A Note From the Founder – Frontier Girls Send Help to Australian Bush Fires

by Kerry Cordy

I am sure that everyone has been watching the news of the terrible wildfires raging throughout Australia.  32 people have perished including 3 American wildland fire fighters who went to Australia to help during the crisis.  Roughly 26,316,723 acres have been burned and 3,012 homes  destroyed.  It is estimated that more than a billion animals have been killed during the fires and many animals found only in Australia are now endangered and a global effort has been raised to try to rescue as many as possible.  This cause is personal for me as my brother is a wild land fire fighter and I have friends and family in Australia.  While going to school there in 1986 I was blessed to be able to hold a koala.  Now, large swaths of the marsupial’s habitat have been destroyed and koalas as a species are vulnerable.

While the response for “koala mittens” for koalas burnt by the fires went viral and were no longer needed by mid January, Frontier Girls and Quest members along with members of the local community in Redding, CA sewed 398 joey bags, 29 bat wraps and 2 nests to ship to Australia to help in the animal rescue. In addition, $1017 was raised to ship the items, but thanks to Raymond Powell, the Airforce Defense Attache in Canberra, we were able to ship to the airbase at domestic rates and the money was donated as follows: AUD$500 to St. Vincents to distribute food and clothing; AUD$360 to the fund for fallen fire fighter Firefighter Samuel McPaul and AUD$360 to the fund for fallen fire fighters Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O’Dwyer;  AUD$130 to Gippsland Emergency Relief fund. Thank you to Kathryn Santry for organizing the service project and to everyone who donated either time or money to ensure its success.  I would also like to offer special thanks to Raymond Powell for volunteering to help with distribution of the animal rescue donations which allowed us to put the money raised to better use than just shipping costs.

 

New Badges Posted

British Crown Jewels, British Monarchy, Stop Motion Animation,

 

 

 

 

Scholarship Reminder!

If you qualify for any of our three annual continuing education scholarships, make sure to get your applications in by the April 1 deadline!

Abby Olson Award – $1,000

Qualifications to apply:

  1. Must be a registered member of Frontier Girls
  2. Must be at least 16 years old and no more than 21 years old on April 1 of the year applying for.
  3. Must have earned either the Frontier Girls Diamond Award or the Grey Diamond Award
  4. Must have earned the WOW! Award at either the Eagle or Owl level
  5. Application must be received by April 1, scholarship will be awarded on June 1.

Charlotte Duke Award – $500

Qualifications to apply:

  1. Must be a registered member of Frontier Girls
  2. Must be at least 16 years old and no more than 21 years old on April 1 of the year applying for.
  3. Must have earned either the Frontier Girls Diamond Award or the Grey Diamond Award
  4. Application must be received by April 1, scholarship will be awarded on June 1.

Megan Lundquist Award – $500

Qualifications to apply:

  1. Must be a registered member of Frontier Girls
  2. Must be at least 16 years old and no more than 21 years old on April 1 of the year applying for.
  3. Must have earned either the Frontier Girls Diamond Award or the Grey Diamond Award
  4. Application must be received by April 1, scholarship will be awarded on June 1.

 

SWAPS Partners Assigned Feb. 7

If you registered for our annual SWAPS, you will receive your partner information by Feb. 7.  Please remember the rules of this program.

Rules for participating:

  1. Make enough SWAPS for each member of your partner Troop/Club/Pioneer to receive one
  2. Write a letter to include with your SWAPS introducing your group and explaining why the SWAP represents you.
  3. Ship your SWAPS no later than March 1, 2020
  4. To receive an official Frontier Girls 2020 SWAP for each participant, ship one of your SWAPS by Mar. 1, 2020 to Frontier Girls Headquarters along with the form that will be attached to the email when you receive your SWAPS partner.

 

Leader Appreciation Day: Feb. 20

by Kerry Cordy

February 20 is Frontier Girls Leader Appreciation Day.  Many times girls and parents never think about the hundreds of hours that go into planning and implementing meetings, tracking badges and awards, setting up field trips,  gathering camping supplies and so much more that a leader does for her troop.  Like teachers in the classroom, the average Frontier Girls leader spends and average of $300-$500 of their own money each year on gas and supplies to keep her troop running.   Unfortunately, in many instances, the effort and expense of leaders is a thankless job that they do simply because they have a heart for helping the girls.

Please take time this month to say “Thank you!” to your troop leader.  Make her some cards.  Give her a hug.  Tell her how much what she does means to the girls.  Bring her flowers or a gift or write her a special letter.  Pamper her.   It doesn’t matter how you express your thanks, but it will mean the world to your leader.

From me to all my fabulous leaders out there, “THANK YOU!!!  Without you, this program would not exist.  You are all my heroes.”

Frontier Girls Gift Items on Sale 20% Off for the Month of February!

Just in time for Leader Appreciation Day, most gift items in the store are 20% off for the month of February.  Our magnetic 1″ pendant and 1.25″ key ring are customizable with any insert you wish to design, or work with us to design one for you.    Additional gifts include mugs, tote bags, grocery bags, bumper stickers and our logo patches.  Visit the FG Store for details!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girl of the Month – Autumn Smith, Troop #213

On October 12, 2019, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Bishop Mark Bartchak celebrated a mass with all the Scout groups in the Altoona & Johnstown Diocese including family and friends. Several Boy Scouts, a Girl Scout, and a Frontier Girl, Autumn Smith, earned awards for the subjects or projects completed. Autumn is part of Frontier Girl Troop #213, located in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania. It is her second year in this Troop led by Lori McCloskey Shaw. She is in first grade at All Saints Catholic School, Cresson, Pennsylvania.

Autumn received the Angel on My Shoulder pin. She worked during the Summer reading stories in both the Old and New Testaments. Her mom, Lisa, helped her read some of the more difficult bible stories and they discussed the roles of angels how they integrated with and lead people to make right choices. She had to explain how these angels influenced or calmed any of the humans they interacted with. Some angels brought news that God had big plans for them and what God required these people to do. Some angels helped protect people from harm, or were with them, keeping them calm, when things got rough. She learned the differences between titles of angels and that some angels have very specific jobs while other angels are regular “everything” angels.  She talked about the names of the angels she knew and what their important jobs were. She had to discuss what her Guardian Angel does, name him/her, and describe how he/she would look. She said the prayers she knew involving Angels like “St. Michael the Archangel” or “Angel of God” that she says daily at school and home. She sang the songs she knows about Angels like “Four little corners”.

Finally, Autumn had to construct an angel book full of the pictures she drew/colored in and any of the things she wrote representing all the stories discussed. Autumn has two younger siblings, Noah & Maggie, who are very eager to “help” big sister in all her projects…sometimes requiring her to redraw or rewrite her work…but she never gets mad at them “helping” her. She loved that this project became family time. Upon completion, this book went to her Church, St. Demetrius Parrish, so that Father Albert Ledoux could ask her questions and see all the effort put into making it. From there, the book went to Bishop Bartchak for approval of her earned achievement.

Autumn is sometimes shy and was very nervous about receiving her award (there was a lot of people there!!!) but she smiled and shook the Bishop’s hand while everyone clapped for her. When she got back to the pew, she excitedly whispered that she wanted to start the next project right away. Her faith is so very important to her and is very excited that she now has a pin on her vest alongside all the other badges and patches she worked hard for in her troop.  We are so very proud of her. Congratulations, Autumn! We are also grateful that in our area the Scouts and Frontier Girl groups have faith based awards offered to them to earn.

 

Little Free Library

Little Free Libraries have popped up all over the country, but have you ever thought about who keeps them filled with books?  Genisis J. from Troop #531 decided to help fill the Little Free Library outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center as a fitting service project for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

 

Patience Badge

In today’s society of instant gratification, it is more important than ever to teach your kids patience.  Children today are bombarded with sight, sound, color and a constant stream of input.  Video games, cell phones, computers and TVs fill their day with instantly accessible entertainment, communication, and information.  As their brains continue to process this information at faster and faster rates, they soon come to expect everything in life to come to them as quickly as a simple push of a button.

Unfortunately, as we all know, life does not exactly work that way.  The Patience Badge is a great way to train your kids to simply be in the moment and possibly even deal with boredom “gasp!”  It is not a difficult badge to earn, but by making children focus on what it means to be patient, hopefully they will practice it more in their own lives.  Help them to realize that patience is something that can not only make their own lives more enjoyable, but also the lives of those around them.

 

Make a Difference This Year

The 2010’s are past.  As we embark on yet another new year, and new decade, I challenge all Frontier Girls to make a difference in your community this year.  If you have not yet earned a Make  a Difference award, this is the year to do it.  Regardless of your age, there is always something you can do to make your community a better place to live.  Make a commitment to uncovering a solution to a problem in your area.

Many educational and fun places to visit in your community, such as zoos and museums, are non-profit organizations.  They are very expensive to run, and their costs are not covered by admission fees.  Without donations and volunteers, they would be unable to survive.  Even if you are not old enough to volunteer at the location itself, you can always help hand out fliers,  further a public relation campaign, or hold a fundraiser.

If there is a dangerous intersection in your community that needs a street light, stop sign, or cross walk, start a petition to obtain one.  When you have collected enough signatures, present your petition to your city officials.  Maybe there are bushes or trees that make it difficult to see oncoming traffic.  If they are on private property, offer to help trim them.  If they are on public land, contact your city officials with a request that they be trimmed.

Maybe you live in an area that could use some beautification.  You could write a proposal for a Neighborhood Beautification Week and get your mayor to sign it.  Then make fliers to post around town and organize volunteers to help out neighbors who may not be able to clean up their own yards.  Hold a fundraiser to purchase paint and supplies, or have them donated, and coordinate volunteers to help senior citizens, low-income residents, or people with special needs clean up their homes.

Many stores keep unhealthy snacks, such as candy bars, up by the front counter, contributing to our society’s poor nutritional habits and obesity problem.  Work with store owners to find tasty, more nutritional items, that can be offered in place of, or at least next to, the unhealthy options.  Make fliers for your community promoting healthier eating habits.

There are thousands of things you can do for your community.  Find something you love, and then look through your community to find a way you can use your passion to help others.  If you love animals, check with the local animal shelters or pet stores to see how you and your friends can help.  If you love history, talk to local museums.  Maybe gardening is your thing.  If so, check with local parks, schools and churches to see who needs help with planting or weeding.  If you love painting, maybe you can organize a community mural.  Use your imagination to rise to the challenge and make your community a better place to live.

February 2020 Newsletter