Girl Scout Clarion, 1947-1956

Juliette Gordon Low founded this organization with a vision for girls across the country to build courage, confidence, and character in a time where women were overlooked in society. Low’s vision quickly turned into the Girl Scout Movement. Low’s goal was to introduce young girls to service opportunities and educational trainings outdoors, out of the confines of their expected household chores.

As of 2019, there are over 2.5 million young girls and women who are involved in the organization and believe in the power of the G.I.R.L. (Go-Getter, Innovator, Risk Taker, Leader). Other core values taught through Girl Scouts are honesty, friendship, compassion, caring, courage, strength, responsibility, and respect.

The first Girl Scout troop in North Carolina was founded c1914. The eight administrative councils in North Carolina are: Pisgah Girl Scout Council (Asheville); Pioneer Girl Scout Council (Gastonia); Hornet's Nest Girl Scout Council (Charlotte); Catawba Valley Girl Scout Council (Hickory); Tar Heel Triad Girl Scout Council (Colfax); Pines of Carolina Girl Scout Council (Raleigh); Girl Scout Council of Coastal Carolina (Goldsboro); and Girl Scout Council of the Colonial Coast (Chesapeake, Va.)

Community service and volunteerism are two main components of the Girl Scouts organization. Some examples of community projects the North Carolina troops have worked on are comforting hospitalized children with homemade stuffed animals, Habitat for Humanity, greenways and parks, working in homeless shelters, and tutoring. There are also many notable women from North Carolina who have impacted many minds: Maya Angelou, Flora Randle Scott, Debra Stewart, Elaine Marshall, and Gwendolynn Chunn.