It seems only fitting that we would celebrate the 102nd birthday of The Girls Scouts of America right in the middle of Women’s History Month. After all, few organizations have included such a large number of the most successful and famous women in history. Women who have taken the Girl Scout pledge include everyone from Lynda Carter, Shirley Temple, Taylor Swift, Hillary AND Chelsea Clinton to Sally Ride, Katy Couric, Sandra Day O’Connor, Condoleezza Rice and Lucille Ball… to name just a few.
Juliette Gordon Law: Founder of the Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of American came to be in the home of Juliette Gordon Law (known as Daisy) in Savannah Georgia on March 12, 1912 with 18 excited young girls. Today there over 3.2 million active Girl Scouts.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that a woman like Daisy was able to launch one of the most successful organizations for girls in history, years before women were even allowed to vote.
Growing up Daisy wrote poems, drew, acted in plays and was known as both a talented sculptor and painter. She loved animals, was a strong swimmer and captain of a women’s rowing team. In 1886 Daisy married and divided her time between her husband’s home in Britain and her family’s home in the U.S. During the Spanish-American war she came back to the U.S. to assist her mother with the war efforts here in the U.S.
She faced a number of challenges in her life, including being deaf. Before she was married Daisy lost her hearing in one ear after a series of mistreated ear infections. Then on her wedding day a piece of simple good luck rice landed in her other ear and became lodged damaging her ear drum, causing her to become deaf in that ear as well.
This didn’t stop her from living her life and even separating from her husband a few years before he died in 1905. In 1911 she met Sir Robert Bader-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts. Less than a year later she was hosting her first Girl Scout meeting with her own nice as the first registered member of the Girl Scouts.
Daisy welcomed girls of all backgrounds in girl Scouts and introduced to the outdoors. While she did help these girls learn important homemaking skills, she also gave them the tools they would need to succeed in many careers as well such as the arts, science and business. Daisy was especially welcoming to disabled girls, who at that time were barred from most group activities in the U.S.
Daisy passed away in 1927 from Breast cancer leaving a legacy of Girl power and SheHerosim that is celebrated still today.
Happy Birthday Girl Scouts from all of us at SheHeroes!
