Happy Birthday, Girl Scouts!

I am late in wishing a happy birthday to the Girl Scouts. The organization turned 97 on March 12th. A little history from the inbox:

Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouting in 1912 in Savannah, Ga., with one troop of 18 girls, and since then more than 50 million girls have built leadership skills through Girl Scouting. Research shows that Girl Scout alumnae now represent 70 percent of women serving in Congress, 64 percent of women listed in "Whose Who in America" and 53 percent of women business owners.

Illustrious alumnae include Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States; Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State; Eileen Collins, the first woman space shuttle commander; Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female president of Harvard University; and Katie Couric, the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast.

Those who have not delved into the details of the group may not know this but the Girl Scouts have an advancement track that is similar to, but not an exact replica of, the Boy Scouts Eagle Scout track. Junior Girl Scouts (roughly grades 4-6) can earn the Bronze Award, Cadettes (7-9) the Silver Award, and Senior Girl Scouts (10-12) the Gold Award. Colleges are paying more attention to these accomplishments, as evidence of ability and ingenuity.

If a girl within your sphere of influence is looking for something an activity to get involved in, she could do worse than the Girl Scouts.