For Immediate Release
Contact: Susie Mamola
Director, Membership & Marketing
Girl Scouts of Western North Carolina Pisgah Council
PO Box 8249 • 64 WT Weaver Blvd.
Asheville , NC 28814
828-252-4442 or 800-522-6280 ext. 307
smamola@girlscoutswnc.org
www.girlscoutswnc.org
GIRL SCOUTS CELEBRATE 94-YEARS AS AMERICA ’S PREMIER GIRLS’ ORGANIZATION
March 1, 2006 , Asheville , NC …The Girl Scouts have a birthday this month and there’s plenty to celebrate. It’s been 94 years since the first Girl Scout troop meeting, and the organization has evolved from 18 members to some three million.
After returning to the United States from England , Juliette Gordon Low made a historic phone call to her cousin in March 1912, “Come right over! I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah , all America , and all the world, and we’re going to start it tonight.” The “something” was Girl Scouts, and the first group of girls embarked on Gordon Low’s vision. Low was determined to help expand opportunities and learning for the average American girl. At a time when many girls’ paths in life were limited to their social standing, Low’s vision was to establish an organization where any American girl could expand her personal horizon by having fun, while exploring new interests and contributing to society.
Today Girl Scouts can be found in every American zip code, and reaches girls and their families in suburbia, migrant communities, rural America , and major urban centers, as well as over the Internet. Through Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB), incarcerated mothers and their daughters are developing closer relationships, gaining self-esteem, and having fun in approximately 40 sites nationwide. For girls living within the criminal justice system, Girl Scouting in Detention Centers (GSDC) provides the tools they need to turn around their lives. Teenage Girl Scouts meet with members of congress and build community service projects that change lives.
While character, skill building and community service are still at the organization’s core, today’s Girl Scouts enjoy vast adventures in self-discovery with program offerings like self-defense, financial literacy, science & technology, personal leadership development, extreme sports, international travel, and mentorships with caring adults.
“In honor of Girl Scout Week, beginning on Sunday, March 12 th, our 94th Birthday, and running through Saturday, March 18 th, we thank the wonderful and supportive residents of Western North Carolina for their volunteer time, donations, and goodwill toward Girl Scouting this year. With your assistance we can offer all girls in our community so much to help them succeed, and to help them make the world a better place.
In our area, Girl Scouts will celebrate Girl Scout Week by participating in Girl Scout Sunday services in their local churches and helping with the 2006 Girl Scout Cookie Cook-Off by acting as Girl Scout ambassadors with participating restaurants throughout Western North Carolina .
Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent organization for girls, with more than 3 million girl and adult members. Now in its 94th year, Girl Scouting cultivates character, social conscience, and self-esteem in girls while teaching them the critical life skills to succeed as adults. In Girl Scouting, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. The organization strives to serve girls from every corner of the United States , Puerto Rico , and the Virgin Islands . For more information on how to join, volunteer, or donate to the Girl Scouts, call the Girl Scouts of Western North Carolina Pisgah Council at 828-252-4442 or visit us on-line at www.girlscoutswnc.org.
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Girl Scouts of Western North Carolina Pisgah Council serves 15 counties and exists to build girls of confidence, courage and character, who make the world a better place. F or more information and story ideas contact Susie Mamola.