Kicking Off Girl Scout Week
It’s time to celebrate! From March 9 – 15, Girl Scouts everywhere are celebrating and honoring the Girl Scout Movement. The Girl Scout Birthday on March 12 commemorates the day in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization’s first 18 girl members in Savannah, Georgia. This year, 2025, represents our 113th birthday! Troops and individual members here at GSCCC have plenty of activities planned to celebrate.
Troop 30 in Chesapeake kicked off the week with a special troop event at A Place for Girls, spearheaded by one of the troop leaders, Wendy Ireland. The troop invited GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller and Gold Award Girl Scout Alum Maureen Keller to participate in the event through storytelling that served a dual purpose: a celebration of Girl Scout Week and Women in History.
Before diving into her own Girl Scout journey, Tracy took time to recognize five Girl Scout Juniors from the troop who had recently earned their Girl Scout Bronze Award. Girl Scouts Brooke T., Alison D., Melody I., Sydney P. and Sierra D. completed a Bronze Award project that benefited the Chesapeake Humane Society. They collaborated with the animal shelter with a goal to gain more visibility and awareness for the shelter’s new Crisis Boarding Program. They also placed a Free Little Library next to an existing Free Little Pantry at the shelter. They used cookie proceeds to help support and fund the project.
Commending the girls for their good work, Tracy mentioned that her daughter, Ash, also a Gold Award Girl Scout alum, had chosen to support the Chesapeake Humane Society with her highest award project, and had established a Free Little Library in Chesapeake to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award. “It really is amazing how many similar experiences we have as sister Girl Scouts,” Tracy said while speaking to the gathered audience of girls, caregivers and volunteers. “As Maureen and I present today, I want you to see if you can pick three things that are similar to what Girl Scouts do today, and three things that are different or that we no longer do as Girl Scouts.”
As stories unfolded, Tracy and Maureen took time to also show their Girl Scout sashes and vests, explaining the awards on each. “There are so many traditions that are the same, but many things have changed,” Tracy said while pointing to a pin on her Girl Scout Senior uniform. “I earned a Career Exploration Pin which has been retired. I did this during a time when not many women were in science and math fields, so it was a special program to help Girl Scouts explore and open up their worlds. As new generations are introduced to Girl Scouts, there are new programs and awards that meet their interest and needs. Looking back even further, to my mom’s generation, there were badges and awards that I did not have access to either, because they no longer met the current generations’ needs. We remain relevant but we have continued to keep the core values for 113 years!”
Maureen presented slides of photos from her Girl Scout years that started when she joined as a Girl Scout Daisy. Highlights that drew the girls’ attention included cookie booth time, travels to Italy and England, and opportunities to be a National Delegate and attend National Council Meetings.
Maureen, now a freshman at the University of Alabama, said, “You can do so much as a Girl Scout. I recommend that you look at opportunities on our Council’s website and other places where Girl Scout news and information is shared. The next National Council Meeting will be in 2026 in Washington D.C., so it is very attainable for you to attend. My entire Girl Scout travel on the Destinations I shared with you today were paid for by my cookie proceeds, all but what I spent on souvenirs. You need to set a goal first, know what you want to do, and then go for it. I was also able to get many of the tools I needed for college from the cookie rewards, like the laptop I use. And I’ve been able to get a lot of scholarships for college because of the leadership skills I learned and the leadership roles I had in Girl Scouts.”
Guests also enjoyed looking through Tracy’s memorabilia, from her days as a youth in Girl Scouts, including uniform pieces and scrapbooks. Tracy ended her presentation by saying, “I have had some phenomenal experiences in Girl Scouts, and so has Maureen — and so can you! You’re already making those memories.”
Find fun games, activities, downloads, video and more to help you celebrate on our Girl Scout Week page.
