on the way home. The 140th Rangers also spent a few days in Banff where they tackled (and survived) the Via Ferrata on Mount Norquay, relaxed in the hot springs, visited Lake Louise and the Cave and Basic and went standup paddle boarding. Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 45 The 140th Rangers continue their commitment to the campsites by maintaining the nature trail at Sandy Beach, painting shelves at the tent sites at Tangletrees and are staining picnic tables at Sandy Beach. Lots of activity to kick start the new Guiding year, with the Girls Award Ceremony, held in freezing rain conditions outdoors at the Alberta Legislative grounds, where many Northeast District girls were recognized, although many were not in attendance. Proud to say that two girls from the 140th Rangers received the Edmonton Area Scholarship. The following weekend we had 12 participants (including 5 Rangers) attend Hodge Podge – this time in blizzard conditions, just in time for the first day of fall – still had a great time at all the sessions. The 140th Rangers helped plant trees at Hermitage Park as part of TD Tree Days. 132nd Sparks had fun getting lost in the corn maze, 133rd Guides attended the Edmonton Opera’s “La Traviata”, 113th Guides did shoreline cleanup at Hermitage Park and the 7th Pathfinders did a mall scavenger hunt. 140th Pathfinders went camping in a trappers cabin at Elk Island Park, the 2nd Fort Saskatchewan Guides went tent camping at Elk Island Park with “behind the scenes” bison and dark skies programming. The Bruderheim units had a “mom and me” sleepover, 1st and 2nd Fort Saskatchewan Brownies, Guides and 1st Fort Saskatchewan Pathfinders/Rangers did the Royal Tyrell sleepover in Drumheller. Several Remembrance Day services were attended by our units: Fort Saskatchewan at the Legion, the Bruderheim cenotaph and the Beverly cenotaph in the city. All Fort Saskatchewan units participated their city’s annual Santa Claus parade, and on the same day we had members of the District attend the Grey Cup Parade. Heading into the holiday season, we had many units participate in the Commissioners Holiday Spirit challenge to collect items for YESS. 140th Edmonton Rangers also collected and donated 8 huge bags of winter coats to the Hope Mission, and the 2nd Fort Saskatchewan Brownies did a warm clothing drive for Families First Society in Fort Saskatchewan. This unit also sponsored a family in need, providing them with everyday essentials, food for a holiday meal, many pantry staples for going forward, Christmas gifts and pajamas for all the

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 46 kids and mom and many parents donated grocery store, coffee or movie gift cards. What a wonderful way to show the girls about helping those in need. We are very fortunate in Northeast District to have our very own Girls First Champion, who trained many of us on the new platform before the new Guiding year began. We also had several units that were test units for Girls First. Many of our units jumped right into the new program in the fall. We also have two trainers in our District who will be providing mini trainings at District meetings as well as full trainings open to all of Edmonton Area every second month. So far we’ve done a session on knots, and had a paint night at our Christmas District meeting where we also learned how to present a paint night for our girls, and are looking forward for those coming up in the New Year. To end off the year, our membership is up 4.9% over last year.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 47

Northern Lights

District Commissioner: Cherie Phinney Treasurer: Rhonda Smith

Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 3 60 Brownies 4 93 Guides 4 90 Pathfinders 1 16 Rangers 1 11 Total: 13 270 Guiders: 42

Northern Lights District is the furthest north District in Edmonton Area, the distance often makes it difficult to take part in Area events but everyone works hard to ensure that everyone feels like they belong. Northern Lights held their own version of Light the Bridge this year to coincide with the one in Edmonton. We even had Lady BP show up to help sing songs and tell us the story of how Guiding came to be. Units also participated in the Commissioner’s Dime challenge, with at least 1 unit winning a pizza party! Northern Lights groups like to get out and camp or sleep in places other than their own beds. We held a district wide Spark Sleepover, a district Brownie sleepover, camps at Engstrom Lake, a trip to Banff for some lucky girls, three of our youth members Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 48 traveled on the provincial trip to Ecuador, and we had girls travel to Africa and Australia this year. Oh the places Guiding will take you! Units held advancements throughout the

months of May and June and well, we held a District year end party for all girls to attend. Service is a big part of our commitment to both Guiding and the community and this year we helped at the food bank, collected items needed for the youth in our community and participated in Yellow Fish Road.

The turnout this year for Remembrance Day was beyond impressive. These girls have spent much time learning what veterans have done to help protect our freedoms and wanted to show their appreciation.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 49

Girl Guides were represented in the annual Christmas parade this year as many girls turned out to show off their Guiding pride. We ended the year with a District movie party where girls got to watch the new Grinch movie!

We have a couple of groups traveling next year, one to Switzerland and another to Toronto so much of their time has been spent selling cookies and fundraising. We cannot wait to hear all about their adventures!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 50 Papaschase District District Commissioner: Gultaj Kara Deputy Commissioner: Stacey Telford & Trina Deagle Sparks 3 Treasurer: Linda Pogue Brownies 4 Guides 4 Pathfinders 3 Rangers 2 Trex 1 Ismaili Faith Based 1 Guiders 7

3

What did we do in 2018?

Challenges Mastered this year……

● CWFF Dime Challenge ● Cross Canada Atlantic Challenge ● BC STEM Challenge ● Girls Count Challenge ● Quebec Chocolate Challenge ● GGC Hosteling Challenge

Our girls love to keep active! Here’s a few ways how:

● Dance night with guest instructor ● Outdoor skating ● Tobogganing ● Snow shoeing ● Skiing ● Canoeing ● Archery ● Nature walks ● Strawberry Picking

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 51 ● Yoga ● Picnics ● Corn Maze

Our Girls Love to Learn Through Sessions and Outings:

● Zoo Trips ● Nutrition Tours ● Pet Store Visits ● Crankpots ● WAGGS ● Reuse Centre ● Art Gallery ● City Hall ● First Aid ● Mother’s Day Tea ● Family BBQ ● Escape Emporium ● Movie Night ● Share your culture ● Calgary road trip ● Jasper visit ● Water Conservation ● Bridging with other units ● Telus World of Science ● Learning knife skills ● Table Top Cafe ● Thinking Day Carnival ● Self Defense class ● Light the Bridge ● Cookie sale Blitz ● Edmonton Humane Society ● Backpack sessions

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 52 Our Girls are Artistic and Creative

● Gingerbread Houses for Festival of Trees ● Art Gallery Tour ● Camp Hat Crafts ● Memory Books ● Chocolate Making

● Cross-Stitch ● World Music/World Centres Night ● Baking ● Drumming Workshop ● Making play dough and sculpting ● Spa Nights ● Abacus Craft ● Charades ● Puppet show ● Cookie Decorating ● Games ● Dancing

Camps and Sleepovers!

● Willy Wonka Camp ● Harry Potter Camp ● Friendship Camps ● Hostel Challenge Trip ● My Little Pony Camp ● Vancouver Trip ● Emoji Camp ● Winter Camps ● Spring Camps ● Archery Camp ● Edmonton Eskimos Sleepover ● Deconstructed Camp

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 53

Papaschase loves to help those around us! These are just some of the ways we have helped:

● Sewing scarves and hats for the homeless ● Litter clean up ● Cooking Service Project ● Contributing to the Canadian World Friendship Fund ● Hike for Plenty ● Volunteering at the Church ● Planting Flowers for Earth Day ● Learning about recycling

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 54

SHERWOOD PARK

Serving the communities of Sherwood Park,

Ardrossan, South Cooking Lake, Tofield

District Commissioner: Shari Laschuk

Deputy District Commissioner: Jackie Rogers, Kate Toews

Treasurer: Valerie Claude, Dawn Buettner (units)

By the Numbers Branch # Units # Girls Sparks 9 135 Brownies 9 153 Guides 7 137 Pathfinders 5 48 Rangers 2 13 Trex 1 5

2018 was another amazing year for Sherwood Park Guiders and all the girls who call our District home!

In February, we hosted our annual District Thinking Day event with around 300 girls in attendance. The girls learned about WAGGGS and Switzerland and Our Chalet in particular! Lots of fun was had by all in attendance.

We raised $3278.15 for the Canadian World Friendship Fund altogether as a District. We have a Pathfinder unit who hosts an annual movie night fundraiser for the CWFF; it is not only a creative fundraiser for the girls, but a great bridging event as well. One of our Brownie units pen palled with a Brownie unit in the UK for Thinking Day; exchanging cards, crests, and photos.

In March, the 1st Uncas Pathfinders and 1st Ardrossan Rangers flew to Mexico and spent 10 days at Our Cabana where they enjoyed learning about Mexican culture and completed many WAGGGS challenges. They took several suitcases of donations for the staff at Our Cabana to use for their community service projects. It was a wonderful way to enrich and deepen these girls Guiding experiences. Sherwood Park District hosts so many camps I can’t even keep track of them all. With 33 units, you can be sure we likely host hundreds of camps

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 55 in a year, which adds up to an astounding number of hours of outdoor adventures, skills building, Girl Guide fun and making of lifetime memories! We have seen WAGGGS theme camps, Tipi camps, Fantastic Beast camps, Harry Potter camps, science camps, farm camps, and holiday theme camps. Many units bridge together to camp either with other units of the same branch or a range of ages to the older girls have a chance at demonstrating leadership. One of our units held a Christmas camp; where they sewed their own stockings, and cooked a turkey dinner! We have had many units enjoy the overnight educational programs at Telus World of Science, and the Zoo. Many units camped at places like Strathcona Wilderness Center, Birch Bay, Meadowlodge, Camp Van Es, Camp Warawa, Lone Prairie Camp, as well as tented at Elk Island National Park, the Sherwood Park Fish and Game Association, and at our “resident” campground, “Balls Bush” out by Hastings Lake to name a few.

Many units enjoyed educational programs and special visitors; yoga and wellness instructors, dance instructors, martial arts and self-defense instructors for wellness aspects of our program. A Circle of Angels visited some Guides and talked about paying kindness forward. A couple of units hosted science nights with special visits from the University as well as robotics groups. Other educational visits included the Beaverhill Bird observatory with their educational owls to talk about wetlands conservation, and a guest from Nature’s Elements who talked about how small influences can impact the environment. The Alberta Bat Community Program came out for Halloween and did a very interesting presentation on bats for some Brownies!

Field trips are always an interesting way to help girls learn about the community around them and earn some of their program badges; including the fire station, the RCMP station, the landfill, the water treatment plant, the Eco Station, riding the double decker bus and learning about public transportation, the greenhouse, the library, the art gallery, and the Legion at Remembrance Day. Some of our Pathfinders attended the NAIT information night where they got to see firsthand some of the programs offered there.

Girls in Sherwood Park District enjoyed learning many outdoor skills from compass work, to knife skills, fire building, shelter building, outdoor cooking, archery, rock climbing, geocaching, canoeing, and fishing.

Many units took advantage of the large size of our District to bridge together; from cookie selling, to science nights, to camp outs, and one of our Pathfinder groups held a career night; where women in non-typical careers came out and talked to girls about their jobs and answered questions for the girls. A Ranger who went to Our Cabana put together a power point on their trip to share with Girl Guides at their WAGGGS Camp.

We held two large joint unit advancement ceremonies; one in Sherwood Park and one in Ardrossan. How wonderful to see hundreds of girls and Guiders out together in uniform to celebrate our accomplishments and the sisterhood of Guiding together.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 56 We had a few tables full of members at the annual Edmonton Area Awards Banquet in May, where it is always nice to see our Guiders recognized for their achievements and contributions to Guiding in Sherwood Park and Edmonton Area.

We participated and represented Girl Guides of Canada in 2 local parades, Ardrossan Old Fashioned Parade and Picnic in June, and Sherwood Park’s Canada Day Parade on July 1.

One of our Ranger units headed to Jasper to climb mountains, horseback ride, and white water raft! What an epic adventure. Another went tent camping to the Icefields, where they hiked, and cooked outdoors; and had to get very creative with cooking when they realized they left the propane bottles for the camp stoves at home!

Many service projects were supported in our District in 2018. Some local units helped serve dinner at a couple local churches; where they were warmly received by the folks attending. The seniors especially enjoy seeing girls in their uniforms out and about in the community. One of our Sparks units went shopping for A Safe Place; a guide unit did baking for the homeless, and went downtown to the Hope Mission to help serve their cookies, as well as hot food prepared by their families to the people outside on the street. Another unit packed backpacks for the homeless. We had several groups doing litter and community garbage clean up both in Sherwood Park as well as our rural areas. Girls visited seniors and sang carols at Christmas. Donations were accepted for the Youth Emergency Shelter and Little Warriors. We secured a couple of rural community garden boxes in the spring and some girls planted and tended them all summer, donating all the food grown to the local food bank.

We sold well over 5000 cases of cookies in our District in 2018!

We have a solid training team that is eager and keen to offer sessions to our Guiders new and not so new! Some of the trainings we held in 2018 include; Building Unit Guider skills, active games, OAL Camp food and nutrition, Safe Guide, WAGGGS and International Guiding, and Guiding history and traditions to name a few. Several of our Guiders attended Hodgepodge, as well as other sessions offered by Area. Each year our District holds a training event called Buzzard Bash, that is very well attended to give our Guiders lots of new ideas to present to their girls. We are proud to have 3 amazing Girls First Champions in our District who offered training on the new Girls First platform to our Guiders, and have been a ready source of information when questions arise!

Our district was fortunate to get some grant money to replace our aging tents, and was able to buy 20 new tents for the girls to enjoy sleeping in the great outdoors! What a thrill!

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 57 Our District supported Edmonton Area events with around 200 members attending the Oil Kings Game and Light the Bridge; and selling well over 200 tickets to the Galaxyland Fundraiser. We had some units attend the Edmonton Eskimos sleepover event as well, and some brave souls attended the Edmonton Area Girls Award Ceremony in September where we got good and wet! One not to be soon forgotten!

Our District has some very creative enrollment ceremonies from the very traditional to the very unique! From Hollywood red carpet enrollments, to Harry Potter ceremonies; to Halloween dress up and outdoor around the campfire ceremonies; lots of celebrations were held to welcome new members to our units.

We welcomed 27 new Guiders to our District this year, and opened 2 new units in 2018, bringing us to 33 units; another Pathfinder unit, and a Trex unit which has been having some amazing adventures together already!

We are always proud to have Guiders and girls attend Remembrance Day Ceremonies, and represent Girl Guides in their uniforms. We were proud to be able to lay wreaths on behalf of GGC at three different services attended by various units in our District.

We have a very talented, dedicated, and hardworking council who spends countless hours behind the scenes ordering cookies, keeping meeting places and contracts for our facilities and camp bookings in order; compiling orders for tickets and other area events and offers, balancing books, paying bills, taking minutes, keeping on top of compliance reports, planning events and district meetings, tracking Guider trainings, and managing awards. I am so proud to be the District Commissioner of such a vibrant, active, and enthusiastic District; and it is a privilege to work alongside such amazingly talented and supportive women who come together to keep this District strong for all the girls who choose to join us and make Sherwood Park District their family!

Heading into 2019, we have a big District Wide Girls First Launch Party to look forward in January, and we must start working together to replace our council, many of whose terms are up this year. We hope the future remains as bright for Sherwood Park in 2019 and beyond as it has been for the past 2.5 years of my term. This is the last annual report I will submit for Sherwood Park District as their Commissioner and it is with immense pride that I submit it. I am thankful for the opportunities I have had as Commissioner to help grow this District, meet so many people, and experience the personal growth that comes along with holding a position of this nature. It has been a pleasure to watch the Guiders of this District enjoy their experiences, and share their time and talent with so many girls.

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Trefoil Guilds & Link

Trefoil Guilds are for Guiders either active or retired, over the age of 30. These woman wish to keep active in Guiding and maintain their friendships. Woman who join Trefoil Guilds keep the spirit of Guiding alive through fun and service. Edmonton Area is home to 10 Trefoil Guilds, with more than 100 members. These Guilds meet throughout Edmonton Area.

• 1st Edmonton Trefoil Guild – Marion Hawkins, President • 1st Sherwood Park Trefoil Guild – no President • 2nd Edmonton Trefoil Guild – Steffia Fossbakken, President • 3rd Purple Martins Trefoil Guild – Mae Hadley, President • 4th Edmonton Trefoil Guild – Kim LaFleur, President • 50th Edmonton Trefoil Guild – Beverly Simpson Headon, President • 5th Edmonton Trefoil Guild – Ruth Steven, President • 7th Edmonton Trefoil Guild – Kirstin MacLaren, President • Dragon Tails Trefoil Guild -- Luanne Taylor, President • Wild Tumbleweeds Trefoil Guild-- Tanya Watts, President

Link units are for Guiders either active in a Unit or taking a break and are under the age of 30. Typically these are university/ college students or young professionals. They work as not only a social experience but also as a resource and support for our young Guiders. In Edmonton we currently have 1 Link unit with 18 members.

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 59

In Memoriam

Edmonton Area recognizes the following Guiders, and any others, who have Gone Home in 2018. Barbara McCallum, who historically was active in the Lancaster Park units. Sharon Jones, who historically was active in Betty Martin District.

Donations

Thank you to the many individuals and organizations who donate funds to Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area. Your generosity helps ensure that we continue to operate and provide quality programming for our future.

Organizations and Corporate Donors: • United Way • Benevity Community Impact Fund • Kiwanis Club of Edmonton Oil Capital • Atco Electric • Edmonton Community Foundation • Telus • City of Edmonton

Individual Donors: • Marion Rex • Alma Kessel • Anonymous

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 60

Vision A better world, by girls

Mission To be a catalyst for girls empowering girls

Promise I Promise to do my best To be true to myself, my beliefs, and Canada I will take action for a better world And respect the Guiding Law

Law The Guiding Law challenges me to: • Be honest and trustworthy • Use my resources wisely • Respect myself and others • Recognize and use my talents and abilities • Protect our common environment • Live with courage and strength • Share in the sisterhood of Guiding

Girl Guides of Canada – Edmonton Area Annual Report 2018 Page 61