I Have a Dream - 50th Anniversary of March on Washington

An article about Girl Scouts was published in TIME magazine’s special edition about the March on Washington. The story, sponsored by AT&T and Geico, charts the Movement's long and proud legacy of diversity and inclusion and notes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement that Girl Scouts was a “force for desegregation.”
TIME also hosted a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C., that included Anna Maria Chávez, Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA, Lydia Soto-Harmon, Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, and a number of others.

In addition, Anna has written a column for the Huffington Post, which also focuses on Girl Scouting and our commitment to diversity. “We have come a long way since Dr. King's dream inspired our nation to root out racism a half a century ago,” Anna writes. “Now, as then, we still have a lot of work to do for that dream to become a reality—but we are making progress.

To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and our Girl Scout commitment to diversity, consider introducing girls to the GSCCC I Have a Dream council badge.

Beazley Foundation Awards Grant to Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast has been approved to receive a $10,000 grant from the Beazley Foundation to serve at least 50 girls who live in at-risk areas in Portsmouth. The girls will participate in financial literacy, healthy living, and environmental activities. There will also be opportunities for teen girls to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) projects, as well as career exploration activities. Additionally, the girls served through this grant will participate in the new Girl Scouts of the USA bullying prevention series, BFF: Be a Friend First, which teaches girls how to build social and emotional skills, the importance of respecting others and ways to make healthy and responsible decisions. 

“Helping girls living in at-risk areas today may prevent poverty and illiteracy in their future,"Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast CEO Tracy Keller said. “If we don’t invest in preventative programs, such as the high-quality ones offered by Girl Scouts, we run the risk of our young people engaging in high-risk behaviors that have economic and social implications.”

The Girl Scout Leadership Experience will have a lasting impact on the girls who participate. The Girl Scout Research Institute has found that women who were Girl Scouts display a more positive sense of self, are more engaged in community service, are more civically engaged and attain higher levels of education than women who were never Girl Scouts.

The girls served through this grant will receive handbook resources,Girl Scout uniforms, and will be able to attend summer camp sessions where they will continue to build leadership skills and learn how to work as part of a team.

Support through grants, such as the one presented by the Beazley Foundation, allows Girl Scouts to further their mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.