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"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!"
-- Juliette Gordon Low
On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low gathered eighteen girls in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, and registered them as the first troop of the American Girl Guides. Renamed and incorporated as the Girl Scouts, Inc. in 1915, the organization celebrates its centennial this year. Low was the founding force behind this beloved institution.
Born in 1860, Low was an artistic, humorous, and active girl who later enjoyed traveling and philanthropy. Despite struggles with severely limited hearing and a turbulent marriage, Low sought a cause to which she could dedicate her life. In 1911, after meeting the founder of the British-based Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, Low knew she had found her calling. Now, one century later, 50 million women have participated in the Girl Scouts. There are currently more than 3.2 million members in the United States, making the Girl Scouts the largest educational organization for girls in the world. |