Governor Bev Perdue has proclaimed March 11-17, Girl Scout Week in North Carolina. Several Girl Scouts, including Rusine Mitchell Sinclair, CEO of Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, were on hand to receive the proclamation and celebrate 100 years of building girls of courage, confidence and character.
For a century, Girl Scouts has served as a vital movement in America’s history. It all began with a phone call from Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Lowe to her cousin Nina Anderson Pape in 1912:
“Come right over! I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we’re going to start it tonight.”
When Low first assembled 18 girls from Savannah, Ga., for that first meeting on March 12, 1912, she believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally and spiritually. With the goal of bringing girls out of isolated home environments and into community service and the open air, Girl Scouts hiked, played basketball, went on camping trips, learned how to tell time by the stars, and studied first aid. Self-discovery and community service were core values from the earliest days.
Within a few years, Low’s dream for a girl-centered organization was realized. Today, Girl Scouts is the largest organization for girls in the world—with 3.2 million members, a significant growth from its modest beginnings a century ago. In fact, more than 50 million women in the U.S. today are Girl Scout alumnae.
Many successful women got their start in leadership through Girl Scouting. Fifty-three percent of all women business owners and sixty percent of women serving in Congress were Girl Scouts.
Today, Girl Scouts is for all girls from kindergarten through high school. Girl Scouts serves girls in every U.S. zip code, and its membership virtually mirrors the U.S. population. Wherever girls live, whatever their circumstances, Girl Scouts helps girls develop their leadership potential, connect with others, and take action to make a difference in the world.
Events during the Girl Scout Week include:
Girl Scout Sunday (March 11) and Girl Scout Sabbath (March 17): give girls an opportunity to attend their place of worship and be recognized as a Girl Scout. If a place of worship is the group sponsor, girls may perform a service, such as greeting, ushering, or doing a flag ceremony. These days can also be a time when girls explore other faiths. Celebrating these days also gives Girl Scouting opportunities: 1) to thank places of worship for their contributions to the community and to Girl Scouting, and 2) to share how today’s girls are discovering their personal paths to leadership through Girl Scouting.
Girl Scout Advocacy: Girl Scout councils across North Carolina set a goal of 100 proclamations for the 100th. More than 100 cities, towns and counties across North Carolina have issued proclamations in honor of Girl Scout Week and Girl Scouts’ 100th Anniversary.
Girl Scouts’ 100th Birthday, March 12: To commemorate March 12, 1912, when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization’s first 18 girl members as Girl Scouts in Savannah, Ga.
Local and county events: Girl Scout troops and groups throughout North Carolina are holding a variety of activities during Girl Scout Week to celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting.
In addition to the activities above, Girl Scout Sunday (March 11) marks the end of the 2012 Girl Scout Cookie Sale.
For more information on membership and volunteer opportunities with Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines, visit www.nccoastalpines.org.
About Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines
Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines serves more than 33,000 girl members and more than 10,000 adult members in 41 central and eastern North Carolina counties. (Counties are: Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pender, Person, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Vance, Wake, Warren, Wayne, and Wilson.) The council’s administrative headquarters is located in Raleigh, with additional program and service centers located in Fayetteville and Goldsboro. For more information on membership or volunteer opportunities, call 919-782-3021 or visit www.nccoastalpines.org.
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