Girl Scouts Beyond Bars To Celebrate 20 Years Of Service With Keynote Address By Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (Photo) - 10/23/18
PORTLAND, Ore. – October 23, 2018 – On November 1, 2018, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington will celebrate 20 years of their Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB) program. GSBB serves girls whose mothers or grandmothers are incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility located in Wilsonville, Oregon. The keynote address for the milestone occasion will be delivered by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum was instrumental in introducing the GSBB program—first established in Baltimore, Maryland in 1992—to Oregon in 1997.
“When we started GSBB in Oregon, we never could have imagined we would have served hundreds of Oregon girls for over 20 years! Giving these at-risk girls their own troop and a chance to bond with each other and with their incarcerated moms helps give them an opportunity to look to the future and improve their chances for a better life going forward,” says Rosenblum. “I look forward to celebrating the girls and their moms on November 1, and I hope you can join us to honor their accomplishments.”
Notable guests planning to attend include members of the Oregon state legislature, including House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, Representative Margaret Doherty (District 35) and Representative Andrea Salinas (District 38), as well as other community leaders and members from Oregon Women Lawyers. Community partners include the Oregon Department of Corrections, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the Clackamas County Children of Incarcerated Parents Committee, the YWCA’s Family Preservation Project, Write Around Portland and The Circus Project.
ABOUT GSBB’s 20th ANNIVERSARY EVENT
The 20th anniversary of Girl Scouts Beyond Bars will be celebrated at an event from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, November 1, 2018. The event will be held in the Cambia Atrium, located at 100 SW Market Street in Portland, OR.
Refreshments will be provided through the generosity of event sponsors, including: Cambia Health Solutions, Jane Drew and Michael R. Sahagian Attorney at Law.
Guests interested in attending must R.S.V.P. by October 30, 2018 at: http://bit.ly/GSBB20YEARS
Financial contributions to GSBB will be gratefully accepted at the event.
For more information regarding attendance and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Shannon Spencer at (503) 977-6843 or via email: sspencer@girlscoutsosw.org.
ABOUT GIRL SCOUTS BEYOND BARS (GSBB)
A primary part of GSBB’s mission to is to lessen the impact of parent-child separation. Children with a parent in prison are five times more likely to come in contact with the justice system themselves. They can have abandonment issues and be at risk for abuse, decreased school participation, and cycling into criminal behavior.
“Girl Scouts Beyond Bars leverages the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to change the narrative for girls whose families have been negatively impacted by incarceration,” says Amy Botula, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars Manager for GSOSW. “Through Girl Scout opportunities like camp, cookie sales, and STEM activities and other leadership development, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars—like Girl Scouts as a whole—builds girls of courage, confidence, and character while also strengthening the bond between girls and their incarcerated mothers and grandmothers.”
Mothers and grandmothers serve as troop leaders, and benefit from the program as well. They develop positive decision-making and leadership skills alongside their girls, while also learning how to let the girls lead. With the support of GSBB staff, mothers and grandmothers co-facilitate troop meetings together with their Girl Scouts.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.girlscoutsosw.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-program/ways-to-participate/gsbb.html.
GSBB PARTICIPANT QUOTES
- “Through Girl Scouts I've been able to bond with my girls in a way I never thought possible.” — Jessica, Canby, Ore.
- “GSBB has brought me closer to my granddaughters. It gives us the opportunity to bond and gives the girls a place to grow and develop into creative young productive women.” — Lori, Salem, Ore.
- “Girl Scouts means everything to my children and me. We spend true quality time and I get the chance to participate in watching and guiding my girls with what Girl Scouts is all about. They enjoy the Girl Scout bond with the other girls and their mothers.” — Vanessa, Salem, Ore.
- “GSBB to me means unity and growth … learning things to be a better version of myself and having a community to lean on always.” — Shanoa, Aumsville, Ore.
SUPPORT GSBB
There are a variety of ways to support GSBB: through financial contributions, volunteer support and in-kind donations. To learn more, please visit: http://www.girlscoutsosw.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-program/ways-to-participate/gsbb.html.
CONTACT GSBB
For questions or more information about Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, please contact Amy Botula at (503) 977-6815 or via email: abotula@girlscoutsosw.org.
ABOUT GIRL SCOUTS OF OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON (GSOSW)
In partnership with more than 8,000 adult members, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington prepares 14,500 girls in grades K-12 for a lifetime of leadership, adventure and success. GSOSW’s programs in civic engagement, financial literacy, the outdoors and STEM serve girls in 37 counties in Oregon, and in Clark and Skamania counties in Washington. The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. For more information, please visit girlscoutsosw.org.
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