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President
of the Council and Chair of the Board
Cora Ann Blytas
Chief
Executive Officer
Mary Vitek
Communications
Coordinator
Beth Watkins
Communications
Director
Suzanne Engelke
Communications
Manager
Joanne Pastalaniec
Mission
Statement
GSSJC: The premier organization for all girls _ building
character, values, and skills for a lifetime.
Pluralism
Statement
Embracing and promoting pluralism is an integral part
of every activity and plan of Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council,
not disconnected or separate projects. Only individuals willing
to accept and be educated about the basic tenet that Girl
Scouting is for all girls may serve in volunteer leadership
or staff positions.
Circulation
The Golden Link is published 10 times a year. It
has a circulation of over 44,000 for four issues and a circulation
of over 15,000 for the other six issues. The Golden Link
is also available on-line at www.gssjc.org. The Golden
Link reaches 21 Texas counties: Angelina, Chambers, Hardin,
Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Nacogdoches,
Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto,
Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, and Waller. To report address
changes or if you have problems receiving The Golden Link
call Membership Credentials at 713-292-0300.
Deadlines
Deadline for submitting items is the first of the month
two months prior to publication. GSSJC does not accept responsibility
for unsolicited materials. Send news and photographs to The
Golden Link at the Council address or e-mail sengelke@sjgs.org.
Advertisements
Advertising rates are available by calling 713-292-0314.
Advertisements are accepted in good faith that all the information
is correct. Acceptance of advertising does not reflect endorsement
of services or goods by the Council.
The
Golden Link is published 10 times a year by Girl Scouts
of San Jacinto Council, 3110 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX
77098
713-292-0300
www.gssjc.org
Copyright
© 2004. All rights reserved. |
by
Cora Ann Blytas,
President of the Council and
Chair of the Board |
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Leadership
is a matter of how to be
| In February 2004, GSSJC
CEO Mary Vitek and I attended the National
Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.
We experienced a full schedule of speakers,
workshops, lobbying for Girl Scouts on Capitol
Hill, and networking with CEOs and board
chairmen from Girl Scout councils across
the nation.
One of the speakers was Frances Hesselbein,
a much-respected former CEO of Girl Scouts
of the USA, who is now the chairman of the
Drucker Foundation. Hesselbein is a sought-after
speaker on the subject of leadership, both
for profit and non-profit organizations.
Her definition of leadership is, “leadership
is a matter of how to be, not how to do
it.” This is so closely associated
with Girl Scouts where the values, principles,
and beliefs tell the story of “who
we are and what we do.”
We have the Promise and the Law to guide
us daily in what we believe and do, whether
we are members of the board of directors
or cute Daisies in blue smocks. If you haven’t
memorized the Girl Scout Promise and Law,
now might be a good time to review them.
Great leadership skills are expected at
all levels of Girl Scouting. A Junior Girl
Scout may lead her patrol in campfire activities
or in a flag ceremony. A Senior Girl Scout
may preside over the Senior Senate, be an
official visitor to the board of directors
or earn her Gold Award. A Juliette may plan
for activities with other Juliettes or develop
a service project. |
We call the adults who volunteer with troops
“leaders” because we expect
them to do just that with the girls: lead
girls to make good decisions, to make new
friends, and to become better citizens.
Other adults are leading girls with activities
such as girl planning boards, swimming,
equestrian activities, puppetry, and music.
Still other adults lead as trainers, reserve
rangers, or on committees such as Family
Partnership, Gold Award, or GEMS.
All of these activities can and should
be related back to “...how to be,
not how to do it.” We are an organization
for young women where we practice good leadership
and have fun while we are accomplishing
our tasks!
The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be: |
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 honest
and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do, |
| and to |
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respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout. |
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