Spring Connections 2026

Spring 2025

Connections

News for Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council supporters

“The adventure course was the best thing I did this year because every girl had an amazing time. We worked together, cheered each other on, and kept going — even when it was hard. It made me proud of what we can accomplish together.” – Cadette Girl Scout

CampHER Capital Campaign Building the Future of Girl Scout Camping

Outdoor adventures have always been at the heart of Girl Scouting, where girls discover courage, confidence, and character as they explore nature and build lifelong friendships.

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of supporters like you, our $14.3 million CampHER Capital Campaign is transforming our camps so Girl Scouts can continue to experience the magic of outdoor leadership in modern, inspiring, and safe spaces. Your commitment has created a lasting legacy!

Your Impact Across Our Camps

Exciting improvements are underway across our beloved camp properties:

• Casa Mare: New dorms are under construction to replace Port and Starboard, improving accessibility and camper comfort.

• Camp Agnes Arnold, Silver Springs, and Misty Meadows Ranch: Renovations to the Craft House are progressing and new restrooms at Silver Springs are completed and ready to use. Beginning fall 2026, we’ll launch major upgrades to cabins, platform tents, kitchen shelters, and key program/activity spaces.

• Camp Robinwood: Three major structures — Lakeview dorm, a new troop cabin, and a staff house — are renovated and open for use. Lodge renovations will begin this spring, elevating gathering spaces that girls and volunteers love.

The Lasting Power of Your Investment

Your support ensures Girl Scouts can continue to deliver outstanding outdoor programming. These upgrades will:

• Modernize facilities to enhance the camper experience.

• Expand access to outdoor experiences by 22 percent, welcoming more girls to explore and thrive.

• Create more spaces for sisterhood and belonging.

• Deepen girls’ confidence, leadership, and social emotional skills.

This campaign is more than construction: it’s an investment in girl leadership.

Thank You for Building the Future With Us

Every upgraded cabin and every new gathering space represents your belief in girls and their potential. Because of you, thousands of Girl Scouts will have the safe and inspiring places they deserve to explore, grow, and lead. We can’t wait to welcome girls and volunteers into these new spaces and see the adventures, friendships, and transformations your generosity makes possible.

If you have questions about the CampHER Capital Campaign, we’d love to talk. Contact us anytime at donate@sjgs.org.

Mardi Gras magic took over our Just Desserts event on Feb. 4, where seven local chefs turned iconic Girl Scout cookies into Carnival-themed creations. Guests sampled playful twists on Thin Mints, Caramel deLites®, Peanut Butter Patties®, Adventurefuls®, and Trefoils® — each more stunning than the last.

A star-studded panel of judges featuring media personalities from ABC13, KPRC, Houstonia Magazine, Houston Public Media, Cruz Through HTX, FOX26, CW39, and Dining Out tasted their way through the delights to crown the night’s winners:

• Most Creative Recipe: Phoenicia Specialty Foods

• Best Desserts Presentation: HTX Nitro

• Best Chocolate Lovers: GUD Sugar

• Celebrity Judges’ Favorite: Cake Fine Pastry

• Girl Scout Judges’ Favorite: The Cheesecake Queen

• Best Just Desserts Rookie: Rise Souffle

• People Choice Award: House of Sweets and Treats

Just Desserts: Cookie Magic Meets Mardis Gras!

Judges, chefs, and their Girl Scout partners celebrate their awards.

Just Desserts is GSSJC’s way of celebrating those who support the Girl Scout mission and its cookie program — the world’s largest girl-led business. Every box sold builds confidence, sparks curiosity, and unboxes the future.

From the initial dazzling presentation to the final Caramel deLite, each dessert embodied something beyond the recipe itself. Each creation was a tribute to the resilience, determination, and shared spirit of our Girl Scouts.

Taking the Road Less Traveled

How Girl Scouting helped shape a leadership journey

Lynn Elsenhans’s name in Texas and the energy industry is well-regarded; she has been chair, president and CEO of Sunoco, Inc., and spent 28 years with Royal Dutch Shell, where she held senior roles that included executive vice president of global manufacturing.

Her career reflects a willingness to take the road less traveled. At Shell, she pursued engineering and manager roles at the company’s plant in Deer Park, Texas — not common for women at the time. She became the first woman to lead a group in Asia Pacific, the first Shell expat to live in Singapore, and the first Shell businesswoman operating in Saudi Arabia.

Girl Scout alumna Lynn Elsenhans became a global leader in the energy industry.

Elsenhans arrived in Houston in 1961 at the age of 5. Theirs was the first family on the street, and she was the only girl, so her mom encouraged her to join Girl Scouts to connect with a broader set of friends in the community.

“At Camp Agnes Arnold, I enjoyed campfires, making s’mores, canoeing and,” Elsenhans laughs, “mastering how to wash camping dishes.” She rode horses at the former Peach Creek Ranch and sailed at Casa Mare. “I recognize that I was risk-averse, and camp helped me to overcome my fears.”

Elsenhans attributes the program’s structure around character development with shaping her thinking from an early age. “The Girl Scouts emphasize courage, confidence, and character. You need the courage and resiliency to try things, which in turn grows your confidence, and that confidence strengthens your character,” Elsenhans says. “But you learn those things experientially – not in a book! And that is what Girl Scouts offers.”

Elsenhans encourages girls to find their voice and identify how they want to show up in the world. “Don’t take the path of least resistance. Take the path that offers you the most options. There are very few jobs women can’t do, so go for it.”

Thank You, Donors!

$500,000+ Gold

The J. E. and L. E. Mabee Foundation, Inc.

Dee Methvin

Valerie Mogas

Sarofim Foundation

$100,000-$499,999 –

Silver

Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation

Ellen R. DeSanctis

Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation

$50,000-$99,999 –Bronze

The Marie M. and James H. Galloway Foundation

Sempra Infrastructure

The Vivian L. Smith Foundation

$25,000-$49,999 –Ambassador

Amegy Bank of Texas

MD Anderson Foundation

Anonymous

Jane Gasdaska

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo

Bette B. Lehmberg

Valero Port Arthur Refinery

$10,000-$24,999 –

Senior ABB

Michael G. Brown

Linda and Willie Chiang

Gena Drawhorn

Martha Gurwit and David Snyder

John P. McGovern Foundation

McKinsey and Company

Anne E. Neeson

Michelle and Joseph Raab

Mary K. Ryder

Deborah L. Spunger

Kathy M. Tamer

Cathy Wining-Thomas and Jim Thomas

$5,000-$9,999 – Cadette

Marilyn Archer

Giovanna C. Carter

Mary Louise Dobson Foundation

Dan L. Duncan Foundation

Elaine Engel

Karen M. Matlock

Nancy Lee G. Peterson

Stephen M. Seay Foundation

Strake Foundation

Texas Children’s Hospital

Mamie McFaddin Ward Heritage Foundation

Marguerite WoungChapman

$1,000-$4,999 – Junior Altus Group Ltd Ameriprise Financial

Theresa M. Benson

Connie Chavez

Rhonda L. Cobb

Deloitte

Shelly and Edward deZevallos

Eleanor Doar

Connie and Dean Eicher

Genevieve Erdbruegger

Holly Gardner

Mary Jo J. Godinich, M.D.

Lynn Kamin Gremillion

Richard Hill

Lisa Ann Hofmann

Linda K. Jones

Sandy A. Judson

Sue Kean

Ana and Will Kopf

Diane Likeness

Courage in Action

Danielle C. and her family were settling in for the night on Dec. 8 when the 8-year-old suddenly started yelling, “Fire, fire, fire!”

The Girl Scout Brownie was leaving the bathroom when she walked by the kitchen and saw a flicker of light near the refrigerator and smelled smoke. “I thought it was a (night) light, but it wasn’t. It was fire,” Danielle said. Her Girl Scout training immediately kicked in.

Great care has been taken to ensure the proper recognition of our donors. If an error or omission does occur, we apologize and hope you will bring it to our attention.

Email Suzanne Carmona at scarmona@sjgs.org. Contributions made Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2025.

Adriana Loyo Solemsaas

Marty Lundstrom

Lydick Family Foundation

Angela Matula

Elena and Scott McCreery

Amanda McMillian

Cassandra McZeal

Cydnee Merriweather

Suleima Mohamed Cepeda

Audrey Ogawa Johnson

Teresa and Daniel Peneguy

Michelle Phillips

Anne Reed

Reliant, an NRG Company

Steven G. Roshon

Charitable Foundation

Maggie Sheridan

Victoria Smith

Esther and Don Spencer

Susan Thraen

Amanda van Adrichem

Mary and Mike Vitek

$250-$999 – Brownie

Barbara and Bill Barnes

John Baumhardt

Janet M. Becker

Marj D. Bernhardt

Devina Bhojwani

Anne V. Blount

Robin Brown

Katherine Buckwalter

Jennifer Bunch

Rachael Cahan

Jacquelyn Campbell

Larry Carreker

Magna R. Cayll

Donna F. Cole

ConocoPhillips Company

Brigitte A. Crofoot

Catherine Dauterive

Philana Diaz

Rudy T. and M. Susanne

Dismuke Charitable Fund

Ellen Elam

Elevance Health

Kathy Elliott

Despite the scary situation, Danielle stayed focused. “My heart was beating fast. I was worried the house would burn down,” she said. Danielle kept yelling until her mother Sharon came to check. “Everything happened so fast, but everybody was thinking quickly,” Sharon said.

Danielle and her troopmates in Troop 22266 recently learned about fire safety and earned their safety pins for this achievement. That training likely helped Danielle react calmly and swiftly to prevent a potentially dangerous situation for her family.

Elizabeth Elmore

EOG Resources, Inc.

Anne Caroline Fant

Nancy C. Flatt

Andrea French

Lyn Fu

Deanna Garbaldi

Michele L. Gibbons

Elva C. Godwin

Marybeth Goundry

Miranda Grummons

Thera Guin

Becky Gunderson

Janet M. Heppard

Teresa Hill

Evelyn Holm

IBM Corporation

Thomas I. Jackson

Melinda Jackson

Jane D. Jones

Jennifer Juarez

Joyce I. Kamla

Karyn Kramer

David Kreidler & Kenneth Wiesehuegel Charitable Fund

The Kroger Company

Suzanne and David Krusleski

Katherine P. Lavery

Colleen Linder

L and J Linderman

Lauren G. Lindsay

Donna Marshall

Janet McMasters

Holly Minter

April and Jason Moncrieff

Sheila Morales

Cassandra Mott

Sarah Norton

Linda Peterson

Will Pomerantz

Robin and Robert Rice

Filip Schittecatte

Helene R. Sheena, M.D., FAAP

Susan M. Shirley-Menzel

Vanessa Skrabanek

Amanda Smith

Skyla Speer

Fiona Stephan

Krista Taylor

Eboni Taylor Mallett

Sarah and Cliff Trend

Tamika Tyson

United Way of Greater Atlanta

United Way of Midland County

Rachel Verm

Danielle Ward

Kimberly A. Wilson

Tedd and Genevieve

Winter Family

Melinda Yee

Richard Zembek

Memorials

In Memory of

Marlene Edwards

Patricia Adams

Susan M. Shirley-Menzel

Tamara S. Swinbank

Sharon W. Timmons

In Memory of

Paula G. Lott

Howard Yorek

In Memory of

Stacy Methvin

Eleanor Doar

The Marie M. and James H. Galloway Foundation

Dee Methvin

In Memory of Karen Soh

David Kreidler & Kenneth Wiesehuegel

Honorariums

In Honor of George Ann Barrett

Karen P. Saenz

In Honor of Stephanie Bazile

Martin Biernat

In Honor of Ana Blackmon

Patrick Foye

In Honor of Camp Robinwood Staff 1978

Janet McMasters

In Honor of Ann Deaton

Janet Pozmantier

In Honor of Ellen DeSanctis

Linda and Willie Chiang

In Honor of Zemira L. Henix

Trudie Abner

In Honor of Betsy Kamin

Lynn Kamin Gremillion

Patty and Mike Tilton

In Honor of Courtney Hill Khorrami

Richard Hill

In Honor of Katrina Marie Knox

Paul Knox

In Honor of Caroline R. Matlock

Karen M. Matlock

In Honor of Elizabeth Payson

Robert M. Taylor

In Honor of Susan G. Riggs

Laura Coughlin

In Honor of

Dorothy M. Shoaf

Carolyn Shadwick

In Honor of

Sarah Thompson

Marty Lundstrom

In Honor of Troop 447

Sandra Wilson

Holiday Cheer in Action

The Women’s Leadership Network met at Maggiano’s Little Italy on Dec. 4 to celebrate another wonderful year at Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. Guests arrived with generous donations of socks, backpacks, and nonperishable food items to help make the holidays a little brighter for girls in our Girl Scout Outreach programs.

These programs target communities historically underserved by traditional Girl Scout programs. They are staff-led and provide girls living in low-tomoderate income neighborhoods an opportunity to participate in Girl Scouting.

The holiday social was filled with fun, connection, and a festive spirit. Thank you to the WLN for its ongoing support in making the Girl Scout experience possible for more than 40,000 girls. Email Diane Likeness at dlikeness@sjgs.org for information on WLN.

3110 Southwest Freeway

Houston, TX 77098-4508

gssjc.org

Your gift opens doors! gssjc.org/donate

EOG Resources Presents Brownie Magic

Thanks to the generous support of EOG Resources, our council was thrilled to offer three Brownie Magic events in the fall to more than 400 girls across our community. Brownie Magic introduces Brownie Girl Scouts to camp traditions and immerses them in hands-on STEM exploration and healthy-living activities.

This year, more than 70 older Girl Scouts volunteered to lead activities and serve as inspiring role models for the younger girls, many of whom were experiencing camp for the first time. Throughout each event, participants enjoyed classic Girl Scout experiences that included hiking, knot-tying, and creating SWAPS (Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere) to share with new friends.

Girls also dove into exciting STEM projects. They used baking soda and vinegar to create carbon dioxide and inflate balloons and built their own mini terrariums. And as a special highlight, the Green Starlettes performed and hosted a lively dance clinic that had everyone moving!

Thank you, EOG Resources, for empowering girls through leadership development programs that spark curiosity, build critical thinking skills, and strengthen confidence. Your investment ensures girls across our community can explore, grow, and shine.