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One Heart Logo GSHS FINAL

One Heart is the underlying principle for Girl Scouts Heart of the South that encourages members to practice kindness and compassion, seek common ground and understanding, and to serve our neighbors and communities, while living the Girl Scout Promise and Law.

This is the way we strive to operate daily - in our words and in our actions.

We are inviting every member to join us in the One Heart principle.

One Heart One Community 2022 Service Project Patch Program - NEW!!

This February, GSHS encourages you to show gratitude, be compassionate, and show love to everyone in your community by engaging in our One Heart One Community Service Project. Valentine’s Day is coming soon! Get together with your troop to decorate hearts using your creativity - and your love.

Once you are done, go out in the community with your troop - and your hearts - and find someone to share them with or find somewhere to leave them for others to find. Make this Valentine’s Day one that people in your world will never forget.

Download the One Heart One Community Service Project Guidelines

One Heart Pledge Cards

Get your girls excited about One Heart by having them take a One Heart Pledge. Download a pledge card for your next troop meeting!

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One Heart 5x7
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Helpful Tips Sheet

We also have a Helpful Hints for Helping your Girl Scout with One Heart Principles you can download and incorporate in her life.

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One Heart In Service Patch Program

Americans are more divided today than ever. We disagree over social issues, race, gender, the economy and much more. The melting pot that is America is boiling over with an ever-widening divisive discord.

One Heart is the underlying principle for Girl Scouts Heart of the South. It encourages members to practice kindness and compassion, seek common ground and understanding, and serve our neighbors and communities, while living the Girl Scout Promise and Law.

Everything we do within Girl Scouts, we put our differences aside and do it with One Heart. It is important that we take the lead and show others how important it is to be kind, compassionate, work together and understand each other, and serve our neighbors and communities. We need to lead by example. Your daughter and your family can make a difference – together, we can change our culture from within Girl Scouts Heart of the South. And while your family is participating in this vital culture-shift, your daughter can earn a One Heart In Service Patch.

Sharing kindness and compassion with others meets critical needs in our communities, even as it teaches valuable lessons, and starting your family’s kindness practice has never been easier. With each act of service, your family can be a force for love and kindness, helping to heal our fractured country and connect meaningfully with those around us. To earn the patch the Girl Scout’s family must:

·       Choose an age appropriate a One Heart Service Project – ideas for these are listed below. We also encourage you to be creative and come up with an activity that speaks to your family values.

·       Take a picture of the family performing the service project.

·       Have your family’s Girl Scout(s) write up a short explanation of what was done and what she learned.

·       Send the photo and write-up to news@girlscoutshs.org.

Once you send in the above information, you can purchase a patch at your local Girl Scout Trefoil Trunk for your Girl Scout to proudly wear on her sash, vest or smock and show that her family supports her in all her Girl Scout activities.

Ideas for Daisy and Brownie Families:

1.    Make cards for nursing home residents, wounded soldiers or deployed service people.
2.    Sort through toys, books and clothes to find items to donate to a homeless shelter.
3.    Sort canned food and non-perishables for a local food pantry.
4.    Help bake cookies and deliver to fire stations or police stations.

Ideas for Junior and Cadette Families:

1.    Pick up trash and litter at a local playground, school, library or park.
2.    Write thank you letters to people who have influenced your life.
3.    Shelve, sort and unpack food at a local food bank or pantry.
4.    Organize a canned food drive or a pet supply drive.

Ideas for Senior and Ambassador Families:

1.    Make bathroom kits for a shelter (Ziploc bag with soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.).
2.    Do yard work for an elderly neighbor.
3.    Volunteer at a nonprofit or with an organization that serves people with disabilities.
4.    Help (walk dogs, play with cats, clean up cages, repair items) at an animal shelter, veterinary clinic or other animal agency.

Don’t forget to take the One Heart Pledge. To take the pledge go to: www.girlscoutshs.org/oneheart

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Ways you can introduce the One Heart principle at your next troop meeting:

  • Designate 15 minutes at the start of the meeting to explain the principle. Reflect on the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Ask each girl to share how they are living out One Heart. Challenge them to think of ways they can live it over the next week.
  • Dedicate 5-10 minutes of every troop meeting to reflect, discuss and share how girls continue to strive towards living out One Heart. 
  • You can break the One Heart principle down into three sections: practice kindness and compassion; seek common ground and understanding; and to serve our neighbors and communities. Talk about each area during a month and ask how girls can practice, seek and serve.

These are great ideas for Service Unit Meetings too!
It's easy to get lost in agendas, budgets, calendars and more, so start your meetings with purpose and reflect upon the One Heart principal, and the Girl Scout Promise and Law.

Focus your attention how you can build girls of courage, confidence and courage. We are the examples for the girls and when we practice kindness and compassion, seek common ground and understanding, and to serve our neighbors and communities, we are making the world a better place.

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