Girl Scouts begin 100th year
by March 13, 2012 4:27 pm 88 views
FORT SMITH — On March 12, 1912, Juliette Low returned from England and made just one call to her cousin with the idea of “Girl Guides."
Low said, “Come right over! I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all America, and all the world; and we're going to start tonight.”
How could she have known that her group of 18 would become the Girl Scouts and that their numbers would reach 3.7 million across the globe 100 years later?
To mark the 100 anniversary day of the founding of the Girl Scouts, the Fort Smith Museum of History hosted an opening reception Monday (March 12) for a museum-quality exhibit of artifacts from the Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, the regional chapter of the Girl Scouts.
The exhibit runs through June 22, and includes old uniforms, lapel pins and photos that recount the history of the regional chapter.
“We wanted a fun exhibit for girls to enjoy,” said Debbie Robinson.
During the reception, all Girl Scouts on hand were called to the National Historic Site, where they helped raise a 1860s flag. Later, while gathered arm-over-arm in a “promise circle,” they recited the Girl Scouts Promise.” (A great video of Girl Scouts reciting the promise can be found on the Girl Scouts website.)
To celebrate the historic 100th anniversary year, the national organization declared 2012 “The Year of the Girl” and launched an aggressive campaign to celebrate girls and draw widespread attention to the issues they face. The Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas will have more celebratory events over the coming year.