A Century of G.I.R.L. Scouts

Courtesy of Girl Scouts USA.

'Thanks Badge' given to Edith Bolling Wilson in 1917.

One hundred years ago, Edith Bolling Wilson accepted an invitation to become the first Honorary President of the Girl Scouts. She was given this title by Girl Scout founder, Juliette Gordon Low, who started the scouting group five years earlier in Savannah, Georgia. Both Wilson and Low worked to support scouting service efforts nationwide in support of World War I. Girl Scouts tended to Victory Gardens, sold Liberty Bonds, worked alongside the US Food Administration, and volunteered for the American Red Cross.

The Girl Scouts of America was established on March 12, 1912, by Juliette Gordon Low during the Progressive Era, a time when women in the United States could not vote. Low's first troop of 18 girls took part in a new outdoor and educational program for youth, which blazed trails and redefined what was possible for themselves and for girls everywhere.

This week, the Girl Scouts of America will host a three day conference in Columbus, Ohio. ‘G.I.R.L. 2017’ offers sessions for every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ who wants to stand up, take charge, and change the world, for her and for all of us.

As a part of the new G.I.R.L. initiative, the Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace will revise program offerings for Girl Scouts, with a new jewelry badge program for Juniors launching this month. Check out more programs for every G.I.R.L. at our Girl Scouts Program Page.

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