Traveling around the world, earning Highest Awards, and having fun at community events were just some of the highlights from troops this month. Check out these Mission Moments.
Lycoming County troop makes lifelong memories
For the past six years, members of Troop 60037 have been working hard to save money for the trip of a lifetime. The girls—and their moms, grandmas, and friends—traveled to Costa Rica this summer.
The troop participated in community service and entrepreneurship opportunities to raise funds, including working a stand at a local fall festival, creating a wreath-making business, selling Cookies, and more. They made blankets and pillowcases to donate to children in foster care, and they helped run a dance for adults with special needs in Williamsport.
During their weeklong trip in Costa Rica, the group visited a coffee plantation, an oxcart factory, a butterfly garden, topiary gardens, and a metal church. They also visited a sloth park, experienced hot springs, completed a hanging bridges rainforest hike, toured San Jose, attended an indigenous pottery demonstration, and learned how they use the pottery to sustain the village.
Additionally, they learned about various plants and animals native to Costa Rica, took a crocodile safari, and spent three days on the Nicoya Peninsula, which is one of the five Blue Zones in the world. They also swam in the Pacific Ocean, a first for most of the group. The best part of the trip was the eternal friendships and memories they made together.
Franklin County troop embarks on European vacation
Troop 80978 also took a trip of a lifetime this summer when they visited Europe. They traveled to Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and France. The girls went to Our Chalet and participated in a pinning ceremony. While the trip provided unforgettable opportunities to explore new places, the girls loved Switzerland the most. They made countless memories and were particularly moved by their visit to Dachau concentration camp in Germany.
Camping fun for Lackawanna County girls
Luna E. and Abby V. enjoyed a weekend camping trip to Camp Archbald earlier this summer. Both members of Troop 58930, the girls loved participating in the activities at the second-oldest Girl Scout camp in the country.
Earning Bronze in Dauphin County
Troop 11102 completed their Bronze Award in July. As a troop they decided they wanted to beautify Camp Catherine in Hershey where they host their meetings and special events. For the project they completed several service projects at the camp, including spreading mulch, painting outdoor score boards, adding solar lights to outdoor games, and more. They also wanted to create garden spaces that would help pollinators continue to thrive at camp. They put in a lot of work and had a lot of fun making the community camp a beautiful place for many people for years to come.
Lackawanna County troop explores the water
Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes from Troop 50070 spent the day at the Abington Regional Wastewater Authority, along with South Abington Park, to earn the WOW Journey badge, the Water Everywhere badge, and Leader in Action awards. They toured the wastewater authority with Lauren, the director of the center. Lauren explained the different parts of the wastewater authority and the process of cleaning the water. They finished the day at South Abington Park where the Cadettes planned activities for the rest of the requirements of the badges. They all had a great time learning more about water and having fun at the park.
York County troop earns Bronze Award
For their Bronze Award project, Girl Scout Juniors Troop 20365 created Kota Bear Kare Packages to help children battling cancer. The girls donated 1,505 items that will be gifted to 112 pediatric cancer patients at Penn State Children’s Hospital. The project was inspired by 7-year-old Dakota “Kota Bear” Dixon, who passed away from cancer in May of 2024. The girls created a video to encourage others to make Kota Bear Kare Packages and keep Dakota’s memory alive. View the video here.
Searching for fossils in Schuylkill County
Troop 32840 visited Swatara State Park with park ranger Quinn to discover the park’s fossil pit and learn about how fossils came to be in our area, how they are made, and what kinds can be found. The girls loved learning about fossils and digging to find their own!
Giving back to furry friends in Dauphin County
Brownies in Troop 10840 completed their Pets badge over the summer. The Girl Scouts learned how to care for pets and showed the younger Daisies in the troop how to care for cats and dogs. To satisfy the badge requirements, they made homemade cat toys and cat beds that were donated to a local cat rescue in the area, the Loving Care Cat Rescue. They had a lot of fun and were excited for the cats to enjoy the items they made. Sounds like a purr-fect troop activity!
Embracing America’s pastime in Lackawanna County
Girls from our council enjoyed Girl Scout Night at the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in Lackawanna County. Staff manned a table of swaps and Girl Scout swag, and both current and prospective Girl Scouts made friendship bracelets. Even Champ, the team mascot, got in on the action, as this event truly hit it out of the park!
Submit a Mission Moment today so we can showcase your Girl Scouts’ recent experiences and accomplishments next month! Visit our Mission Moment Recap webpage on the GSHPA Blog to see more Mission Moments from previous months.
*All Mission Moment information is submitted by volunteers/members. Should you have any questions regarding a submission, please email cmolitoris@gshpa.org.