2010 Annual Meeting a Success!

This year, more than 850 Girl Scouts and volunteers took part in the 2010 Annual Meeting. With the theme "One Great New Council," the meeting hosted information booths, a swap corner and the super shop. In addition to the traditional business meeting, the Annual Meeting saw a new Girl Scout Celebration - Plenary Session which included remarks from President Diane Tipton (Click here for her remarks) and our outgoing Executive Director Jan Verhage (Click here for her remarks), and ended with a ceremony for adult recognitions. That afternoon, over 300 volunteers and Teen Girl Scouts participated in various training enrichment sessions.

During the traditional business meeting, delegates learned information about the Winter Forums, including a report of the vote from Board of Directors to increase the cost of Girl Scout cookies to $4 per box, beginning in the 2011 Cookie Program (Click here to see the presentation). Thanks to the success of the pilot fall product sale during 2009, delegates also heard the Board's support for a Council-wide fall product sale that will include nuts, candy and magazines. Girl Scout Council Treasurer Shirley Edwards also shared a report on the state of the Council (Click here for her remarks).

During the Girl Scout Celebration - General Plenary and Recognition portion of the meeting, 32 outstanding volunteers were honored for their commitment to the Girl Scout movement. To see a complete listing of the 2010 Recognition honorees, click here.

The 2010 Annual Meeting also marked the final speech from Executive Director Jan Verhage, before her official retirement from GSCNC on May 16 (Click here to view the Executive Director's remarks, including "Jan's Goodbye Song"). In her honor, GSCNC has announced a new award, appropriately titled the Jan Verhage Spirit of Leadership Award, which honors the selfless commitment of long-time Girl Scout leaders. Click here to read President Diane Tipton's remarks on the Spirit of Legacy Award honoring Girl Scout Troop Leaders.

Thanks in part to its new location in Lansdowne, VA, Girl Scouts who attended have rated the 2010 Annual Meeting a great success. The 2011 Annual Meeting will be held on April 9, 2011, at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne, VA.

For more on the Annual Meeting and feedback from the Forums, please click here.