SFWfeaturing sioux falls
Girl Scouts Celebrate 100 Years
One Woman’s Legacy Has Empowered Millions by Margaret Pennock • Photos by Julie Prairie Photography & Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons
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012 marked the 100th anniversary for an American classic: the Girl Scouts of the USA. Perhaps most renowned for their delectable cookies, the Girl Scouts organization delivers much more substance than a Thin Mint by helping mold tomorrow’s leaders through opportunity, positive reinforcement and community focus. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, the organization has grown to a membership base of more than 3.2 million girls and adults nationwide, with more than 50 million alumni members. Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons is the regional Council, serving 13,000 girls encompassing North Dakota, South Dakota, 13 counties in Minnesota and one in Iowa. Headquarters for the Council is located in Sioux Falls and serves 5,000 members in the immediate area. According to Chief Communications Officer Ann Metli, “The organization has always seen themselves as an advocate for girls. We have launched a new program ‘To Get Her There,’ which encourages a supportive environment paving a path to success for our members. Our advocacy is becoming more and more important.” “I was a girl member and grew up in Rapid City,” Dakota Horizons Program Director Kristi Thunker says. “Initially I joined because it was something to do with my girlfriends
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SIOUX FALLS WOMAN • a pril/ma y 2012
Since 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA has become an increasingly positive influence on American girls and women. The Girl Scout mission: to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.