Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has a safe holiday season! What are your Christmas traditions? I am the oldest of 4 girls. When we were little, I would wake them up in the middle of the night (I barely slept anyway) and we would gather in my room. The night before, we taped Xs on the stairs on all the creaky spots so we could sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to check out the presents. We hid flashlights under our beds. We thought we were oh-so-sneaky! My Dad always changed all the Xs around on the stairs. We would go 2 by 2 downstairs to see the presents and find out who was getting the biggest present, etc. etc. It was very exciting! I still don't sleep much the night before Christmas. Excitement is in the air! My Grandma and I still bake cookies together (peanut butter balls are my favorite!). She wraps all the presents and puts them in neat piles (clothes pile, toys pile), all upside down so no one can snoop. It's funny how those traditions still hold true today. After presents, when my Grandpa was alive, he brought out the infamous huge box of chocolates. My Grandma carries on that tradition still and with extended family- breaks out the box of chocolates. And as our family has grown, that one box of chocolates has turned into 3!

As I type this blog- I cannot wait for this last day of work to be complete and to dive into our annual traditions. I hope all of you have a blessed Christmas filled with your own special traditions and family moments.

Merry Christmas!

Additional Cookie Trainings for Charlevoix, Traverse City and Atlanta

For Service Unit Directors, Service Unit Product Managers and Troop Leaders who have not received Cookie Training yet.

Tuesday, Jan 4, 5:30 p.m. (before the LCM) at the Atlanta Congregational United Church of Christ

Thursday, Jan 6, 5:00 p.m. (before the LCM) at the Charlevoix Public Library in the Trustees Conference Room (upstairs). In Charlevoix, we need to be out by 7:30 so that is why we start earlier.

Saturday, January 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon @ Traverse City Service Center

Wednesday, January 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM @ Traverse City Service Center

Fall Incentives on backorder

So Fall Incentives have been on backorder. As of today- all the incentives have gone out except the water bottle. I did contact QSP directly about the backorder issue and wanted to pass on their response to all of you.

From QSP:In regards to incentives, unfortunately everything is imported. When you run short, the delay to replace the item takes a lot longer than dealing with domestic suppliers as we used to do. I put in an estimate each year by Council based on items that they have chosen as incentives. For example- at the $100 level your girls had a choice of the bracelet or the gel pens. How many girls are going to reach that level are just as important which item are they going to pick. Even with girl input (some 500 are asked each year)into our selections, the numbers can vary dramatically from what really ends up being picked. It also varies by which part of the Country you are getting input from. Also adding to the problem is the fact that your Council is one of the later Councils to submit their orders due to the dates of your sale. Early Councils were pretty much error free. Please don't look at these as excuses, there is no excuse for being back ordered on patches nor will we be again.

We are meeting in early January and will be looking at ordering procedures and we will have inventory level discussions, which I have already been told will change for next year. We are not in any way satisfied with our incentive fulfillment. Besides being irritating to our customers it costs us more to ship twice or three times to a service unit person's house than to over order on inventory, especially the lower end items. Due to economic conditions we also expected a flat year sales wise and it has turned out to be a +8% year which further threw off incentive estimates.

I would also say that we have spoiled the service unit people as the past two years incentives have arrived about the same time as the product. For years prior, they were delivered in January in time for the first meeting so they could be given out.

So, folks- there you have it. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused our girls. We are SO PROUD of them for selling. I am confident, that next year, incentives will arrive on time.

Thanks everyone!!

Super Sellabration Dinner in Muskegon

Wow- I have been eating my way through our Super Sellabrations and it has been SO fun and yummy! Our CEO, Gloria Lara joined us at the Red Robin in Muskegon. She congratulated the girls and presented them with a special pin for being a Fall Super Seller! Red Robin also gave the girls restaurant pins. The girls all received a gift bag with a Girl Scout tshirt and other fun prizes. We had such a fun evening! I am so proud of these girls for selling and the leadership skills they are using. Congratulations girls, on a job well done! Goooooooo Girls!!

Super Sellabration Party in Traverse City

We had 3 lovely girls who sold $500+ of Fall Product! We had a great time eating at the Olive Garden in Traverse City. 2 of the 3 girls are first time Girl Scouts. Way to go girls! It was so fun meeting the girls and their moms and spending time with them. I am posting a pic of our fun dinner together.

Super Sellabration Party

Last night we had our 1st ever Super Sellabration Party! This was a party for girls who sold $500+ of Fall Product. We are doing several of these parties in demographic areas. 30 total girls hit this mark. I was so excited to celebrate these girl's accomplishments!

Our Grand Rapids Super Seller Party was held at Red Robin. The girls each received gift bags filled with fun goodies- including girl scout shirts, candy, santa hats, journals and other prizes. Our CEO, Gloria Lara made a surprise appearance and presented the girls with a special gift- a pin. It was a fun night for all!

I am looking forward to our next Super Sellabration Party happening this coming week! Congrats to all the girls for a job well done!

What I am thankful for this Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for this year? With Thanksgiving a distant memory (it was a whole 4 days ago), I would like to spread some gratefulness. For me, this Thanksgiving represents family. I am so blessed to have my immediate family all in town. There were 22 of us who ate, laughed and played games on Thanksgiving. I learned a new game this year- Hand and Foot. I lost but am vowing to practice up for a rematch at Christmas! I am thankful for family-- that all the people near to me were all under 1 roof- grandparents, parents, siblings, nieces & nephews. That, to me- is Thanksgiving.

I had a new experience this year- Black Friday shopping. Up until this year, I have been on the other side of retail. 1 of my sisters pulled an all nighter (note: I will NEVER do this!). She did score some amazing deals and it truly wass the thrill of the hunt for her. My other sister and I went to the mall from 8-9 AM and then out to eat for breakfast with our whole family to talk about all the fun we had. Some pulled all nighters- some went out at 4 or 6 AM.

I am thankful this year for health, for a new job and for the priviledge of getting to work with all of you--- a truly amazing group of volunteers! So, whatever you did this past weekend- I hope it was done with gratitude and with those people closest to your heart.

Happy post-Thanksgiving, everyone!

No Service Unit Product Manager in your Service Unit?

If your Service Unit does not have a Service Unit Product Manager, please attend one of these useful trainings. We switched these from SUPM trainings to Troop Product Managers since no one was signed up.

Cookie Training for Troop Product Managers
Tues., Dec. 7 7-9 pm
Ionia - Ionia Intermediate School Dist.- 2191 Harwood Rd

Thurs., Dec. 9 6-8 pm
Big Rapids - United Church -110 State Street
Gaylord - Gaylord Regional Airport, 1100 Aero Dr

Sat., Dec. 11, 10 am – 12 pm
Traverse City - Traverse City Service Center – 1820 Oak Hollow Dr.

Mon., Dec. 13, 6-8 PM
Alpena- Harborside Mall, East Chisholm St.

FUN Cookie Kickoff Parties ~ Mark your calendars

We have our Cookie Kickoff Parties set! This is a party for the Girls to come out and get all their cookie information. Last year it was held at the VanAndel Arena followed by a Griffins Hockey game. This year, I decided to try something a little different. You can go as a: troop or with your family. Open to girls in troops or other pathways~ basically, any girl who will be selling cookies. You won't want to miss these fun events!

You have 3 options to choose from- all of which are held on Saturday, January 15th.

Grand Rapids- Celebration Cinemas North (held in the Wave Room)
10 AM-noon. Come anytime between 10 and noon and go through all our stations. Afterward, you can pay just $5 to see a movie! (free popcorn provided!). We will also be raffling off some great movie packages!

Spring Lake- Craig's Cruisers
Come anytime between 11:00-1:00 and visit booths set up for our programming portion. We will provide Girl Scouts with tokens to play games!

Traverse City- Waters Edge Gymnastics
Come anytime between 11:30 AM-1:30 PM and go through our programming stations. After, go play! Waters Edge has: trampolines, balance beams, bars, and a big foam block pit. Water's Edge staff members are safety certified by USA Gymnastics and will be supervising the entire event.

You must RSVP to reserve your spot at one of these spectacular events! Email: tmyers@gsmists.org. Put Cookie Kickoff RSVP in the subject and let me know the following: A- which Cookie Kickoff you will be attending B-how many people

SNIFF SNIFF- cookie scented earrings!

I wanted to share with you an exciting new item coming soon to your local retail shop. We will have SCENTED cookie earrings! Yes, you heard that right- scented! What a riot! The samoa earrings are studs and we have dangley thin mints (with a bite taken out). I am super excited about the earrings and the cost---- only $10.00 for 2 pairs. Call your local retail shop for the specific date the earrings will be available.

Cookie dough expires in December. Come shop for the holidays. We have ornaments, bracelets, sweatshirts, water bottles, mugs, new pens & pencils & more! The shop is open Mondays 8:30-6:30,

Tuesdays-Thursdays 8:30-5:30, Fridays 8:30-12:30 and the 2nd

Saturday of each month, 10-1.

Enter to win!

How would you like to win a FABULOUS gift basket filled with delicious Fall Product? Become a fan on our GSMISTS facebook page! We are trying to reach 1,500 fans. The 1,500th fan will receive our yummy Fall Product Gift Basket! Will this be you?

One of my main goals as your Product Sales Director is to be out in the community- letting people know all about products our girls are selling. Yesterday I attended a Business Expo in Traverse City at the Grand Traverse Resort. Not only was this a great opportunity to meet people in the TC area, but also a wonderful time of hearing glowing reports about Girl Scouts! Just mentioning that I work for the Girl Scouts brought about plenty of 'oohs and ahhs' and 'I love Girl Scouts' and 'do you have any cookies?' I met plenty of people working at different radio and tv stations who can't wait to help spread the word about cookie season!

I do believe I have the best job around---- talking cookies all throughout our 30 counties!

Fall Product Sale Survey

It’s hard to believe our Fall Sale is wrapping up! A HUGE thank you to all girls and to you, our wonderful volunteers for executing this. We are in the midst of receiving & processing all the product orders on our end. A huge thank you to my wonderful team - Jered (Grand Rapids), Sally (Muskegon) and Deb (Traverse City). These 3 people have assisted many of you , being on the front lines at the council level. The longer I am here- I see what a team we have. The team is made up of many parts- paid workers, volunteers and of course- our girls! Without any of these parts, we would not function.

I am anxious to hear your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out the survey below and cut/copy it and email it to me. I cannot fix what I don’t know is broken so please take time to give your feedback- both things we are doing right and things we can improve on next year.

2010 Fall Product Sale Survey

1. Did your troop participate in the Fall Product Sale? If no, why not?
2. Was there enough variety in product?
3. Did your girls participate in the QSP online email program?
4. Did your girls fill out the QSP address booklets?
5. Did the Fall Product Instruction booklet easy to read and understand?
6. Did you receive sufficient communication concerning fall product?
7. Did you attend the Fall Product Training? If so, was the training beneficial?
8. What would you like to see different next year?

Email to: tmyers@gsmists.org

Thank you and have a great Thursday!

Life is meant to be FUN!

I am all about FUN! No, seriously..... I am not a fan of long, boring meetings (who is?)....or events that you have to be at that are l-o-n-g and monotonous. There is no reason not to have life SPARKLE! This is why our Cookie Kickoffs will be AWESOME! You will not want to miss the big party this year!

Our Cookie Kickoffs will be held on Saturday, January 15th. We will have 3 different locations/venues to choose from. Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Traverse City areas will offer a variety of fun activities for you, your troop and girls! So bring out the whole family for a few hours of pure fun! More details to follow but I can tell you as a teaser that the Grand Rapids Kickoff will be held at Celebration Cinemas North in the Wave Room. We will have booths set up for cookie sampling, prizes, games & more! It's an opportunity for your girls to pick up all cookie selling supplies while getting revved up and excited about our cookie season!

I am working out the details for cookie venues in Muskegon and Traverse City. If you live in either of those areas, feel free to email me or comment on this post any ideas you have on where to hold this giant party of an event.

So, mark your calendars in advance- for January 15th! More details to follow!

Service Unit Product Manager Meeting Locations set for Cookies

Our meeting locations are set! You can sign up in e-council to attend these meetings.

Service Unit Product Managers Meetings for Cookie Information

Dec. 4 10 am-12 pm @
Charlevoix Public Library - 220 W Clinton St, Charlevoix,
United Church -110 State Street, Big Rapids,
Ludington Little House- Ludington,
Ionia Intermediate School Dist.- 2191 Harwood Rd, Ionia

Dec. 7 7-9 pm @ Ionia Intermediate School Dist.- 2191 Harwood Rd, Ionia

Dec. 8 6-8 pm @ GRSC, MSC, TCSC

Dec. 9 6-8 pm @
Howard Miller Community Center- 14 S. Church St., Zeeland,
Charlevoix Public Library - 220 W Clinton St, Charlevoix,
United Church -110 State Street, Big Rapids,
Gaylord- confirming location I will let you know when I hear more.

Dec. 11 10 am- 12 pm @
GRSC, TCSC, MSC,
Atlanta Congregational Church- 12385 Jerome Street, Atlanta

Dec. 13 6-8 PM @
Alpena Girl Scouts Office

Fall Sale Ends November 8th!

Fall Sale Ends November 8th! Ok- I had a brainfreeze moment..... Fall Sale indeed ends November 8th, not November 10th. The orders are due to the Troop on November 10th so order taking officially ends on the 8th.

This means you officially have 7 days left to sell-sell-sell! I just bought a magazine subscription from a Girl Scout yesterday. Which reminds me- tell your girls to call or stop by one of our service centers and ask our staff to purchase. We are willing to help out your girls! First come, first serve! We at the council level are here to support your girls! This is why we work- because we believe in Girl Scouts, its mission and all of you.

I hope you are able to attend a Leadership Connection Meeting this week. I was at the Grand Rapids one last night. It was great meeting some of you and putting names with faces. If you are near the Grand Rapids Service Center, please pop by my office. I want to meet as many of you as I can! After all, you are the reason I am here! If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. It has been 4 weeks since I started here. It has been a whirlwind in so many ways and I have enjoyed diving in and learning as much as I can. Every day I am learning many new things and have come to appreciate Girl Scouts and all the many volunteers!

Signing off for now......
I hope you have a great Tuesday!

Happy Belated Birthday, Juliette Gordon Low!

October 31st....Halloween and Juliette Low's Birthday! Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon was born in Savannah, Georgia on October 31, 1860.

What was life like in 1860? Abraham Lincoln became President. The Civil War was about to begin. In Savannah, "needle women" were hired by the state to sew uniforms and tents for the Confederate cause. It was a hard, confusing time for quite a few; including women. Most women fell in 2 categories during this time. The poor experienced food shortages and were forced into factory work. The richer women formed clubs to provide soldiers with scarves, shirts and blankets.

It was during this time that Juliette was born. And you know the rest- she went on to school, traveled, was involved in writing and the arts and became the founder of Girl Scouts! During the hard times in history, Juliette courageously prevailed. What a testament to all of us. No matter what is happening now around the world---- the tough times, the times of feeling disouraged and moments of hope--- all of you have a voice and a purpose. That is 1 reason you are in Girl Scouts! Because after all.... Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Each one of you are here to make the world a better place--- just like Juliette Low.

Happy 150th Birthday, Juliette "Daisy" Low!!

A little post-Halloween treat!

Happy post-Halloween, everyone! I hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween. I went trick-or-treating with my nieces and nephews. We had quite a crew! They range in age from 6-week-old Parker (who went as a football)! To 4 month-old Jordyn as a 50s girl, 2 year old Sawyer as a bumble bee and MaKenna (2) and Sofie (5) as butterflies! Rounding out the pack is 6 year old Logan as a spider and Lilia (9) as a fairy. They were too cute! (Spoken as a proud Auntie, of course!)

Exciting Product News!

We have a special incentive for those girls selling Fall Product.

Enter your 12 online email addresses and receive 25% off one regularly priced item in our Retail Shop! (cannot be combined with other coupons/specials).

Just print out a copy of your Detailed Order Report and bring into any one of our Service Center Stores.

How to enter:
1. Go to http://www.gsmists.org/
2. Click on PRODUCT SALES (upper right hand corner)
3. Click on QSP ONLINE PROGRAM
4. Just register and enter those email addresses for your special 25% off discount!
5. It’s that simple!

*Fall Sale ends Wednesday, November 8th so hurry- time is running out!

Historical Trivia Question & November Leadership Connection Meetings

Question of the Day: In 1922, for how much per dozen did a local Girl Scout director suggest cookies could be sold?

The answer will be at the bottom of this post!

November's Leadership Connection Meetings are next week. These meetings are open to anyone who would like updated information on everything Girl Scouts related! Service Unit Directors, Service Unit Product Managers, Troop Leaders, parents of girls in troops or other Pathways.... these meetings are for you! We encourage you to attend! We offer these meetings typically the first week of each month (none in January) in a variety of locations.

Zeeland and Atlanta have a meeting location change this month. Please see below for the address locations:

Monday, November 1, 6:30 pm
*Faith United Church of God
3290 Walker Ave NW, Grand Rapids

*Traverse City Service Center
1820 Oak Hollow Rd, Traverse City

*Royal Atrium Inn
400 Parkside Drive, Zeeland

Tuesday, November 2, 6:30 pm
*Atlanta Congregational Church
12385 Jerome Street, Atlanta

*Muskegon Service Center
1217 E River Rd, Muskegon

Wednesday, November 3, 6:30 pm
*Ionia Intermediate School Dist.
2191 Harwood Rd, Ionia

*Ludington Little House
1024 Olmstead Street, Ludington,

Thursday, November 4
*United Church - 6:30 pm
110 State Street, Big Rapids

*Charlevoix Public Library - 6 pm
220 W Clinton St, Charlevoix

Answer: A dozen cookies could be sold for 25 cents! In the July 1922 issue of The American Girl magazine, Florence E. Neil from Chicago provided her cookie recipe to 2,000 Girl Scouts and estimated that the cost of ingredients for six to seven dozen cookies was 26¢ to 36¢. She suggested the girls sell them for 25¢ or 30¢ per dozen.

Fun Question of the Day.... and not so fun- Troubleshooting Guide for Fall Product Software

Question of the Day: In what year did the sale of cookies as a way to finance troop and community activities begin?
At the bottom of this post- you will find the answer!

Troubleshooting Guide for Fall Product Software
Are you running into snags entering Fall Product online?
Below are troubleshooting questions and answers.... your question might be on here!

1. I cannot open the PDF reports
Answer: You should update to the most current version of Adobe Reader located at the bottom of the Reports page.

2. I entered email addresses online for the magazine sale. How can I tell when someone purchases a magazine subscription from my online emails?
Answer: At the end of the sale you go back into the system and print out the detailed order report. That tells how many emails the girls sent, how many orders were generated and for how much.......she turns this into the troop leader with her nut order, other mag orders etc. The online is listed separate from regular magazines on the report.

3. How do I learn more about the prize incentives?
Answer: http://www.alschutzman.com/2010gsigirls/

4. In response to numerous issues with Troops accidentally submitting their Nut/Candy orders, we have now added the following pop up box when troops click the submit button:
"Are you sure you want to submit your entire Troops Nut/Candy Order?" with an "Okay" or "Cancel" option.

5. Please remind users that when entering a girls order they have to:
1) Save her QSP/Nut order
2) Save her Incentive order
3) Save the entire order. This is the same process as last year.
What I'm finding is that users only save the QSP/Nut order and think they are done. I have also found out that some users have their screen resolution set so when the final box opens it is out of view. They would have to scroll over or down to see it.


Okay- enough of the techy info.... the answer to my Question of the day.......

Answer: In December 1917, just five years after the founding of Girl Scouting, Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, OK, baked cookies and sold them in their high school cafeteria as a service project. A year later, Thistle Troop of South Lancaster, MA, sold a variety of sweets and raised enough money to buy khaki fabric for their homemade uniforms.

Cookie Training Dates set!

We have our dates set for Cookie Trainings! Mark your calendars.....

Facilitator Training Dates:
Dec. 1, 6 -8 pm @ Traverse City Service Center

Dec. 2, 6-8 pm @ Grand Rapids Service Center

Dec. 3, 10am -12 pm @ Muskegon Service Center

Service Unit Product Managers Training Dates:
Sat., Dec. 4, 10am – 12 pm @ Charlevoix, Big Rapids, Ludington, Ionia

Tues., Dec. 7, 7-9 pm @ Ionia

Wed., Dec. 8, 6-8 pm @ Grand Rapids Service Center, Muskegon Service Center, Traverse City Service Center

Thurs., Dec. 9, 6-8 pm @ Zeeland, Charlevoix, Big Rapids, Gaylord

Sat., Dec. 11, 10 am – 12 pm @ Grand Rapids Service Center, Muskegon Service Center, Traverse City Service Center, Atlanta

Mon., Dec. 13, 6-8 pm @ Alpena Girl Scouts Office

*If the Service Unit Product Manager dates do not work, you can attend a Faciliator Training instead. However, we encourage you first to try to attend your own Training.
This is a back-up only.

Individual Girl Scouts not in Troops encouraged to sell Fall Product!

If you are an individual Girl Scout and want to sell QSP and Fall product then read on...
Here’s how YOU can participate!

1. Contact a Product Sales Manager (see below)
2. They will mail you a packet containing:
   *A magazine packet
   *A nut/candy order card

It’s that simple!

Some important dates to remember:
*October 18 - November 8: Order taking
*November 12: Turn in order card and money for product
*November 30 - Dec. 3: Pick up your product (where you turned in your order card)

The Product Sales Department will help you with every part of the sale! It’s a great
experience for all Girl Scouts!

Selling QSP and Fall product gives you the opportunity to enjoy many benefits of the Girl
Scout program. You may have the opportunity to participate in Council programs such as
Day Camp, Resident Camp, as well as other Council events and programs.

So, what are you waiting for? Contact a Product Sale Manager today!

Top 10 Reasons

Here are our TOP 10 Reasons to participate in the Online Magazine Program:

One…You can do it all in the comfort & safety of your own home. You don’t even have to leave the house.

Two…You can complete this program in about 10 to 15 minutes…that’s it.

Three…It’s an excellent learning activity for your Girl Scout.

Four….She does not have to ask anyone to buy. The emails do that for her.

Five…She does not have to collect any money. Everyone pays by credit card with the online magazine program so no money needs to be collected.

Six…She does not have to deliver any products. Customers receive the magazines in the mail.

Seven…Your Girl Scout can earn some exciting & fun incentives from her magazine and nut sales.

Eight…Troops can earn Needed Early Start Up Funds. By participating in this program, troops can earn money now…and not have to wait until the cookie money starts coming in later on in the year.

Nine…It benefits our Girl Scout Council. Those funds are a very important part of helping us provide the girl programs, camps, and other valuable services for girls.

Ten…It’s FUN & EASY. There is nothing to it…just send some emails and WALLA…you can benefit in all of the above ways.

So…Time is ticking by. Our sale ends: November 12!

Why not get started with the online program right now?

Here is the link to click and get started. http://girlscouts.qsp.com/gsa/index.aspx?siteid=12&faccountid=425610148. If clicking the link does not work, please copy and paste the URL into your browser to go to our site. You can also go to our website: http://gsmists.org/
and go under Product Sales and there is the QSP icon there.

Don’t forget to “Stock Up” on the delicious Nuts & Chocolates we are also offering. They are deeeeeeeelicious…. And…we Do Not make Reorders…so be sure and order what you want…before it’s too late.

Thank you, thank you, thank you…for all that you do for girls.
Your efforts today…will be felt in your girl’s lives forever.

YOU make a difference…and we appreciate YOU.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Selling!!!

Girl Scouts are EVERYWHERE!

FUN FACT- We are an international family! Through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a worldwide family of 10 million girls and adults in 145 countries!

Here are just a few of the countries where you can find Girl Scouts-
Australia, Africa, Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Fiji, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Libya, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom..... and many, many more!

In other news----
Thanks again for leading your troops into the Fall Product Program. We've hit the ground running in what will hopefully be our best Fall Product Program ever. Things are moving fast, but GSMISTS is with you all along the way.

IMPORTANT CONTACTS
You can stay updated 24/7 with the latest regarding the GSMISTS 2010 Fall Product Program by visiting the website at www.gsmits.org. Any questions? Contact your Troop Leader, Fall Product Managers and/or Product Sales Managers.

As a reminder-

Product Sales Managers:
Grand Rapids Service Center

Jered Michael
jmichael@gsmists.org (616) 784-3341 x124

Muskegon Service Center

Sally Ellis
sellis@gsmists.org(231) 744-4774 x202

Traverse City Service Center

Deb Lang
dlang@gsmists.org(231) 947-7354 x222

And don't forget- you can always always always contact me. I am 2 weeks into the position and if I do not have the answers, I will find someone who does! Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to all our Girl Scouts. You're the best!

Dance into our Fall Product Sale!

Today is the day!! Our Fall Product sale has officially begun! Encourage your girls to sell, sell, sell! What a fun way to kickoff your troop season. It is not too late to start. If you need product information, please contact myself or any of your Product Managers. We are here to support you and answer any questions.

Anyone out there love to dance? Enjoy watching ballet? Enjoy anything artistic in general? This week is your lucky week! We have a very special opportunity for anyone involved in Girl Scouts in any capacity. The Grand Rapids Ballet has a show this weekend. Just mention ‘Girl Scouts’ when you call and your ballet tickets will be half off! Details are below.

Ballet: Who Cares?

Dates: October 22 - 7:30 pm, October 23-7:30 pm, October 24- 2:00 pm

Venue: DeVos Performance Hall

Description: Our Fall Production features a work by George Balanchine titled Who Cares? This classic favorite, to songs by George Gershwin, portrays an exuberance that is broadly American. We have also invited a few world stars to perform a classical bravura showcase and a contemporary firework. We will open the evening with the grand ballet Raymonda Pas de Dix in elaborate tutu’s, tiaras and chandeliers. All these works combine in one huge show, creating a season opener of incredible talent and artistry!

Tickets: $20 - $45. (this is before the half off offer).
Available at the Ballet Box Office by calling 454-4771 x 10.

I have had the priviledge of seeing a number of Grand Rapids Ballet performances and they are amazing! Don't miss your chance to see Michigan's only professional ballet company live!

My stomach is rumbling.....

I love to eat! Specifically, I love to eat anything sugary and sweet! I have actually won 3 pie eating contests in my day and I wear that title proudly! I am so happy today to be writing about our Fall food product!

Girls can sell a variety of delicious treats. Do you love chocolate? We have chocolate covered pretzels, double-dipped chocolate peanuts, chocolate covered raisins, chocolate covered almonds. YUM!! For the peanut butter fans- we have peanut butter dreams. Peanut butter dreams are a scrumptious treat made of peanut butter in the middle surrounded by milk chocolate! If you’re not a chocolate fan (which I’m sure is far and few in between) you can purchase Fat Free Fruit slices! Don’t forget about the cashews, cranberry nut mix (made of peanuts, raisins, cranberries, cashews, banana chips, almonds and walnuts) and our hot Cajun mix (corn sticks, peanuts, pretzels and sesame sticks).

We have added 1 additional Fall Sale Product Training for the Gaylord area. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 19th at 2:45 p.m. It will be held at the Friendship Church at 415 N. Ohio Avenue, at the corner of Ohio and West Streets in Gaylord.
Registration paperwork as well as Fall Product Sale materials will be available.
Please spread the word to other leaders you know who are looking to be trained. We hope to see you there!

I am suddenly very hungry so I’m signing off for today!

Do you need Fall Product Information?

Our Fall Product Sale kicks off this coming Monday, October 18th! It is not too late to participate! Our goal is to have every girl earning money and the Fall sale is a great opportunity! Do you need Fall Product Information? Your girls have October 18-November 8 to sell. I am happy to mail you out a packet. The only requirement- make sure your troop is registered.

Do you know there are 2 ways to earn money without ever leaving your kitchen table?

1. Address Booklet- Girls write down 11 names and addresses of family and friends in the provided QSP Address Booklet. QSP then sends those individuals information to order magazines. For every completed Address Booklet, the troop earns $2!

2. Online email addresses. From our website, follow the link and register. Then upload or enter email addresses of family members and friends. 12 Email addresses earns a Capture your Dream Patch. Then, when a magazine subscription is ordered, your troop gets credit for the sale!

So, taking literally 10 minutes out of their day, your girls can earn money for their troops. It’s fun and easy and encourages girls to develop their business sense.

The average family has 5 magazine subscriptions. Why not renew even one of those through the Girl Scouts? I have looked through the magazine catalog and I am impressed by the variety. There are over 600 different subscriptions to choose from! Magazines include everything from sports, cooking, fitness to family childcare, men’s, women’s and children’s magazines. There is something for everyone.

Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Stepping into the past

I have come to the end of my 1st official week on the job. There is so much I am learning! Our volunteers are truly the backbone of this organization. There are over 4,500 of you out there helping make Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore what it is today- a thriving organization supporting girls! That is so exciting! My main goal through this blog is to make sure all of you have the knowledge you need to support our girls in terms of product sales. It is you who are the heart and soul of Girl Scouts. Many have not only been long time volunteers, but Girl Scouts as well! I dug deep into history to pull out some 'gems' from the past. Oftentimes before planning the future- we need to look into the past. Girl Scouts has such a rich legacy!

I went on ebay and discovered many historical Girl Scouts memorabilia. My 1st item is a 1920s Girl Scouts pencil box. The White blouse and Black bloomers were customary as Girl Scout Camping Uniforms in the 1920s. Wow!

Another find- a 1918-1920 Girl Scout Badge Pin. My research shows that this is a very rare Trefoil pin, the second Trefoil made, the first one ran 1914-1917 and looks the same but without the GS on the top. Type 2 ran from 1918-1927. This particular one was made 1918-1920 it has 3 stripes on the shield, also called Type 2A.

Those are my fun facts for today. Thanks for going with me today on a little historical journey. I am learning everything I can presently and looking forward to a great future with Girl Scouts!

Welcome to GS Delish!

Hello Everyone!


My name is Taryn Myers and I am the new Product Sales Director for Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore. I am SO excited to be here! I am starting a blog today to communicate with all of you. I would love to have you follow it. I will attempt to update the blog daily with pertinent information and fun facts too. If you would like to receive emails instead, please email me at tmyers@gsmists.org and I will put you on an email list instead.


A little bit about me:

I grew up in Grand Rapids and am the oldest of 4 girls. We even had a female cat and dog (my poor Dad!). I graduated from Forest Hills Northern and Cornerstone University. My husband’s name is Rick and we have been married for 4 years. I love.... carmel lattes, palm trees, splashing in the pool, macaroni and cheese, crab legs, Ludington, Disney World, bright colors, baking desserts, working out (after eating all those desserts), laughing, getting to know new people, sunshine and anything related to FL!!


Fall Product News:

Our 2010 Fall Product Sale kicks off Monday, October 18!
This is a great way for girls to earn start-up money for the new school year.
Products sold include yummy chocolates, nuts and candy as well as magazine subscriptions. Why not renew a magazine subscription and have it go toward Girl Scouts? Also, magazine subscriptions make wonderful Christmas presents!


Important New Dates:
We have 3 new Fall Product Sales Trainings happening next week!


Who can attend?
*Troop leaders who would like further training
*Any Troop Product Managers
*Troop Leaders who do not have a Service Unit Product Manager who still need training
*Parents of girls in other pathways who would like to earn proceeds

Fall Product Sales Training Dates:
*Monday, October 11th- Grand Rapids Service Center, 6:30-8:30 PM
3275 Walker Ave NW Grand Rapids, MI 49544

*Tuesday, October 12th-Muskegon Service Center, 6:30-8:30 PM
1217 E. River Rd Muskegon, MI 49445

*Tuesday, October 12th- Ionia ISD, 7-9 PM
2191 Harwood Road, Ionia, MI 48846


Please never hesitate to contact me with ideas, questions, concerns or comments. I welcome and appreciate all of your feedback! My email is: tmyers@gsmists.org and my direct phone number is: 616-784-3341 ext. 142 or Toll Free: 866-566-7434. If you are near the Grand Rapids Service Center, please stop by my office and say ‘hi’. I would love to meet as many of you as possible!


Thanks and have a wonderful day!