Not only does the new year reflect change for your calendars, businesses and insurance policies, but it means another year of high anticipation for organizations. You know just what I'm talking about, especially if you make your way to the local supermarket only to find the doors crowded with people dying to get their hands on the hottest item of every year. Girl Scout Cookies. To celebrate this coveted time of year, let's take a look at some fun facts you probably never knew about the Girl Scouts unless you've worn the vest yourself.
1. A Century of Service
In 2017, the Girl Scouts celebrate their 105th year as an organization. Girl Scouts was created in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia, the same year as the Boy Scouts.
2. Diversity is Key
The original Girl Scout troop organized by founder Juliette Gordon Low had 18 girl scouts with different ethnicities, classes, cultures and abilities. Low's hope was to break the boundaries of the time in order to help girls become the leaders they were meant to be.
3. Not so secret Handshake
As if they could get any cooler, Girl Scouts have their own handshake for scouts and "Girl Guides" all over the world to use as a greeting. To do the handshake, you shake with your left hand and make the Girl Scout sign with your right, with is holding your three middle fingers in the air with your thumb and pinky held down. This signifies the three Promises of Girl Scouts (serve God and Country, help people at all times, follow GS law), and with the left hand being closest to the heart, Friendship.
4. SWAPS
Forget Badges- SWAPS, standing for “Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere" are tokens of friendship that Girl Scouts give to fellow members while travelling, meant to reflect a memory of a special event or the Girl Scout themselves. They can be all sorts of crafts, not bought though, and there is even a guide to giving your own SWAPS!
5. Religious Celebration
As the Girl Scout Promise and Law includes principles that can be found in many religions, the organization encourages girls to grow spiritually and connect their work with Girl Scouts to their spiritual journeys. Scouts can earn pins each year for their efforts connecting the two, and can participate in religious recognition programs
6. Millions of Girls
There are 2.7 million Girl Scouts, including 1.9 million girls and 800,000 adult volunteers. Girls really do run the world! Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is the largest organization for girls in the world.
7. COOKIES
Selling over $800 million dollars of cookies annually, Girl Scouts are the biggest girl-led business in the world. More than 200 million boxes of cookies are sold each year, with the most popular being (no shocker) THIN MINTS!
8. Famous Alumni
With over 59 million women in America that have participated in Girl Scouts, it's no surprise that there are so many celebrity scouts. Former Scouts include stars like Taylor Swift, Carrie Fisher, Maria Carrey, Katie Couric, Serena and Venus Williams, Hillary Clinton and many many more influential women.
9. There's an app for that
You can now buy cookies online or through their official app, the Girl Scout Cookie Finder. Feeding your Caramel deLites addiction got that much easier.
10. Making the World a Better Place
Just as Girl Scouts enables girls to gain confidence and leadership skills they were destined to have, all while bringing good to their communities, they serve to empower girls of all backgrounds and histories. On this Martin Luther King Jr Day, we remember his acknowledgment of the Girl Scouts as a "force for desegregation" and a force for positive change. Thanks for being you, Girl Scouts!
