Over 50 eager Girl Scouts from across the Gulfcoast Florida region gathered at Naples Airport on Saturday, September 21, for an inspiring Girls in Aviation Day event, hosted in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida.
This special event, designed to empower young girls with knowledge about aviation and highlight women’s contributions in the field, featured an engaging tour of Naples Airport. Participants had the unique opportunity to explore various aircraft, guided by experienced professionals.
Highlights of the day included hands-on activities such as sitting in a Cessna, practicing a pilot’s checklist, and mastering airfield communication using marshalling signals.
The event also included a captivating Q&A session with a female pilot, providing valuable insights into the excitement and possibilities within the aviation industry. This interactive session encouraged girls to consider aviation not only as a thrilling hobby but also as a promising career path.
“This event was a fantastic opportunity for our Girl Scouts to explore the world of aviation firsthand,” Mary Anne Servian, CEO at Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida. “We’re grateful to Naples Airport for their partnership in making this day both educational and inspirational. Experiences like these help our girls envision their futures in fields they may not have previously considered.”
Girls in Aviation Day at Naples Airport was open exclusively to registered Girl Scout adult members with approved background checks, ensuring a safe and enriching environment for all participants. Adults were able to register on a first-come, first-served basis, reflecting the event’s popularity and the community’s enthusiasm for introducing girls to new opportunities.
Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Troop 601 recently soared into the world of aviation with a hands-on workshop hosted by female pilot Sahara at The Pilot Place in Sarasota, FL. The workshop, aimed at fostering interest in aviation among young girls, provided an immersive experience into the principles of flight, aircraft design, and the pivotal role of pilots in the aviation industry.
The Pilot Place, renowned for its flight school services catering to the Sarasota area, generously hosted Troop 601 for a day filled with educational activities.
The girls engaged in a captivating scavenger hunt using VFR sectional maps. A VFR sectional chart, also known as a sectional aeronautical chart, is a navigational map used by pilots for visual flight rules (VFR). It’s the primary map used by VFR pilots to navigate between airports and operate at new or unfamiliar airports.
They also had the unique opportunity to explore the cockpit of a Cessna airplane, igniting their curiosity about the inner workings of aircraft.
12 girls participated in the workshop, including Summer, Hannah, Amelia, Jenna, Victoria, Avelyn, Addison, Aliyah, Indy, Charlotte, Lainey, and Kyleigh.
Despite advancements, women remain underrepresented in aviation, including as airline pilots. In 2022, only 4.9% of all pilots with FAA certificates as airline pilots were women, highlighting the importance of initiatives like this workshop in encouraging young girls to explore aviation as a viable career path.
Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida supports such initiatives through its STEM career exploration badges, designed to introduce girls to various STEM fields, including aviation. These badges empower girls to discover their potential in STEM careers such as computer science, engineering, and environmental science, fostering a diverse and inclusive future workforce.
“Our STEM Career Exploration Badges play a crucial role in inspiring the next generation of leaders by nurturing their curiosity and helping them envision a future where they can excel and make a meaningful impact,” said Mary Anne Servian, CEO of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida.
“We are pleased to see Girl Scout troops taking advantage of local resources, such as this aviation workshop, to introduce girls to diverse fields and hands-on learning,” Servian added. “At Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, we are dedicated to empowering girls to discover new skills and explore career opportunities through engaging and educational experiences.”
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.”
Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc. 