By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor
Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road (GSKWR) announced that $800,000 has been raised toward the $2 million needed to complete the first phase of development of its 11-acre property in Erlanger.
Girl Scouts CEO Susan Douglas
At the campaign kick-off this week, the Girl Scouts cited leadership gifts from the R.C. Durr Foundation and St. Elizabeth Healthcare that set them on the path for the first phase of the ambitious project.
Campaign chair Jude Hehman of Furlong Builders presented the organization with a check for $50,000 to add to the total. Hehman is also mayor of Fort Mitchell.
The total $6 million ‘Challenge a Girl to Change Our World’ will transform the property into a well-designed and functional Leadership Center and includes camping and outdoor space and state of the art training facilities.
Phase One of the campaign includes a Leadership Center that will include a Command Center, Retail Center and Entrepreneurship Center.
The plan for the 11-acres
“We will create a safe space where girls can learn in a positive and inspiring mentorship environment, listen to their own inner-leader, and define who they want to be,” said Susan Douglas, CEO of Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road. “The Erlanger Leadership Campus will transform the Girl Scout experience in our 67-county service region and create the next generation of girls that will lead with courage, confidence and character.”
With population growth projected to increase more in Northern Kentucky than any other area of the state, the ‘Challenge A Girl to Change Our World’ campaign will create a state-of-the-art Leadership Campus, developed over three phases, that will provide the premier leadership experience for generations of girls.
And the reason: Here’s one, Girl Scout Jessica Belle
“I’ve been very fortunate to always have people around me who challenged me – and I want that for every Kentucky girl. Now more than ever, we need women in STEM careers and to fill the Northern Kentucky jobs pipeline,” said Jessica Fette, Mayor of Erlanger.
The ‘Challenge A Girl to Change Our World’ campaign will:
• Increase the number of Northern Kentucky girl members by 52,
• Create volunteer mentorship opportunities for positive engagement with girl members, and increase the number of volunteers by nearly 60% by 2024,
• Provide modern, accessible space for over 2,400 staff and volunteers to conduct training and planning sessions that are critical to supporting GSKWR programming and operations,
• Allow for additional Erlanger community engagement by providing access to space for events, team-building and corporate events once the Leadership Campus is complete,
• Through the Entrepreneurship Center, facilitate access to innovative experiences in leadership, STEM, and health and wellness for girls, as well as allow for cookie entrepreneurs to work as teams to accomplish goals and problem-solve, and
• Through the Retail Center, incentivize and motivate girls through the badge program to overcome obstacles and reach their goals.
For more details about the ‘Challenge A Girl to Change Our World’ campaign, or to contribute, visit https://www.gskentucky.org/changeourworld
For more information on how to volunteer or join the effort, go to https://www.gskentucky.org/en/for-volunteers/why-volunteer.html.
