Community Service Opportunities

Safety-Wise; Girl Scout Program Standard 5: Service - Service is inherent in the Promise and Law and is given without expectation of payment or reward.

“Imagine how good it will feel to know that your actions are making a difference in people’s lives. Your self-esteem will soar, and you’ll gain new confidence. Along the way, you’ll develop new talents and abilities -- leadership skills, organizational skills, public speaking skills, and more.” The Kids Guide to Service Projects, Barbara A. Lewis

Community service is a core value of Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas has a rich tradition of addressing community needs and empowering girls and young women to take action and make a difference. Members, volunteers, and alumni of all ages are encouraged to participate in service projects that will have a real impact on their communities. Girls can choose projects that reflect their own interests, large or small, and work as individuals or as a group. It is especially important for adult volunteers to coach girls on identifying local needs and guide them in reflecting on what they’re learning. This discover, connect, and take action process will ensure that girls develop leadership values and skills while reaching out to others. By continuing our long tradition of helping where needed, members can make the Girl Scout Mission -- Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place -- come to life in a visible way in our communities.

Each year, GSSWT selects and organizes several council-wide service opportunities. It is not intended for troops to participate in each pre-planned opportunity -- but instead, the girls and adults should work together to decide which opportunity(s) they feel most strongly about.

Girls can also adapt the pre-planned opportunities to benefit the community they live, play and work in. Members located in areas further from San Antonio may want to donate collected items to facilities and organizations that benefit their local communities.

Be Sure to Report Your Service!

A community service report form is located on most of the council-wide community service flyers; however, many times, girls prefer to forego the council opportunities and plan their own service projects. It's very important to report ALL service completed. The Community Service Report can be used to report any service, council-wide or on-your-own. Please take the time to complete the report so your community commitment is recognized.

Find out how to transform a service project into a service-LEARNING project, see Make Your Service a Service-LEARNING Experience.

Council-wide Community Service Calendar

Community Service Report

2009 Community Service Report

Every year we are truly amazed at what girls and volunteers of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas do for others. Between the council-sponsored service opportunities and the service projects troops completed on their own, more than 30,665 hours of service were provided to organizations and people in our communities in 2009. It’s validation that Girl Scouts CAN and DO change the world! Here’s a glance back at 2009…

Cookies for Heroes: 439 participants reported 1,136 hours

Cards for Charlie Company: 331 participants reported 340 hours

Any Baby Can: 50 participants reported 118 hours

Creatures Great and Small: 77 participants reported 170 hours

Meals on Wheels Mother’s Day Memories: 355 participants reported 584 hours

Memorial Day Flag Placement and Ceremony: 445 participants reported 1,064 hours

Founder’s Day Welcome Baskets: 229 participants reported 242 hours

Veteran’s Day Ceremony: 51 participants reported 133 hours

Thanksgiving Blessings: 3,583 participants reported 5,208 hours

SA Food Bank: 269 participants reported 324 hours

Christmas Under the Bridge: 118 participants reported 161 hours

Silver Lining: 130 participants reported 202 hours

On-Your-Own: 647 participants reported 1,203 hours

Girl Scouts selflessly gave
30,665 service hours in 2009.
There are 8,760 hours in a year.
The total hours spent on service
equal nearly 3.5 years.
Where would those in need be without Girl Scouts?

Council-Wide Service Opportunities

• House of Hope USA 
• DoD Military Dog Breeding Program
• Founder's Day Welcome Baskets

• Christmas Under the Bridge

• Thanksgiving Blessings

• Feed the People: San Antonio Food Bank

• Creatures Great and Small

• Any Baby Can

• Making Mother's & Father's Day Memories

• Cookies for Heroes (on-going)

• Silver Lining (Adopt-A-Nursing Home)

• Graffiti Community Volunteer Program
• Medina Children's Home Service Opportunity
• Ideas for Outdoor Community Service 
• More Community Service Ideas  

Teen Service Opportunities

Presidential Volunteer Service Award - 250 Hour Service Recognition

Show off your service! There are two levels and three categories of this award varying by age and hours of service completed within a 12-month period:

• Kids (14 and under): Bronze 50-74 hours; Silver 74-99 hours; and Gold 100+ hours
• Young Adults (15-25): Bronze 100-174 hours; Silver 175-249 hours; and Gold 250+ hours

These hours must be completed within a 12-month time period. All girls who earn the Gold level (Kids and Young Adults) will be honored at Celebrations, the council-sponsored award ceremony. For Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, the 12-month period for your service is from May 1, 2009-April 30, 2010. All other category certificates will be mailed. The community service can be with Girl Scouts, church, school, or any other community service projects that you are involved in. You must keep a log of all the hours you have volunteered, the person in charge needs to sign that you have completed these hours, and indicate where you have been volunteering. You may type or handwrite your hours. If you handwrite, it must be in pen and legible. Your logged hours need to be turned in not later than May 1, 2010. Volunteers make communities a brighter place to be! Please remember to put your first and last name, age, address, e-mail, phone number, service unit, troop number, and category you fall under with your hours.

In 2010, 87 girls provided almost 23,000 hours of service to the Southwest Texas community -- that's 7,000 more hours than 2009! Questions? Contact the Teen Program Manager (210.349.2404/1.800.580.7247). See the list of the 2010 recipients here!

Thank you for your service in our community!

Presidential Volunteer Service Award Hour Log

Other Service Ops

• None at this time, but check back often!