Girl Scouts of
Birch Trails Council
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Council Spotlight
Girl Scouts of Birch Trails Council
The Girl Scouts of Birch Trails Council serves 3,922 girls and 1,056 adult members in north central Wisconsin. The council includes the counties of Forest, Lincoln, Langlade, Marathon, Oneida, Vilas, eastern Clark, eastern Iron, eastern Taylor, northwest Shawano and southeastern Price. Our headquarters is located in Schofield. With a population of nearly 85,000; the Wausau metropolitan area (Wausau, Schofield, Rothschild, Weston, Kronenwetter and Rib Mountain) is the largest in our council service area. Girls in the Birch Trails Council represent many different races and all income levels. Girl Scouting, whether in a traditional troop or an outreach program setting, allows girls to be part of a group that is built upon acceptance. It provides an environment different from many other activities/opportunities which are more competitive and require specific skills for participation. Girls Scouts helps girls from all backgrounds develop to their fullest potential, relate to others, develop values, and contribute to society. The Birch Trails Council currently ranks No. 30 out of 312 Girl Scout Councils in the country; we serve 16.9 percent of the available girls in our jurisdiction. |
Traditional Girl Scout troops help girls discover their personal best and take action to solve problems and improve their communities. Girls earn badges/awards; perform community service, travel and much more! One great example of a Girl Scout in action can be seen in Anne B.’s Silver Award project. It consisted of collecting hats, mittens, scarves and donations to sew and tie lap blankets for care packages going to cancer patients receiving treatment at Marshfield Clinic-Weston Center. Anne made 26 “Comfort Care Packs” which included 1 lap blanket, 1 water bottle, 2 snack bags, 1 care kit and 1 emergency stress relief kit. The Oncology Unit received 25 of the Comfort Care Packs. Anne also purchased extra water, snacks and made and donated an additional 24 Emergency Stress Relief Kits. Mittens, hats and scarves were separated into boxes to be distributed to patients receiving chemotherapy because the treatment causes sensitivity to cold. Anne chose this project because her grandmother had cancer and received chemotherapy. Anne’s project brought comfort to many patients; they expressed how wonderful it was that someone did this for them. One of the recipient’s of Anne’s Comfort Care Pack spoke at the Marathon County United Way Breakfast of Champions regarding the positive impact of her project!
Our outreach programs extend to girls in elementary, middle and high school as well as juvenile dentition centers. Studio 2B our outreach program for girls age 11-17. It began in the fall of 2004 with three Wausau area middle schools-John Muir, Horace Mann and DC Everest. It has now expanded to include girls in Antigo, Medford, Marathon and Rhinelander communities. One of the girls in our Medford program, Brittany W., received a unique scholarship opportunity from the Girl Scouts of the USA and the United States Department of Education. This allowed Brittany to attend Design & Discovery in Portland, Oregon. She was able to explore the world of design and engineering in the heart of the Silicon Forest. This event included behind-the-scenes tours of design firms and high tech companies, hands-on engineering activities, design challenges and the creation of an invention.
Rise & Shine is our longest running outreach program. Last year we served 1,561 girls in grades K-5 who face economic or transportation barriers to traditional troop participation. Rise & Shine is provided through an in-school delivery system. Girls have easy access to weekly programs giving them the opportunity to learn about new subjects while connecting with other girls and taking part in community service projects. We currently serve twelve schools in the Wausau and D.C. Everest school districts. Rise & Shine programs for elementary schools in Colby, Lac du Flambeau, Medford, Stetsonville, Merrill-Trinity Lutheran and Rhinelander are also provided. Our New Visions program reaches out to girls housed in the Marathon County juvenile detention center and its connected shelter. These girls are incarcerated for a variety of reasons including running away, truancy, violent behavior and substance abuse. Small group sessions offer girls interactive Girl Scout activities, an avenue to discuss issues of concern and the opportunity for mentoring. Participation is mandatory for girls housed at the secure facility, but not for those in the attached non-secure shelter home. Of the number of girls housed in both facilities, 99% chose to attend our program.
In the summer of 2002, two of the realigning councils, the Girl Scouts of Birch Trails Council and the Girl Scouts of Fox River Council, formed a unique alliance to offer day and resident camp opportunities at Camp Birch Trails in Irma WI. This alliance allows both councils the opportunity to bring enhanced camping experiences to their membership through quality, affordable, fun and safe programs for girls. In 2006, a total of 537 girls attended resident camp at Camp Birch Trails.
Our Camp Birch Trails property in Irma, WI features the Jessica Lynn Graebel Memorial Lodge dedicated in October 2005. The lodge includes a large front room with a beautiful stone fireplace for girl programs and activities, a large kitchen area and two bunk rooms that sleep 24 girls. The lodge remains open all winter. In addition to winter camping, the lodge and Camp Birch Trails is used for many troop, service unit and group events. Since the lodge’s opening, the Winter Jamboree, Cookie Kickoff, bridging ceremonies and many other council-wide events and camps have been held there.
Our Camp Del O’Claire property in Weston, WI features a unique on-site Nature Center. This center has been utilized by troops, girls attending camp and by other youth serving non-profit agencies. Most recently the council created mobile nature kits through a Wisconsin Environmental Education Grant. By preparing mobile nature center kits, troop leaders can now provide their girls with programs at the nature center or in their own community. There is a full curriculum for each kit, partially created through the expertise of an AmeriCorp Service Member with a degree in Environmental Studies. Three mobile nature center kits (two copies of each kit) are in circulation. In August of 2006, the Girl Scouts of Birch Trails Council mobile nature kit project was nominated for and received the Educational Equity Project Award from the American Association of University Women!
Accepting the real needs of girls today allows us to give them a better tomorrow—innovative events and outreach programs; girls contributing to their communities and building skills through Destinations and Bronze, Silver and Gold awards; outcomes that benefit girls; leaders who give their time and talent to girls who need them and donors who give Girl Scouting needed financial support make a better tomorrow possible for every girl! We know that as we continue to move forward with the Girl Scouts of the USA’s new core strategy, taking Girl Scouting to its next 95 years of success, that what we do matters in many ways. We look forward to the next stages of realignment with our fellow councils to best serve girls in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula!
Other Council Spotlights
Click on the council name to view highlights!Girl Scouts of Birch Trails Council
Girl Scouts of the Fox River Area
Girl Scouts of Indian Waters
Girl Scouts of LacBaie Council
Girl Scouts of Peninsula Waters
Girl Scouts of Woodland Council