Event Director: Alison McQuay
Date: May 31
Click here for 2015 Daisy Bridging Ceremony Documents
Summary:
Choosing a Date
Our date was Sunday, May 17 at 4:00 p.m. in Glenola Park. The only issue I had with this date was one troop whose leader and two other girls/families are Mormon and wouldn’t come on a Sunday. But, it was the only day that my 8th grade Cadette girls could do it. In the end, we had four troops (out of 6) attend, with a total of 47 girls.
Location/Time
The bridge at Glenola Park was made in honor of a Girl Scout who died unexpectedly and inexplicably when she was 15. The only risk is weather. If it’s going to be hot, you can warn people and bring some easy-ups for shade. This year, it was actually chilly (which was perfect). Attendees need to bring their own chairs/blankets, and need to be reminded that there is no restroom there. We started at 4:02 p.m. (because one troop had one girl who was not there yet) and the ceremony itself was over by 4:25. My troop arrived at 2:00 to set up, and then have our own bridging to Seniors ceremony on the bridge. It was about ½ hour too early. They sat around wondering what to do for a while before the Daisies started to arrive.
Ceremony
My troop decided to do a traditional, simple Bridging to Brownies ceremony. We put up flower decorations along the bridge railings and on the top of the gazebo. We had two 6’ tables for refreshments, and two coolers of small water bottles on ice. There are 6 girls in my troop: 2 emcees, 2 troop helpers (getting the Daisies in the right place to cross the bridge), and 2 at the check-in/first aid table.
Refreshments
We didn’t have much money to work with, so our troop donated the refreshments (except the water). Each of our girls brought 2 dozen brownies, plus 2 dozen other treats (cookies, rice krispie treats, etc.)
Registration Flyer
The flyer needs to have ALL information required by GSGLA and must be approved by council. Do this as early in the process as possible so that you can get approval in a timely manner to distribute it to the 1st grade Daisy leaders. I sent the flyer and all follow-up communications by email.
Additional Insurance
You must purchase additional insurance through GSGLA for your non-scout attendees (parents, siblings). It’s generally a $5.00 charge.
Cost of Event
We were advised by the service unit that this event should cost $7 per girl. We made this work, but I would suggest charging $8 to be able to afford lemonade and refreshments instead of having them donated. There were a few other things we could have used, but went without because we didn’t have the money (tablecloths and napkins were donated). I also borrowed a microphone and speaker -- which is absolutely NECESSARY to have.
Goodie Bags
Each Daisy leader was given an envelope with these items for each girl in her troop: bridging certificate, bridging patch, and a flower bracelet. I wanted to get the leaders a little something, but again we didn’t have the money.
Programs
I created a ½-page program, so that each sheet of paper would produce 2 programs. Again, because of the shortage of funds, I just printed them at home on card stock (using my own printer ink).
Troop Signs
I created a yard sign for each Troop so that they would know where to sit. They were very handy!
Communicating with Daisy Leaders
The first leader roster I received from the service unit specified only which troops were Daisy troops, not was grade they were in. So, my first communication was to find out which of these troops were in 1st grade. Then, once I had the date, I sent an email on January 23rd to the 1st grade troops letting them know of the event, the date and time, and asked them to mark their calendars. As soon as I received a response from a leader saying that they were 1st graders, I sent the flyer. The flyer asked for registration and payment by March 15.
Once the leaders let me know they were planning to attend, I sent (by email) the Leader Packet which included:
Leader Overview -- This document contains pretty much everything they needed to know about the ceremony and how to prepare for it.
Brownie vest/sash insignia diagram -- This shows you/parents where everything will go on the Brownie vest/sash.
Parent Permission Form -- I filled in the information about when and where the Ceremony will be. They needed to complete the rest and bring the signed forms to the Ceremony.
Song Lyrics -- The girls would be singing three songs. They needed to learn them well before the Ceremony.
Host Troop Rehearsal
We met as a troop about 2 weeks before the ceremony to go through it so that each girl would know her role and what to do with the Daisies. It went fairly smoothly because we had done that. However, in retrospect, we could have done the rehearsal there after we set up since we had ½ hour of down time.
Generally, this was an easy and fun event to host. The girls enjoyed it and so did the Daisies!