
Dear friends,
What an incredible year it has been! This membership year provided so many memories to cherish, and I hope you and your Girl Scouts were able to enjoy another year of fun,discovery, wonder and of course, Girl Scout sisterhood. This year was a moment to reflect on our council’s milestones.
From reaching a total membership of 7,244 youth and adult members, to honoring 100 years of our beloved Camp Giscowheco, this year was a chance to reflect on where we’ve been, while exploring the possibilities of our future.
Through the 2024 Girl Scout Cookie Program, over 3,000 Girl Scout entrepreneurs sold 762,313 boxes of cookies and collected $628,554 in troop proceeds for new adventures, community service projects and so much more.
Across our council, Girl Scouts are working to make the world a better place. In 2023-2024, our Girl Scouts learned new skills by collecting over 6,000 badges and completing 32 Bronze Awards, 19 Silver Awards and 2 Gold Awards.
Maintaining our mission’s promise remains a top priority. During the last year, we proudly offered almost $61,000 in youth financial assistance, and with the help of 203 donors, we collected $542,674 to help strengthen our sisterhood.
As we look to the future, we first want to thank you for your continued support. Because of you, Girl Scouts are finding ways to make a difference and create more milestones for the road ahead.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Beth Casey, Chief Executive Officer
Download a copy of our Annual Report to go behind the scenes of our past membership year and learn about the outcomes we accomplished.
VIEW HEREPut your hands together for our 2024 Gold Award Scholarship recipient, Morgan H!
Morgan used her #gsGoldAward to establish a habitat for Monarch butterflies, which were recently upgraded from a threatened species to an endangered species. Through her project, "Monarch Conservation through Environmental Stewardships and Increasing Empathy through STEM" this Girl Scout created an official Monarch Waystation for nearby butterflies and taught others how to protect the species.
This spring, Morgan's project was submitted for consideration and she was selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship to assist her academic endeavors! In addition to being a Gold Award Girl Scout, Morgan has already agreed to continue her Girl Scouting journey as an adult volunteer.
Thank you for everything you've done to make the world a better place, Morgan! We can't wait to see what you accomplish next.
Ashton, a rising Ambassador in the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council, developed a project to help raise Girl Scouts' profile at the World Scouting Museum, which recently relocated to Charleston, West Virginia.
Through her project, Increased Girl Scout History Resources, Warner helped make sure Girl Scouts are well represented at the museum. When the World Scouting Museum relocated from Las Vegas to West Virginia, many of the Girl Scouts items were packed away but, due to a small staff, had not yet been unpacked in the Mountain State. Warner made sure these resources, which included many books and historical materials, were unpacked, cateloged and put on display in the museum.
Through her #gsGoldAward, Emma addressed low math scores of students in her community.
To make a difference, this Girl Scout engaged her team to establish a local Math Club where students took part in math activities and enjoyed games, books and other opportunities to strengthen daily math skills.
Caregivers of those impacted were also provided with resources, as well as a website to maintain the progress of this project.
What a smart way to make a difference!
Through her #gsGoldAward, this Girl Scout Ambassador developed a project to help children understand and manage their mental health.
To meet her goal, Kaitlyn assembled a team of volunteers, then created and implemented a program to support mental wellbeing at a nearby elementary school. Kaitlyn and her team created posters, organized demonstrations and even created new resources for teachers to use in the years ahead.
Thank you for making the world a better place, Kaitlyn!
Bailey, a rising Ambassador in the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council, developed a project to increase the amount of Girl Scout recognition at the World Scouting Museum, which recently relocated to Charleston, West Virginia.
Through her project, West Virginia Scout History Awareness, Philyaw helped make sure Girl Scouts are well represented at the museum, helped produce a guided audio tour and created display cases for vintage Girl Scout uniforms among other tasks.
In the fall of 2023, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council dedicated new signage for the Girl Scout Urban Camp and Girl Zone during a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The event, which invited community members and area partners to join together with local Girl Scout troops, honored the life and legacy of Anne McCuskey, former president of Black Diamond Council.
Under Anne’s leadership, Black Diamond Council developed the Girl Scout and Volunteer Resource Center, as well as their Urban Camp and Girl Zone, a space to house dozens of day camps, get-togethers and overnight Girl Scout stays.
“Anne truly exemplified everything the Girl Scouts movement stands for,” said Beth Casey, CEO of Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council. “Dedicating one of our most beloved properties to her and her family is a way for us to honor her in the years to come.”
In 2021, the McCuskey family partnered with Black Diamond Council to memorialize the former president through funding for the Urban Camp and Girl Zone, as well as programming which intended to aid in the transition of older Girl Scouts to higher education and community leadership.
At the campaign’s inception, the McCuskey family pledged $400,000 to the council.
The Girl Scouts Urban Camp and Girl Zone, located at 321 Virginia St. W. Charleston, WV 25302, is a fully operating youth space available to the general public by request only.
Over 100 Girl Scouts from across West Virginia took on the Capitol on Feb. 19, 2024 for "Girl Scout Day at the Legislature."
141 Girl Scouts and volunteers showcased projects and awards in the Upper House Rotunda, joined the House of Delegates and Senate galleries for resolutions and took guided tours of the Capitol.
"This event gives Girl Scouts first-hand experience with civic engagement and a unique exposure to the democratic process, parliamentary procedure, and more," said Beth Casey, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond.
Del. Kayla Young and Sen. Amy Grady both introduced citations to announce Feb. 19 as Girl Scout Day at the Legislature in the WV House and Senate, respectively.
Visit here to view photos from the day.
Past and present Gold Award Girl Scouts joined together to celebrate their achievements at our inaugural Power Her Promise: A Celebration of Gold Award Girl Scouts event presented by the Charleston Marriott Town Center.
11 outstanding Gold Award Projects were highlighted by Black Diamond CEO Beth Casey, and each Girl Scout was recognized as a changemaker in their local community.
We at Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council would like to thank Charleston Marriott Town Center for agreeing to serve as our title sponsor and Alys Smith, co-founder of the Wing 2 Wing Foundation, for joining us as our keynote speaker.
We hope to highlight many more Gold Award Girl Scouts in the years ahead!
Girl Scouts troop leader Laurie Collert was nominated by her peers and honored as a recipient of the Appreciation Pin at the GSBDC Annual Meeting on April 13 at the Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Appreciation Pin recognizes an individual's exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience within one geographic area of service. They must be a registered Girl Scout adult, have significantly contributed to meeting one or more council goals in membership growth and retention, fund development, or increased community visibility in one geographic area; and actively recognize, understand, and practice the values of inclusive behavior.
Troop Leader Jody Gouldsberry of Moundsville was nominated by her peers and awarded the Honor Pin at the GSBDC Annual Meeting on April 13 at the Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Honor Pin recognizes an individual's exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience; this support has had measurable impact on two or more geographic areas of service to reach and surpass the mission-delivery goals of the Council. They must be a registered Girl Scout adult; have significantly contributed to meeting one or more council goals in membership growth and retention, fund development, or increased community visibility in two or more geographic areas; and actively recognize, understand, and practice the values of inclusive behavior.
Girl Scouts troop leader Crystal King was nominated by her peers and honored as a recipient of the Appreciation Pin at the GSBDC Annual Meeting on April 13 at the Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Appreciation Pin recognizes an individual's exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience within one geographic area of service. They must be a registered Girl Scout adult, have significantly contributed to meeting one or more council goals in membership growth and retention, fund development, or increased community visibility in one geographic area; and actively recognize, understand, and practice the values of inclusive behavior.
Girl Scouts troop leader Megan Mahoney of Morgantown was nominated by her peers and honored with the Thanks Badge at the GSBDC Annual Meeting on April 13 at the Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Thanks Badge honors an individual whose ongoing commitment, leadership, and service have had an exceptional, measurable impact on meeting the mission-delivery goals and priorities of the entire Council or the entire Girl Scout Movement. They have taken a leadership role at the council level in one or more of the following areas during the previous four years: Increasing membership growth and retention, increasing the percentage of adult-generated funding in the total council income, increasing innovative program opportunities council wide, developing broad participation in policy-influencing through the democratic process, or ensuring that inclusive behavior is recognized, understood, and practiced at all levels.
Girl Scouts assistant troop leader Cheryl McClanahan was nominated by her peers and honored as a recipient of the Appreciation Pin at the GSBDC Annual Meeting on April 13 at the Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Appreciation Pin recognizes an individual's exemplary service in support of delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience within one geographic area of service. They must be a registered Girl Scout adult, have significantly contributed to meeting one or more council goals in membership growth and retention, fund development, or increased community visibility in one geographic area; and actively recognize, understand, and practice the values of inclusive behavior.
Girl Scouts troop leader Debi McCoy was nominated by her peers and honored as a recipient of the Thanks Badge II at the GSBDC Annual Meeting on April 13 at the Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Thanks Badge II honors previous Thanks Badge award recipients who have continued to provide exemplary service in a leadership role which resulted in a measurable impact benefiting the entire Girl Scout Movement. Volunteers must be a registered Girl Scout adult and continue to have a role in contributing to the goals of the council in the areas of Program, Membership, Fund Development, and Volunteer Support.
Troop leader and outgoing Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council Board of Directors chair Kathryn Simmons of Nitro was nominated by her peers and honored with the Thanks Badge at the GSBDC Annual Meeting on April 13 at the Marriott Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia.
The Thanks Badge honors an individual whose ongoing commitment, leadership, and service have had an exceptional, measurable impact on meeting the mission-delivery goals and priorities of the entire Council or the entire Girl Scout Movement. They have taken a leadership role at the council level in one or more of the following areas during the previous four years: Increasing membership growth and retention, increasing the percentage of adult-generated funding in the total council income, increasing innovative program opportunities council wide, developing broad participation in policy-influencing through the democratic process, or ensuring that inclusive behavior is recognized, understood, and practiced at all levels.