CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/55927
FEATURE Star Gazers BY DIANE SILCOX-JARRETT For 100 years Girl Scouts here and elsewhere have helped girls aim high and reach their goals E ven if your image of Girl Scouts includes girls camping and looking up into a starry night, learning the constellations, just a little tired aſter a day of hik- ing, it might be hard to picture a group of young ladies doing so a hundred years ago. But in 1912 Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low felt called to make such scenes a reality and in- vited girls to come into her Savannah, Georgia, home to cre- ate the first American Girl Guides (the name was changed to Girl Scouts the next year). Low was inspired by the Boy Scouts and wanted young girls to have the same opportunities as the boys. Drawing on her enthusiasm for the arts, animals, and nature, she also wanted girls to realize they could become in- volved in their communities in many different ways. A hundred years later, "Daisy" Low would be more than proud to see how Girl Scouts and their leaders have carried forward her ideas and adapted them to the modern world. "Girl Scouts of today learn similar lessons the girls of the past 64 | March/April • 2012 decades learned," said Leslie Cross, membership director for Girls Scouts in Cumberland County. "They learn life lessons — how to cook, how to be a good citizen, conflict resolution, self-esteem and more. Through Girl Scouts girls will be able discover themselves and their values, connect with others, and take action to make the world a better place." There are approximately 3,000 girls in the Fayetteville area who are learning those lessons with the guidance of their de- voted leaders. Cross herself was a Brownie while growing up in California and has served as a Scout leader for both of her daughters. She shares her job in the area with Valerie Jackson, who also serves as a membership director. Jackson, who has been working with the Girl Scouts for four years, said that when she was growing up no one presented her the opportu- nity to participate in Girl Scouts. "That is why I do what I do to make sure Girl Scouting is available to all girls, no matter where they live."