A post from the Girl Scout Blog (see below) has inspired me beyond imaginable belief. When I was growing up, I was taught to believe that I was beneath everything, certain activities just weren't for a family of our stature (I say stature lightly because we were a family, that had nothing, came from nothing and would probably amount to nothing, or so we thought). I used to see the girls that lived in the upper-class neighborhoods (we in the shadows), a few of whom were my friends, and they were part of the Girl Scouts. I was so excited to hear about all of the things they'd do and learn, that I wanted to be a part of this phenomenal organization! I don't know what happened, but that dream died as soon as it escaped my lips.
It wasn't until I doubled in age that I'd hear and learn about Girl Scouts all over again. I now had a young girl to raise and she needed something that was worthwhile, educational, and entertaining. An idea that a group of girls would empower her in leadership and individuality, strengthening her relationships with girls just like her, I was very excited.
My daughter Isis has been girl scouting since she was 5, she's devoted 7 years to Girl Scouts and plans to take it as far as she can go. She's made some fantastic friends, brought friends into to Girl Scouts, learned great lessons, traveled a bit, she's learned to be confident, strong and be her own person, she's learned what it is to give back to her community and earned the Bronze Award, one of the three prestigious awards given to girls in Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts has really helped shaped Isis and as I see her blossom into a young lady, I'm grateful for this experience.
This year Girl Scouts Celebrate 100 years, we traveled to Savannah, GA, the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, and the location of the first Girl Scout Meeting. Being there, where it all began, learning more about the founder, the foundation on which Girl Scouting was built and to see how far they've come, was the most amazing experience, I was so grateful to be a part of it. Yes, Juliette Gordon Low is the Founder, but none of it would be possible if it weren't for the volunteers.
Volunteers like the Troop Leader of Troop 2096, Karen Hammack.
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In front of the Garden where Juliette Gordon Low lived...
6 girls remain in Ms. Hammacks troop since Daisy Level (kindergarten), Isis is the third from the Right. |
A Girl Scout Alumni herself, Karen raised her daughter through girl scouting, until she graduated and moved on to college, and she still continues to volunteer until her troop graduates High School, even though she has no children within the program. Her support, dedication and overall love for the program is admirable and astonishing at best. Her contribution to Girl Scouts and her troop has made a name for herself within the Girl Scout community, she aims for nothing but the best for her girls and the girls give nothing short of that in return. Every year, my daughter anticipates what's next, what she can/will achieve, and has an overall excitement about the program, and I accredit all of that to our Troop Leader, Karen Hammack.
This year, so fittingly, the Founder Juliette Gordon Low was awarded the most prestigious award given in the United States to Civilians, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her goals, her vision, and for the creation of such a phenomenal all girl program.
I'd like to say and state that for the record, that this medal goes to the volunteers, Karen Hammack and the others who are dedicated to the program and the girls within, because without them, Girl Scouts wouldn't exist today.
I wanted to say Thank you, to all of the volunteers that help make Troop 2096 a great success, but especially to Karen, for giving my daughter something that I never had, for helping her build up her confidence and self-esteem, teaching her about true friendships, and enabling her to become a leader and a role model for her younger siblings! There is no amount of gratitude that I could express to say how much it all means.
Taken from the Girl Scout Blog:
Presidential Medal of Freedom to be Awarded to the Founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low
Posted: 26 Apr 2012 12:38 PM PDT
The White House announced today that President Obama is posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low. The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, recognizes individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors".
“Juliette Gordon Low was a visionary, whose legacy lives on in the 59 million American women who have been part of Girl Scouting at some point in their lives,” said Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. “She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally and spiritually, and in founding the Girl Scouts in 1912, she made an indelible and enduring contribution to the lives of girls and to our nation. It is so fitting that on our 100th anniversary, she should be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
From the beginning, the Girl Scouts has insisted on being a voice for all girls. Juliette Gordon Low's first 18 Girl Scouts included girls from influential Savannah families, as well as girls from the Female Orphan Asylum and Congregation Mickve Israel. As early as 1917 the first African-American troops were established, as well as troops for disabled girls. One of the earliest Latina troops was formed in 1922; Girl Scout troops supported Japanese-American girls in internment camps in the 1940s, and by the 1950s, Girl Scouts was leading the charge to fully integrate all of its troops. In 1956, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called Girl Scouts "a force for desegregation."
Low’s exemplary life, work, and legacy have received many forms of recognition in the past. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill authorizing a stamp in honor of Low. On October 28, 1979, Low was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, and on December 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill naming a new federal building in Savannah in honor of her. It was the second federal building in history to be named after a woman. A bust of Low is displayed in the State Capitol of Georgia.
In receiving The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Low joins the ranks of Frances Hesselbein, who in 1998 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work with the Girl Scouts of the USA. Hesselbein served as the CEO for the Girl Scouts of the USA, and is credited with increasing minority membership and establishing the Daisy Scout program for the youngest girls accepted into Girl Scouts.
Until Next Time,
