Are you interested in joining The Junior League of Columbia (JLC) but unsure of what a member project looks like?  Below is a summary of the fun our new members are having and the impact they are making.

Overview of the new member project

Each month the Girl Scouts of South Carolina- Mountains to Midlands (GSSCMM) host different troops from around the state for a two-day event focused on a different theme. Some examples of the themes are “Go Green”, “Space”, “Birthday Celebration”, “Detective”, “STEM” (science, technology, engineering, and math), and “Outdoor Artist”. The JLC new members work with Rebecca Sgroi, STEM and Leadership Center Program Manager, to plan interactive, educational activities, like building robots. Then, the JLC new members run the activities on specific Sunday mornings. The Girl Scouts are split up into different groups to participate in the activities. During this time, JLC new members help the Girl Scouts learn new skills and develop problem solving skills. The JLC new members also help show the Girl Scouts about giving back to the community, as well as serve as mentors, role models, and examples of upstanding members of the community.

“Girl Scouts Go Green” September 11, 2022, led by Aftan Ray and Bridget Peoples

“Our theme for the group project was “Go Green”. The activities we did with the girls was making dream catchers and going on a small hike outside on a small trail with a leaf-rubbing activity.  I love that we do this project every year with the Girl Scouts because they love having us there and look forward to us coming to work with them. It’s an experience that all the ladies should do and I hope there is a way that we could have more Girl Scout’s to come and enjoy the experience also.”

“Space” October 2, 2022, led by Jessie McNevin and Mary Beth O’Cain

“Our project was space themed! We helped the girls make space slime, UFO’s, and balloon rockets. Everyone had so much fun! I think slime was the biggest hit of the morning. Lots of different glitters, and colors, and the Girl Scouts helped each other.  JLC new members did awesome helping lead the girls!  Special shoutout to new members Sharell Simmons and Kayla Prevatte for being leaders from the pink hearts! “

“Birthday Celebration” October 30, 2022, led by Savannah Jones and Lauren Nelson

“Our project was the JGL’s birthday celebration.  JGL is Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts of the USA.  When we arrived, we first helped the girls with a STEM Challenge. The girls crafted their own catapults and tried to see if they could send the pom pom into the cup across the table. So many girls were successful and it was amazing to see the excitement in their faces when they started building to catapult the pom pom into the cup!  Next, we went into the art studio where we helped the girls create their own “sit-upon” (a homemade padded seat cushion used for their hikes or camping trips). This was a ziplock bag, paper, and many different colors of duct tape. All of the girls have such incredible talents, creating designs with all of the different colored duct tapes!  Lastly, we went back into the STEM Lab, where there were four crafts. An example of one of the crafts was the girls cut out plastic into the shape of a trefoil. Next, they hole punched a hole at the top and placed on cookie tray where they then went and put the cutout into toaster oven for 1-3 minutes. Once they were able to take the cutout from the toaster over and cook, they added a safety pin to the top and added tag to make it their own! 

Stay tuned for our three remaining new member projects with the Girl Scouts!