Show your appreciation for bus drivers by participating in School Bus Driver Appreciation Day on April 22nd!
Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida celebrated School Bus Safety Week in Oct. 2023. (Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida)
Every school day, bus drivers ensure that students get to and from school safely, often going above and beyond to provide a friendly smile, a word of encouragement, and a sense of security. School Bus Driver Appreciation Day, taking place from April 22, is the perfect opportunity to recognize their hard work and dedication.
For Girl Scouts, this is a chance to come together and express gratitude in a meaningful way. On Tuesday, April 22 Girl Scouts can personally deliver thank-you cards to the drivers who keep our communities moving.
Why School Bus Driver Appreciation Day Matters
School bus drivers are often unsung heroes, rising early and navigating busy roads to transport students safely. Many develop strong relationships with the children they drive, offering encouragement and ensuring a safe, positive experience each day. Their job requires patience, attentiveness, and care, and this special day is dedicated to recognizing their invaluable service.
How Girl Scouts Can Participate
Participating in this initiative is simple and impactful. Troops are encouraged to:
✔ Download and print thank-you cards or design your own. ✔ Fill them out together as a troop with personal messages of appreciation. ✔ Wear Girl Scout uniforms to proudly represent the organization. ✔ Deliver the thank-you cards in person to bus drivers.
By delivering thank-you cards directly to the drivers, Girl Scouts can brighten their day and remind them that their work is truly valued. This simple act of kindness strengthens community ties and helps young girls develop empathy and gratitude—key values in Girl Scouting.
Share the Appreciation!
We’d love to see your troop in action! Take photos (with permission) and share them on social media using #ThankYouBusDrivers and tag our account @GirlScoutsofGulfcoastFlorida to spread the love and inspire others to show appreciation.
Meet our partner… the Collier Community Foundation.
We are excited to share that Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida has received a generous $5,000 grant from the Collier Community Foundation. This funding will directly support underserved girls and ensure access to Girl Scout programs for at least 250 girls in 8 Girl Scout Troops facing economic hardships, ensuring they can participate in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) and benefit from activities promoting confidence, leadership, and essential life skills.
“We are incredibly grateful to Collier Community Foundation for their support of our mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character,” said Mary Anne Servian, CEO of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. “This funding will make a significant difference in the lives of many girls, particularly those who face socioeconomic challenges. It will enable them to participate in transformative programs that empower them to succeed both now and in the future.”
Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida looks forward to using these funds to expand opportunities for all girls to explore new fields of knowledge, foster leadership, and develop lifelong skills that prepare them for a bright future.
The Collier Community Foundation awards annual grants through a competitive application and review process. Selected organizations receive grant dollars from the Foundation’s discretionary funds. These funds were gifted by donors who believe in the Community Foundation’s ability to mobilize resources to address the community’s greatest needs.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Collier Community Foundation for their investment in the next generation of leaders and encourage others to join us in making a difference in girls’ future.
Girl Scout Troop 446 of Naples is making waves in environmental conservation through their dedicated beach cleanup efforts and special initiative of “adopting” sea turtle nests at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park. Since 2019, this troop of young girls has been actively involved in cleaning local beaches, turning their commitment to the environment into a cornerstone of their community service.
A Journey of Service
Formed in 2019, Girl Scout Troop 446 embarked on their beach cleanup journey to introduce their youngest members to community service and environmental stewardship. What began as an activity for Daisies to engage in meaningful service has grown into a troop-wide mission. In 2022, Troop 446 expanded their efforts by adopting sea turtle nests, a move inspired by troop leader Patricia Nye-Schmitz’s volunteer work at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park.
Beaches and Cleanups
Troop 446 focuses their cleanup efforts on three key locations:
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park: The site of their adopted sea turtle nest and the troop’s primary summer cleanup destination.
Vanderbilt Beach: Each fall, the troop participates in the International Coastal Cleanup here, contributing to global marine debris reduction efforts.
Bay Days Great American Cleanup: Held in the spring, this event involves cleaning various locations, frequently around Vanderbilt Beach, as part of a nationwide initiative.
Adopting a Turtle Nest
The adoption of a sea turtle nest is a special mission for Troop 446. The idea was introduced by Patricia Nye-Schmitz, who discovered the Adopt-a-Turtle Nest program through her volunteer work at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park. The troop eagerly embraced the opportunity to contribute further to conservation efforts by connecting with the Friends of Delnor-Wiggins to adopt a nest.
The Adopt-a-Turtle Nest program offers three donation levels: Loggerhead ($250), Green ($500), and Leatherback ($1,000). These funds support nest protection and resource management at the park, and donors receive an adoption certificate, personalized nest signage, and other appreciation gifts.
To facilitate their beach cleanups, Troop 446 collaborates with the Wiggins Cleanup Crew for Delnor-Wiggins Pass and partners with Keep Collier Beautiful for broader initiatives like the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) and Bay Days Great American Cleanup (GAC). Their next cleanup event is scheduled for September 21.
The Joy of Giving Back
For Troop 446, the experience of adopting a nest and participating in beach cleanups is a source of immense pride and joy. According to Nye-Schmitz, the Girl Scouts eagerly anticipate each visit, taking great pride in the nests they’ve adopted and the areas they’ve cleaned. These activities provide valuable lessons on the life cycle of sea turtles, the importance of maintaining clean beaches, and the necessity of environmental protection measures.
Nye-Schmitz highlighted how these activities embody the principles of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. The initiatives teach the girls to be courageous and strong, reflecting the resilience of sea turtles, and to be friendly and helpful, demonstrating their commitment to environmental stewardship. “By doing a beach cleanup, we are rightfully ‘making the world a better place,’” said Nye-Schmitz.
A Troop on the Rise
Troop 446 is a vibrant, multi-level group of 22 girls, ranging from Brownies to Cadettes. They are one of over a dozen Girl Scout troops in the Naples area. The troop began as a Daisy and Junior troop and, having recently bridged to the next levels, their dedication to the environment and community service continues to grow.
As they look forward to another year of beach cleanups and nest adoptions, Troop 446 hopes to inspire others to join them in their mission to protect our beautiful coastlines and the incredible creatures that inhabit them. Together, they are making a lasting impact—one cleanup, one nest, and one girl at a time.
The troop showed their commitment to sea turtle conservation by donating $750 to SCCF’s sea turtle program last week.
Troop Leader Kelsey Leone explained, “Our troop chose to support the SCCF turtle program because we’re passionate about conserving our natural world. We specifically selected a local organization to ensure our contribution directly benefits the places and creatures we cherish in our own community.”
The troop decided to adopt ten sea turtle nests at $75 each, totaling $750, representing each troop member, including leaders. The funds were raised collectively by all troop members throughout the year.
Kelly Sloan, SCCF’s Coastal Wildlife Director, expressed gratitude, saying, “Our adopt-a-nest program helps us protect and nurture sea turtles on Sanibel and Captiva islands. It’s a meaningful way for supporters to engage with our conservation efforts, particularly during the nesting season.”
Girls from five troops in Collier County planted dozens of mangroves along the Sanibel coastline, earning the Girl Scout Tree Promise Patch.
A year after the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian on the local mangrove population, the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Service Unit Collier 13 have come together to make a significant difference in the restoration of Sanibel’s coastline. Following the hurricane’s destruction, dedicated Girl Scouts from Troops 791, 255, 440, 426, and 502 enthusiastically hosted mangrove seedlings, nurturing them back to health.
The success of this project is a testament to the dedication and passion of the Girl Scouts involved and highlights the impact of community engagement in environmental conservation. “Together, these girls have made a difference [and] earned the Girl Scout Tree Promise patch,” said GSGCF volunteer Patricia Nye-Schmitz.
In October, the Girl Scouts had the opportunity to return these mangroves to Sanibel, contributing to the restoration efforts and earning the prestigious Girl Scout Tree Promise patch in the process. Through taking the Girl Scout Tree Promise, girls all over the world have pledged to take 5 million actions to address climate change by planting, protecting, and honoring trees to support wildlife conservation and ease the negative effects of climate change.
In response to the urgent need for mangrove restoration, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) issued a call for help in January. The initiative, known as “Mangrove Mama’s,” allowed community members to host mangrove seedlings, nurturing them until they were strong enough to be planted along the coastline. SCCF provided the seedlings for this noble cause.
On October 7, a planting event was specifically arranged for the Girl Scouts to plant the mangroves they had nurtured through SCCF’s Adopt-A-Mangrove program. Kealy McNeal, the Conservation Initiative Coordinator at SCCF, mentioned that the girls planted these young mangroves along the Woodring Rd. shoreline on the bayside of Sanibel.
The enthusiastic response from Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Service Unit Collier 13 has highlighted the power of community action in the face of environmental challenges. The Troops, through their diligent care and dedication, have not only helped the mangroves recover but have also earned the Girl Scout Tree Promise patch, a testament to their commitment to environmental conservation.
The girls’ efforts not only contribute to the restoration of Sanibel’s coastline, but also serve as an inspiration for others to join the cause.
Troop 1083, led by Helen Sundgren, meets at Anthony Park in Naples. When they learned the park was named in honor of PFC Charlie P. Anthony, they wanted to find out more. They discovered that PFC Anthony had grown up on the very street where the park is located, and that he had served in Vietnam, where he lost his life in 1969.
Wanting to share this piece of history with others, the girls made posters about Anthony to display at the park. They recognized him on Veterans Day and his birthday. When one of the Brownies in the troop told her grandmother about Charlie Anthony, the grandmother told her she had known him and she came to speak to the girls at a troop meeting.
After learning more about this local hero, the girls thought the whole community should know about Charlie Anthony and his service to our country. After talking with Anthony’s family and showing pictures of the posters they had made to the City of Naples Community Services Department, Parks and Recreation staff, and the City Council, it was agreed that a plaque should be placed at the park in his honor.
A ceremony to unveil the plaque was held on Saturday, March 12, 2016. City of Naples Mayor John F. Sorey III led the program. Cadette Girl Scout Jennifer P. of Troop 1083 spoke about their troop’s involvement in the project. The Macedonia Baptist Church youth choir, including several Girl Scouts, performed for the crowd. And members of the Anthony family traveled from around the country to participate in the celebration.
Members of Troop 1083 with leader Helen Sundgren and co-leader Anna Gil.
What started as a simple history lesson grew into a community-wide project, spearheaded by Girl Scouts. Thanks to the girls in Troop 1083, we are now much more aware of PFC Charlie P. Anthony’s legacy and his place in the history of Anthony Park.
–Barbara VanEssen is Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida’s Community Development Manager for Collier County
Troop 1083, led by Helen Sundgren, meets at 
Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc. 