July 2021 Newsletter

A Note From the Founder – Special Scholarship Ceremony

As many of you know, I give away three continuing education scholarships each June. These special awards are named after the first three girls to earn them back in 2014. The Charlotte Duke Award ($500) requires that you earn your Diamond Gem Award in order to apply. The Megan Lundquist Award ($500) requires that you earn your WOW! Award at the Eagle level in order to apply and The Abby Olson Award ($1,000) requires you to earn both in order to apply.

What you may not know is that Megan Lundquist has personally presented the award bearing her name to each and every recipient since she first earned the award in 2014. This year, Christina Helmbold won the Megan Lunquist Award. (You may remember Christina as she worked here at the office for more than 2 years making your badges. ) As a result, Megan called and asked if she could fly out and make a presentation to Christina. Turns out Abby Olsen was also going to be in town (she is currently working on her second masters degree out of state) and the recipient of the Abby Olson Award this year happened to be Megan’s sister Hannah (Are you following this?….) As a result both Megan and Hannah along with their mother and younger sister, flew out to California.

On June 15, we held a small, but meaningful outdoor ceremony to present the two scholarships. We had representatives from two local troops and I was thrilled that several of the original founding Frontier Girls were also able to attend. Since they are all adults now, I don’t get to see them often. In addition to the two scholarships, we had a small advancement ceremony for two of the girls who advanced to the Dolphin level. I also presented Katie Lundquist, mother of Megan and Hannah and leader of troop #159, with a Certificate of Distinction for being one of our most active leaders. Katie has mentored many new leaders over the years and I am an always filled with awe at her energy, creativity, and generosity.

One of my favorite moments in the ceremony was the presentation of the Abby Olson award to Hannah Lundquist. Troop #159 has a tradition when any of their girls earn a Frontier Girls scholarship (and they have earned several!) Each girl is presented with a sparkly unicorn along with their scholarship. Why you might ask? Because when Emily Lundquist (Hannah and Megan’s sister) first applied for a scholarship her essay began with,

“This is the worst kind of essay to have to write. And here’s why: It doesn’t matter who’s writing it, or what it’s for, but when someone writes a “why I deserve this” paper, all I hear is, “OH LOOK AT HOW AMAZING I AM. I’M ALL AWESOME, SHINY AND COVERED IN GLITTER. I’M SO COOL, GIVE ME A UNICORN!”

So of course, when she won a scholarship that year, she was presented with a sparkly unicorn and a tradition was born.

If you have ambitious girls in your troop ages 16-22, make sure they are aware of the scholarships. Qualifying for them takes a LOT of hard work, so very few girls apply. The good news is that means those who do qualify stand a better chance of getting a scholarship since there is little competition. Once a girl qualifies, she can apply every year until she is 22. Several girls have won more than one scholarship over the years. You never know, with a little hard work, Megan might be flying out to visit you next!

Kerry Cordy

  • Megan Lundquist presents her award to Christina Helmbold
  • Katie Lundquist presents the sparkly unicorn to Hannah Lundquist
  • Kerry presents Katie Lundquist with a certificate of Distinction
  • Dolphins from 3 troops and 2 states
  • Abby Olson presets the Abby Olson Award to Hannah Lundquist
  • Frontier Girls from 3 troops and 2 states
  • Representatives of Troop #101, the founding troop

New Badges Posted

Law Enforcement, Jewelry, Jewelry Throughout Time

Badge of the Week

Every week I post a blog on the Curiosity Untamed website with resources to earn a different badge. You can find past Badge Of The Week posts by going to the Blog page and then choose the Badge Of The Week Category. These posts are also great for troop leaders who need a jumpstart on planning meetings. Badges that will be featured for July include:

Make a Difference Project ideas

Katie Lundquist, leader of Troop #159 was kind enough to post a list of past projects that kids in her troop have performed for their Make a Difference Award. For those looking for ideas, this is a great start. Depending on the project, you can adapt the ideas for ages different than listed.

OTTER/LEVEL 1

  • Dog blankets, treats, etc for the emergency vet
  • Father/Daughter Dance (Eagle project with youngers leading each section)
  • Candy for Soldiers (Donations Leftover from Halloween/Trunk or Treat)
  • 25 Mosquito Nets for Project Bite Back
  • God’s Pantry food, clothes & household goods collection
  • Book Drive for local library and Ronald McDonald House
  • Homemade cookies for 1st responders

DOLPHIN/LEVEL 2

  • Caroling and Cards for the Fire Station
  • Father/Daughter Dance (Eagle project with youngers leading each section)
  • Ronald McDonald House Meals, Game Drive, Pop Can Tab Collection
  • Supplies Drive shipping 9 Boxes for Deployed Soldiers
  • Mercy’s Gate Supplies Drive & Backpack Packing
  • Meals for Mac (Making freezer meals for a needy family)
  • Warm clothes drive for the homeless
  • Homemade Dog Toys for the Humane Society
  • Cards for 1st Responders
  • Kits for the homeless

BUTTERFLY/LEVEL 3

  • Father/Daughter Dance (Eagle project with youngers leading each section)
  • Themed Sleepover
  • Parents’ Night Out/Fundraiser
  • Mother/Daughter Tea
  • Build landing pads for summer camp ropes course

EAGLE/LEVEL 4

  • Therapeutic Horse Farm Obstacle Course Elements
  • Father/Daughter Dance
  • Repair & redesign frolfing (frisbee golf) course for a summer camp

OWL/LEVEL 5

  • Toiletries Drive
  • Memorial Day Presentation at the Cemetery
  • Valentine’s for Soldiers

The Zombie Apocalypse

Kerry Cordy

I recently started running an ad on Facebook featuring a collection of our badges. I check on the ad daily and try to answer any questions that come from potential customers as quickly as I can. One person simply commented, “Why the zombie apocalypse one tho?” That made me pause.

For those new to the program, your first thought might be, “What could possibly be educational about zombies? Ewww.” I firmly believe that just about any topic has educational value and if presented in the right way can also be a lot of fun to learn about. So when a zombie apocalypse badge was requested in 2019, I set out to find out more about the gruesome lives of the undead.

Did you know that the CDC actually holds zombie apocalypse trainings? Or that nearly every culture around the globe has legends of some sort of undead creature? I never gave zombies much thought before. Monsters are more the realm of my youngest daughter. But once my curiosity was piqued, it became an adventure to find out more.

I discovered that Zombie Tag was a popular event at many schools and college campuses and has even been used for large fundraisers. Zombie books and movies have been part of American culture for decades. My daughter’s passion for special effects led me to research what went into the make up and prosthetics for zombies in the movies. While I was personally revolted by the gruesome effects, my daughter was fascinated with the art skills and techniques used to make things look realistic. This passion has led her to intensive studies in anatomy and science.

Our Zombie Apocalypse badge in many ways represents what Curiosity Untamed is all about. No matter how obscure or strange, anything can be fun and educational. Even Zombies. So let your kids explore their passions even if that passion may not appeal to you. You never know where their questions will lead. In my case, they led to my daughter getting a college degree in animation and visual effects. And yes, she loves to design zombies.

July Newsletter 2021