— Girl Scouts of the USA
Just a mention of the Girl Scouts is likely to conjure up special memories for millions of American women. Since that historic day — March 12, 1912 — when Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low assembled 18 girls from Savannah, Ga., for a local meeting, more than 50 million girls have worn the Girl Scout pin.
There are memories of prized badges and field trips, of s’mores and campfire circles, of favorite crafts and autograph books. And of the iconic cookies, of course — Samoas and Thin Mints and Do-Si-Dos. Mostly there are memories of friendships.
Carol Cottom of Yellow Springs insists the popular scout song says it all: “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.”
A scout in her youth and a leader as an adult, Cottom says making new friendships throughout your life is important but maintaining old relationships is also valuable.
“I met a friend in Scouts who is still a friend more than 50 years later,” she says.
The Girl Scouts of the USA marks its 100-year-anniversary Monday, and there is much to celebrate. In honor of Girl Scout Week, an open house hosted by the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio will be held Monday evening at the Dayton Girl Scout Center on Shoup Mill Road.
This afternoon, a very special group of 18 girls from throughout our area will gather with families, friends and dignitaries to receive the prestigious 2012 Gold Award. The projects that have earned them special recognition range from recycling to work with the elderly and reflect where the Girl Scouts are headed in the 21st century. A few examples:
• Elizabeth Cromartie, a graduate of Chaminade Julienne High School, went on a mission to Belize and found that children were fighting over paper because it was so scarce. For her project, she collected paper and made note pads to send back to Belize for the children and trained a Brownie troop to assemble the paper into note pads.
• Emilia Zywot of Centerville introduced young girls to the joys of chemistry by developing and implementing a week-long chemistry education camp for girls going into the fifth grade.
•Three girls — Melanie Lillich of Troy Christian High School, and Madeline Shelton and Mariah Alvarado of Butler High School — wanted to increase awareness of the growing immigrant population and educate others about their cultures. They each researched a country and developed a presentation they’ve since made to adults and kids at their local library, to Boy Scout troops and senior citizen centers.
“If I wasn’t in Girl Scouts, I don’t know who I would be because Girl Scouts has molded me into the lady I am today,” says Amanda Rooks, 19, who grew up in Hamilton and Miamisburg. “I can’t explain how much it has impacted my life and changed me.”
Amanda, who is studying Liberal Arts at Sinclair Community College, will receive the Gold Award today for cleaning up a pre-Civil War cemetery near the Miamisburg Mound. Since 2004, she has spent more than 400 hours on the project.
Barbara Bonifas, CEO of Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, leads a region that’s now the fifth largest in the United States, encompassing 32 counties, 50,000 girls and 14,000 volunteers. While some wording may have changed over the years, she says the organization’s youth development model has remained constant. “Our society has changed,” says Bonifas, “but the girls still join to have fun. We have always been a non-formal education organization that uses cooperative and experiential learning. That means the girls work in small groups to plan activities, execute those activities and then reflect on them.”
Building leaders
Girl Scouts are also using the occasion of its 100th birthday to introduce ToGet HerThere, an initiative designed “to help break down societal barriers that hinder girls from leading and achieving the highest ranks in all fields and industries, from science and technology to business and government.”
The old Girl Scout Handbook is now a series of Journey Books that take girls on special adventures. Examples include “It’s Your Planet, Love it,” and “It’s Your World: Change It.” There’s an emphasis on 21st century skills: problem solving, communications, critical thinking, relationships and community service.
“We don’t just go out and sell cookies,” says scout leader Tami Lott of Monroe. “We want the girls to learn about how to start a business, about business plans and marketing.”
Lott believes the mentoring aspect of scouting is what’s most important to leaders.
“It’s important to show girls that they really can be or do anything they want to,” she says. “This year is the Year of the Girl, a big national push focusing on the idea of girls becoming leaders in society. It allows girls to think on a grand scale — they can be business CEOs, political figures. My girls are going to look back on scouting and remember science, math, technology.”
Building relationships
Lott says there are also important lessons in scouting about relationships.
“My scouts are now at the age where girls are starting to do little things that can hurt each other’s feelings,” Lott says. “So we talk about being friendly and helpful and considerate and caring. If I try to teach them to live by the Girl Scout law and if they can live their lives that way, they’ll grow up to be amazing women and leaders in society.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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