Legacy Planning and the Future
A few months ago, I received a survey sent to alumni of the University of Georgia Redcoat Band. If you didn’t already know, I’m a rabid Georgia Bulldog alum through and through. My devotion to the Dawgs started at a very young age, and my four years in the Redcoats during my time at Georgia cemented my love for the Red & Black. Once I graduated, I faithfully attended alumni band at Homecoming in the fall for many years until life became too busy with children. I still keep in close contact with my Redcoat friends and participate in the Redcoat community along with other events aside from Homecoming. I consider the Redcoats an extended family that has stuck with me through the decades.
The survey I received had to do with legacy planning and financially supporting the Redcoat Band. For the majority of the band’s 120 years of existence, the athletic department has financed most of the band’s budget. However, the landscape of college football has changed dramatically recently due to the implementation of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness). In case you’re not aware of the impact of NIL, colleges can now pay their student athletes. It’s a free for all right now, and it’ll take a while to get things under control – if it ever happens. Athletic departments are cutting where they can to subsidize various revenue streams in an attempt to fund NIL. For the past two years, the size of the Redcoat Band has shrunk due to budget cuts, and so the UGA Redcoat Alumni Band, which formed a nonprofit about 20 years ago, has attempted to take up the slack as best as possible. As such, the UGA Foundation partnered with them to support the band through giving and estate planning. Estate planning involves setting aside a percentage of your estate and donating it to an organization. Continue reading
As a credentialed Registered Parliamentarian, I would like to offer free services to councils when it comes to parliamentary procedure training and what to expect during a National Council Session (NCS). For the past few National Council Sessions, I’ve been running local in-person and virtual trainings for various councils with success. Not only do I cover the basics of parliamentary procedure, but I also place a focus on motions that you’re most likely to encounter at a NCS. Additionally, I cover what to expect at a microphone along with speaking and debate tips. My trainings run about an hour and a half to two hours depending on the level of engagement and questions. I realize parliamentary procedure isn’t the most exciting topic to study, so I interject humor into my trainings to keep things lively. I can provide references if requested.
If you’ve followed my blog, you’ll know that I’ve been a big advocate for healthy governance within Girl Scouting for quite a while now, and I’ve attempted to take action to shore up what I see as deficiencies including starting 
And here’s what you’ve been waiting for! I’m publishing the latest version of the UNOFFICIAL Memory Books for Membership Year 2025-2026. In case you’re wondering what these are, they are a (sort of) recreation of the Memory Books that GSUSA published a few years ago. The concept was nice, but the execution was a little lacking due to the way our national programming rolls out new content every year. These UNOFFICIAL memory books can be printed onto 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper and placed in a 3 ring binder so that pages can be added (or removed) as the leader or girl sees fit. You can read more about the concept on
It’s that time of year again! Here are updated Badge, Journey, and Award summaries for all levels for Membership Year 2025-26.