A Note From the Founder – Secret Sauce
Kerry Cordy – Founder
I recently started following Dan Martell, a business and life coach, and subscribed to his weekly emails.
A recent email included what he calls the 4 Futures you can use to create your vision. It was number 4 that prompted me to write this post. It read as follows:
“This is the secret sauce. The activator few people talk about. Everything else is about ego⊠And if thatâs your only driver, you wonât get far. When we make it about serving others, we can move mountains.
Two parts to consider:
- Who can you give to because of this goal?
- Who can you ask for help?
That second one surprises people. Asking for help gives someone the gift of contribution. And that energetic exchange activates everything else.“
Service has always been a big part of our programs. I encourage you to have your kids earn at least one Servant’s Heart Award for each year they participate (more is even better!) Over the last 18 years of running this business, I hear over and over from kids who are now adults, that the service element of the program is what has benefitted them the most; learning to give, and to allow others to give. Not only have they discovered that service opens opportunities, but it also makes you a happier and healthier person.
So when you earn badges, consider the “secret sauce.” Who can you help by earning this badge and who can you ask for help?
End of Year Orders â Leave Plenty of Time!
When placing orders for end of year ceremonies, PLEASE make sure to order as far in advance as you can. This time of year gets very busy and all badges are made by hand on demand. It will usually take at least a week to make your badges and it can take 7-10 days for shipping, especially if you are located back east. We request that you place orders a minimum of 3 weeks before you need your badges. If you are ordering higher awards, we recommend 4 weeks just in case any are on backorder. While we try to keep an adaquate number of higher awards on hand we never know exactly which awards will be popular each spring so backorders are possible.
If you need us to rush your order, please email me and request Priority Mail shipping instead of first class ground. We cannot guarantee you will get your order by your ceremony date, but we will always do our best. We do not do overnight shipping for any reason, so please do not ask. If for any reason we cannot get your badges and awards to you in time for your ceremony, please remember that there are free printable certificates on the website you may use so that each child receives something when they are recognized at your ceremony, even if their award will be late.
New Badges
Paper Tulips for Mothers Day
I found this video on Facebook the other day on how to make paper tulips that open up to words of love and thought they would be perfect for a Mother’s Day project. I created my own downloadable stencils to make the project easier for everyone and you can find the full instructions on how to make these on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/reel/1496772821709122
Memorial Day Opportunities
Memorial Day isnât just the start of summer or an excuse for a backyard BBQ. Itâs a day set aside to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Teaching our kids the true meaning of Memorial Day helps them grow up with gratitude, respect, and a deeper appreciation for the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. Itâs important that they understand the sacrifices made on their behalfâand that remembering and honoring those sacrifices is something we should never outgrow.
Here are 10 ideas for celebrating Memorial Day in ways that will help your children understand the true meaning of the day.
- Create a Poppy Craft â Teach kids about the tradition of wearing red poppies to honor fallen soldiers and make paper poppies to display.
- Visit a Veterans Cemetery â Help kids place small flags or flowers on graves of fallen service members, emphasizing respect and remembrance.
- Hold a Moment of Silence â Set aside time to quietly reflect at 3:00 PM (the National Moment of Remembrance).
- Make a Memorial Wreath â Craft a wreath using red, white, and blue flowers or ribbons, then hang it at home or bring it to a cemetery or memorial.
- Read Stories About Fallen Heroes â Choose age-appropriate books or true stories about soldiers who gave their lives.
- Write Thank-You Letters to the Families of Fallen Soldiers â Partner with organizations that deliver letters to Gold Star families.
- Host a Memorial Candle Lighting â Light a candle and share a short tribute or prayer in honor of those who have died.
- Create a Memory Board â Build a display with photos, names, or symbols honoring fallen soldiers, even if you donât know any personally.
- Learn and Recite a Memorial Day Poem â Poems like âIn Flanders Fieldsâ beautifully connect kids to the meaning of the day.
- Decorate a Memorial Garden Stone â Paint or create a stone with words like âRememberâ or âHonorâ and place it in your yard or a local memorial site.
Converting a Playhouse to a Chicken Coop
With the price of eggs this year, many families I know have decided to get their own chickens. One of our longest running families, who joined our program in 2010, was recently featured in Fresh Eggs Daily after converting their old playhouse into an amazing chicken coop!
Accoding to the Lewis family, “We were able to scrap wood, cabinet pieces, an old closet door, and friends gave us tin roof pieces and roof tiles for free! We were able to re-purpose the play house into a chicken coop mansion for less than $300.”
Raising Chickens is not only a great way to get fresh eggs, it is also a fabulous opportunity to teach kids about responsibilty, life cycles, where your food comes from and so much more!
Read the full article to find out how they did it.
This type of project is fantastic for working on badges such as Chickens, Woodworking, Pets, Eggs, Meat Animals, Farmer, etc.
Frontier Girls 2025 Scholarship Recipients
Every year our Frontier Girls program gives away three continuing education scholarships. This year’s recipients are:
Abby Olsen Award – $1,000: Caroline Duke
Brief excerpt from her essay: “My Frontier Girls career began when I was 18 months old and my mum helped start Troop 109. I have achieved my Gem Award at every level, and my WOW at every level except Penguin where I achieved 50 merit badges. As far as I know, I am one of the only members that have completed Gem from Penguin through Eagle! This will be my last year as a student as I plan to become a registered volunteer with Troop 109 instead of advancing to Owl level. I feel that I have benefitted enormously from the Frontier Girlsâ programme as it gave me opportunities that I would not have had otherwise, and forced me to step outside of my comfort zone making me a more confident person. I would recommend the program to people for the fact that you can earn a badge about pretty much anything, and there is no time limit! You can learn at your own pace.”
Megan Lundquist Award – $500: Sarah Bruekherr
Brief excerpt from her essay: “I believe I’m a positive example of what a Frontier Girl can be. Through Frontier Girls I, someone naturally shy and on the Autism spectrum, have been able to make new friends. I’ve been able to try hobbies I had never heard of or considered before I found the program. Frontier Girls was something consistent that I could participate in no matter where I was or how many times I moved or switched schools. I love the program–it gave me the confidence to speak up for myself and to start volunteering. I’m naturally someone who’s hesitant to advocate for myself or to reach out to organizations and ask if they need volunteers, but wanting to live up to the Frontier Girls motto, to see a need and take the lead, helped me. I plan to stay a Frontier Girl for the rest of my life, to keep learning and exploring however old I am.”
Charlotte Duke Award – $500: Elizabeth Vicory
“Since this is my very last time being eligible for the scholarships, I guess I better make a good case for it . I don’t know what would make me more deserving than someone else, but I want to do more. I want to be able to take classes to play my autoharp, make more art, read more books. I have a long life ahead of me and a long list to fill it. I want to earn all the badges, because that’s learning about so many topics in the world. Learning is my special talent, it’s my biggest hobby, and it leads to so much adventure. When I was young, I wanted to learn so many things, and Frontier Girls was the most encouraging road to those goals. I have overcome so many challenges in life by selecting a badge or an award and diving into the requirements. Frontier Girls is always going to be a part of my life because I will always want to learn new things. “
