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Donate Today! Urban Campout from the heart of
For 114 years, Girl Scouts have been breaking barriers, climbing mountains, solving problems, helping others, launching their own cookie businesses, building lifelong friendships, and so much more. Your gift helps ensure the next generation of Girl Scouts across Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland’s 30 counties has the opportunity to build courage, confidence, and character through life-changing leadership experiences.
Thank you for your support!
Make your gift today by visiting gsoh.org/donate or by scanning the QR code.
Join us for our ninth annual signature fundraiser, Urban Campout, September 25, 2026, 7-10pm. Guests will enjoy live music from The Martini Affair, slingshot fun, delicious food by L.A. Catering, and a silent auction packed with unique and exciting baskets.
Early Bird (through September 1):
$100 per person | $175 per couple
Beginning September 2:
$120 per person | $200 per couple
All proceeds benefit Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland and help equip girls to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Buy your tickets and learn more by scanning the QR code.
For many women, Girl Scouts was an important part of their childhood. Whether they built friendships that have lasted a lifetime, learned skills that shaped their careers, or embarked on unforgettable adventures, Girl Scouts holds a special place in their hearts.
Some may have been a Girl Scout for only a year as a Brownie, while others remained involved through high school and earned their Gold Award. Others became
part of the Girl Scout movement as adult volunteers, helping girls discover their strengths and build confidence. Whether your involvement began as a girl member or an adult volunteer, the experience likely had a lasting impact on your life.
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Join our Alum Association
Connect with fellow alums through our private Facebook group, GSOHAlum.
Share your Girl Scout story
• If you are a Girl Scout alum, we would love to hear from you!
Learn more about Trefoil I, an independent 501c3 all-volunteer organization that supports Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland.
Mark your calendar for the tenth annual Alum Brunch on August 14, 2027.
Stay connected. Get involved. Help inspire and empower girls today.
To learn more visit: www.gsoh.org/alum
But what happens after graduation, when careers begin and life gets busy? We hope you stay connected because, as we like to say, “Once a Girl Scout, Always a Girl Scout!” With more than 50 million Girl Scout alums across the country, maintaining those connections can be both meaningful and powerful.
Here at Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, alums continue to make a difference in countless ways. They volunteer at programs, reconnect with fellow alums through events such as our annual Alum Brunch, provide financial support to ensure girls have access to life-changing experiences, and help care for our camps through volunteer service days.
This past April, 14 incredible Girl Scout alums joined us at Camp Ken-Jockety to prepare for the upcoming camp season. Volunteers assembled cook totes, deep-cleaned the Red Bud and Chestnut cabins, and helped ensure camp was ready to welcome girls for another summer of adventure. We are deeply grateful for the many alums who continue to invest their time, talents, and resources to support the next generation of Girl Scouts.
Sahithi is an Ambassador Girl Scout and a 2026 high school graduate who earned her Gold Award for a project focused on improving heart health awareness and education.
Inspired by research showing increased risks of heart disease and heart-related deaths following the COVID-19 pandemic, Sahithi recognized a need for greater public understanding of cardiovascular health, including risk factors, warning signs, and lifesaving interventions.
In partnership with a nonprofit founded by her family, Sahithi established the Ohio Cardiac Collective to educate community members about heart health and provide resources such as CPR training. Through presentations, hands-on workshops, and digital content, she reached audiences of all ages in her local community and beyond, helping to build a healthier and safer future.
Sahithi plans to pursue a career in medicine and aspires to become a physician. In addition to earning the Gold Award, she served as a Girl Member on the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Board of Directors, demonstrating her commitment to leadership and service.
Congratulations, Sahithi, on earning the Girl Scout Gold Award and making a lasting impact in your community!
Gold Award Girl Scout Spotlight
Meet Sahithi
Social Media Sound Bites
Girl Scout Cookies don’t just taste good, they do good! Through Operation Salute, girls and community members donated 57,584 packages of Girl Scout Cookies to military members, veterans, and their families this year.
Girl Scout Violet from Troop 5174 is getting her garden started through the Girl Scouts Grow program, sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation.
Making the world a better place, one tree a time as part of the Girl Scout Tree Promise. With the help of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Girl Scouts in Ohio planted 250,000 trees.
What do you get when you mix magic, memories, and the mall? An unforgettable night for Girl Scouts! More than 1,500 attendees took over Polaris Fashion Place for an overnight filled with laughter, music, and fun.
Donor Highlight
Amy and Dave Franko
When we talk about giving your time, talent, and treasure to causes you care about, Amy and Dave Franko exemplify what that means. For more than 15 years, they have been dedicated partners of Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, making a lasting difference for girls across our community.
Amy served on the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Board of Directors from 2016 to 2024, providing exceptional leadership in a variety of roles. She served as Board Development Chair from 2014 to 2018, Board Chair from 2019 to 2023, and was a Cabinet Co-Chair for the Dream Big Campaign, helping bring the STEM Leadership Center to life. Amy and Dave also personally invested in the campaign, helping make this transformational project a reality for future generations of girls.
Together, Amy and Dave have supported numerous initiatives, including sponsoring Urban Campout, our signature fundraising event, and demonstrating their long-term commitment through a planned legacy gift.
Beyond her financial support and volunteer leadership, Amy has generously shared her professional expertise by mentoring and coaching Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland staff.
Amy and Dave consistently show up in meaningful ways. Most recently, they became the first donors to establish a Donor Named Fund at Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland: The David and Amy Franko Bright Futures Fund. The fund will provide membership support and camperships, helping ensure that every girl has the opportunity to participate in Girl Scouts and experience the life-changing benefits of camp.
Donor Named Funds represent a multi-year commitment to investing in girls and can support membership, camperships, programs, properties, or other priorities that strengthen the Girl Scout experience.
Thank you, Amy and Dave, for your extraordinary generosity, leadership, and unwavering commitment to girls. Your investment is helping create brighter futures for generations to come.
To learn more about establishing a Donor Named Fund, please contact give@gsoh.org.
2026 Circle of Impact Award:
This year, we were proud to present the 2026 Circle of Impact Award to two remarkable individuals who, together, have made an extraordinary and lasting impact on Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, particularly in Shelby, Ohio, and at Camp Crooked Lane: Tak and Casey. These lifetime Girl Scouts who have dedicated decades to ensuring girls in their community have access to meaningful, transformative experiences.
2026 Corporate Circle of Impact Award:
At the 2026 State of the Girl, we recognized Battelle with the Corporate Circle of Impact Award. For more than 30 years, Battelle has been a powerful partner to Girl Scouts, opening doors and expanding opportunities for girls across our council. They have played a pivotal role in helping us launch our Maple Syrup program, provide science kits to troops, develop a Wetlands Exploration program, and led the way for our Dream Big Initiative, helping make our STEM and Leadership Center a reality.
Camp In Session
At Girl Scouts, camp is more than a summer activity, it’s where girls discover new passions, build confidence, make lifelong friends, and create memories that last a lifetime.
This summer, Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland welcomed more than 2,300 girls to camp experiences across our 30-county service area. Whether exploring the outdoors, diving into STEM, or spending a week away at overnight camp, girls embraced adventure, challenged themselves, and had plenty of fun along the way.
Day Camp: Out of This World
This year’s Day Camp theme, Out of This World, inspired more than 1,600 girls to grab their gear and blast off on exciting summer adventures. Hosted at 24 locations throughout our council, Day Camp offered girls opportunities to explore nature, play games, sing songs, cook over a campfire, and make new friends.
Filled with sunshine, laughter, and discovery, each day encouraged girls to try new things, build confidence, and experience the joy of the outdoors.
STEM Camps: Learning Through Exploration
With the opening of our AEP Foundation STEM Leadership Center, Girl Scouts expanded STEM camp offerings, providing immersive weeklong experiences for girls eager to explore science, technology, engineering, and math.
Girls participated in a wide variety of camp experiences, including:
Flashlights and Fairytales (Grades K–3): Girls discovered the magic of camp through imagination and adventure, building fairy houses, swimming like mermaids, and exploring an enchanted forest.
Wonder Women (Grades 4–5): Campers got in touch with their inner superheroes while canoeing, doing archery, and learning wilderness survival skills.
Golden Girls (Grades 6–11): Older girls enjoyed gardening, baking, puzzles, tea parties, bingo, and spending time with friends while creating lasting memories.
From campfires and canoe paddles to robots and telescopes, this summer’s camp experiences helped girls develop new skills, discover their strengths, and step outside their comfort zones. Most importantly, camp provided a place where girls could be themselves, build meaningful friendships, and experience the adventure that makes Girl Scouting so special. Because at Girl Scouts, camp life really is the best life.
Thanks to the generosity of the many donors who support Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland camp experiences, we were able to make a lasting impact this year:
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Outstanding Small Corporation: CK Constructionn Group
Outstanding Professional Fundraiser: Deirdre DeWesse
• The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Central Ohio Chapter honored several Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland partners at their 2025 National Philanthropy Day:
CGPCO Leave a Legacy Award: Dr. Ann E. Teske and Dr. Doug Teske
Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy: Girl Scout Sara Kellenberg
• • • Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland was proud to pin three members of the Juliette Gordon Low Society Planned Giving Society at the 2025 Annual Meeting: Juliette Gordon Low Society: Kate Logsdon Anne Schmitz Teri Varney
Throughout six STEM camp sessions, 120 girls participated in hands-on projects that brought learning to life. Experiences included:
Dreamhouse Design: Girls designed and built elements of a dream home for their favorite toys, exploring concepts in engineering, design, and creativity.
Room Makeover: Campers created a working lamp and bedroom doorbell while learning about circuits, electricity, and problem-solving.
Microscopes to Telescopes: Girls programmed robots, extracted DNA from a banana, and explored the night sky through stargazing, gaining exposure to biology, technology, and astronomy.
In addition to hands-on learning, girls met professionals working in STEM fields, helping them connect their camp experiences to future educational and career opportunities. These camps sparked curiosity, encouraged creativity, and inspired girls to imagine themselves as the innovators, leaders, and problem-solvers of tomorrow.
Camperships: More than 170 girls received campership assistance, ensuring that financial barriers did not prevent them from experiencing the adventure, friendship, and personal growth that camp provides.
Pool Renovation at Camp Ken-Jockety: Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, the pool at Camp Ken-Jockety underwent important renovations. These critical repairs will help keep the pool leak-free, conserve water, and ensure campers can continue swimming, splashing, and making memories for years to come.
Crooked Lane Shower House and Multipurpose Facility: Thanks to the generosity of two donors, we completed the new Shower House and multipurpose facility at Crooked Lane. The building features four full bathrooms with showers, as well as a multipurpose room and full kitchen that will support camp programs and enhance the experience for campers and volunteers alike.
Camp Molly Lauman Cabin Improvements: Thanks to donor support, the Woodlands Cabin received a much-needed refresh, including new flooring, beds, and ceiling fans. These upgrades provide a more comfortable and welcoming space for campers, helping ensure a positive camp experience for years to come.