National Girl Scout Week: March 6-12, 2022

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 Girl Scouts will be turning 110 years old, on March 12, and all across the country troops will be celebrating by demonstrating courage, confidence, and character in hopes of having an impact on their communities as they live up to their slogan “Do a Good Turn Daily.”

The Girl Scouts were founded after Juliette Gordon Low met the founder of the Boy Scouts, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, in England. When Low returned to her home, in Georgia, she was determined to start a similar organization for girls. Low, who many called “Daisy,” was 51 years old and almost completely deaf, but she didn’t let that deter her. Instead, she gathered 18 girls together and told them about her plans to start a new outdoor and educational youth program for girls just like themselves.

That first troop of Girl Schouts was small but was culturally and ethnically diverse, proving that pulling together for the betterment of each other as well as the communities around them was a priority for all girls and women, not those of just one demographic – something that proved significant as in 1912 American women had not yet been granted the right to vote.

Daisy’s first troop of Girl Scouts participated in basketball, hiking, and camping. Through those experiences, they were learning to work together, be compassionate, and be a voice in their own communities. They learned to seek opportunities to lend a hand to those in need and to improve the world around themselves. They learned to support and encourage each other and to celebrate the successes of their friends.

While the Girl Scouts was founded, in Georgia, the organization has long outgrown its small beginnings with troops in over 100 countries around the globe and more than 50 million alumni. Currently, there are 2.6 million girls and women who are Girl Scouts and are still finding ways to educate youth, stand together, create better futures, and “Do a Good Turn Daily.”

Of those millions, there are thousands of alumni and current Girl Scouts in White County, and their influence can be seen throughout the community as they visit businesses to learn about becoming professionals. They honor the founders of the community and the soldiers who served to ensure their freedom to grow and learn and be whatever they want when they grow up. In addition, they work to collect donations for those who have been met with tragedies and work alongside leaders to help shape the future of their community.     

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