Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa receives grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity
Des Moines, Iowa – Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa (GSGI) received a grant from Variety- the Children’s Charity to fund Discover Bags for GSGI’s Mission Outreach Girl Scout Club program. These hands-on, educational experiences feature 8 Girl Scout activities in STEM, Life Skills, Outdoors, and Entrepreneurship. Girl Scouts are able to stretch their imaginations by making clay nature impressions; spark creativity by building binary necklaces, and so much more while learning more about what it means to be a Girl Scout.
The Variety grant funded the production of 300 Discover Bags that contained all the supplies and materials for 8 at-home Girl Scout activities. The Discover Bags are now currently being distributed to Girl Scouts participating in GSGI’s Mission Outreach Girl Scout Club programming at the end of their 6-week sessions, giving participants the chance to extend their Girl Scout experience at home!
About Girl Scout Club: While participating in a traditional Girl Scout troop experience is the heart of Girl Scouting, some girls and their families have barriers and challenges that prevent them from having access to a Girl Scout troop. That’s where GSGI’s Mission Outreach programs come in! The goal of Mission Outreach is to meet girls where they are, in an effort to reduce barriers and expand access to Girl Scout programming, providing opportunities for leadership, adventure, and success. We work with youth-serving community partners in our council to bring high-quality, short-term Girl Scout experiences to girls. Girl Scout Club sessions are designed based off the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, providing girls an onsite and hands-on learning environment to explore the areas of STEAM, outdoors, life skills, and entrepreneurship to build courage, confidence, and character. All activities are girl-led and guided by a trained Girl Scout Club Volunteer.
“We are so grateful to Variety- the Children’s Charity for funding the creation of 300 new Discover Bags for Girl Scouts in our Mission Outreach programs,” says Janelle Carlson, Director of Mission Outreach for Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. “These bags have provided more activities for economically disadvantaged and historically underrepresented girls to have hands-on experiences in STEM, life skills, the outdoors, and more. Thank you to Variety- the Children’s Charity for helping to remove barriers to access high-quality educational Girl Scout programs.”
About Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa:
We are Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. We’re more than 13,000 girls and adults from Central/Western Iowa, NE Nebraska and SE South Dakota who believe every girl can change the world.
Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscoutsiowa.org.
About Variety- the Children’s Charity:
Variety - the Children’s Charity is dedicated to improving the lives of children who are at-risk, underprivileged, critically ill or living with special needs throughout Iowa. Funding is provided to programs and initiatives that directly impact the well-being of children throughout Iowa. For more information on how you can be a part of Variety’s work, please visit varietyiowa.com.
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