By Cathy Molitoris
Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA (GSHPA) officially opened their new headquarters in Hampden Township with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 11.
Hosted by the Girl Scouts and the West Shore Chamber of Commerce, the event brought out local business representatives, elected officials and volunteers, eager to explore the new building.
West Shore Chamber President and CEO George Book kicked off the event in the building’s Trindle Road parking lot, welcoming the crowd and introducing GSHPA President and CEO Janet Donovan.
“We are especially excited to welcome you here today on October 11, which is International Day of the Girl,” Donovan told the crowd. “This United Nations initiative honors, highlights and celebrates the contributions of girls around the world. It’s a perfect reminder as to why we are here today. It’s not just to celebrate a new building, but to celebrate our Girl Scouts! We know our girls will soon be the business leaders of tomorrow and leaders in our communities.”
GSHPA board chair Adrienne Vicari also spoke at the ribbon cutting, along with Jessica Meyers, CEO of JEM Group, the general contractor for the building project.
After the ribbon cutting, more than 100 guests mingled and networked, taking part in a scavenger hunt throughout the headquarters. They had the opportunity to check out many of the features of the new site, including the future space of the Girl Scout museum, podcast room, and retail store. Staff offices populate the first and second floor.
Book noted later in the evening that the event was the largest one the chamber helped to host in the past year. He said it was great to see faces in the crowd that he had not seen in years.
With three floors of space, GSHPA has plenty of room for troop activities and council events as well as running the day-to-day operations of the organization, which serves more than 18,000 members throughout a 30-county footprint in the state.
“Girl Scouts have proven their resiliency for more than 110 years,” Donovan said. “Our efforts today will ensure another 110 years of progress.”