Make A Difference Day

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others – a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Make A Difference Day is on the fourth Saturday of every October. Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council are going to Paint – Build – Create. Girls will paint learning boards for WWWUnited, Inc., do a Gifts with Heart project, and create a garland for the Girl Scout Holiday tree at the Houston Museum of Natural Science just to name a few of the service projects they will accomplish as they make memories at this day at camp.

Who: Brownies-Seniors; Safety-wise ratio of adult leaders and volunteers (will be helping girls with projects)

Where: Camp Misty Meadows Lodge, Conroe

When: October 22; 9:30 a.m. check in; event 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Bring: Permission slip and medical form for each girl
Adult emergency form for each adult, first aid kit, SWAPS, snack, drinks, lunch, garbage bag for litter; service project donation (info. in confirmation letter)

Min/Max: 100/500

Cost: $8/girl; $4/adult, includes patch for each participant, camp fee, and event supplies.

Register: Use Program Registration Form

Event Code: 10-63-20-6237

Deadline: Monday, October 3

Contact: General – Melinda Gaskill, mgaskill@sjgs.org or 713-292-0232, Registration – Theresa Hunter, thunter@sjgs.org or 713-292-0318

Note: Wear comfortable camp clothes

World Water Monitoring Day

On October 18, citizens of the global community will join in World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD), a worldwide opportunity to positively impact the health of rivers, lakes, estuaries and other waterbodies. Participants learn more about their local water resources while taking part in a global water quality monitoring effort. Volunteer monitoring groups, water quality agencies, students, and the general public are invited to test four key indicators of water quality: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity.

Go to www.worldwatermonitoringday.org for more information.

Girl Scouts can work toward earning the “Get With the Land” or “Water Drop” patches by participating in WWMD. Specific patch requirements, along with a Linking Girls to the Land Resource Guide and links to the other Girl Scout awards are available at www.epa.gov/linkinggirls/

How can you participate?

1. Register your site. Choose any lake, stream, bay, or other waterbody where you can safely monitor. Register your site beginning July 18 each year by clicking on Register & Report to enter the World Water Monitoring Day registration database.
2. Prepare your monitoring equipment. Use your own equipment or purchase an easy-to-use test kit by clicking on Order Kits. Each kit contains an informative instruction book and enough reagents to repeat up to 50 tests
3. Monitor your site. Invite others to help you monitor or do it yourself. Visit site anytime from September 18 through October 18 to test the water. Remember, safety first !
4. Report your data. You did the work, so let us know about your water. You can submit your results by returning back to where you registered your site in the first place. Results may be entered anytime from September 18 through December 18 for inclusion in the annual World Water Monitoring Day summary reports.

– Printed by permission of GSUSA.

Have a Heart for a Breast Cancer Patient!
Heart Pillow Project

It is estimated that 1 in every 8 women will develop breast cancer sometime during her lifetime. The good news is that more and more women are surviving this disease due to advances in technology and the awareness that early detection is your best protection! Treatment for breast cancer can involve uncomfortable testing, chemotherapy and/or surgery possibly including a mastectomy (removal of the breast).

These women need our support!

Since February 2002, Girl Scouts have made and delivered many beautiful heart-shaped pillows for breast cancer patients. These simple heart-shaped pillows provide immeasurable comfort, both physically and emotionally. Your handcrafted Heart Pillows will go to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center or another breast cancer clinic for women recovering from or being treated for breast cancer.

Directions:

1. Materials Needed: cheerful colored fabric, needle and thread, sewing machine, pattern - draw outline of a heart to be 17" wide by 11.5”top to bottom, stuffing material (new polyester fiberfill). Draw your heart pattern (17 “ wide by 11.5”) by folding paper in half before cutting to make it symmetrical.
2. Cut two pieces of fabric the same size to match your heart pattern.
3. Place right sides of the cut fabric together.
4. Stitch together on sewing machine leaving a .5” seam, with a small area open (about 2"); use small stitches for stable seam.
5. Trim seams. Turn right sides out, and press with iron if needed.
6. Stuff with new polyester fiberfill material
   Note: Please do not stuff too firmly – these pillows need to be cuddly!
7. Neatly and carefully, with small stitches, sew the opening closed
8. Please do not add decorations or buttons on the pillows. These additions may be uncomfortable for the patients.

Quality Control:

Leaders: We need your help to ensure that the pillows your troop makes are of the highest quality! Please check that:

• All pins and needles are removed
• Seams are complete, strong and stable
• Pillows are not stuffed too tightly

Please be sure to label your bag or box with your name, phone number and number of pillows made. THANK YOU!

Deliver to Julie Deeter, Program Manager, at 3110 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77098. Please call ahead to arrange delivery. For further information on this project, please contact Julie at 713-292-0203 or jdeeter@sjgs.org.