Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween is a time for ghosts, goblins and…Girl Scouts?

On October 31 in 1860, Girl Scout founder, Juliette Gordon Low, was born in Savannah, Georgia. "Daisy," as she was affectionately called by family and friends, formed the first Girl Scout troop in 1912. Every year, Girl Scout councils around the nation celebrate October 31 as Founder’s Day. Troops from every state hold celebrations to honor Juliette and her passion for Girl Scouting.

Pocatello troop 564 celebrated this year with cupcakes and a history of Juliette Gordon Low. Troop Leader Autumn M. dressed up as Juliette complete with authentic 1900’s attire and 100 year old shoes. Service Unit 55 in Meridian held a 1912 style birthday celebration complete with period costumes.

Some troops used Founder’s Day to honor one of the core tenants of Girl Scouting: community service. Twin Falls troop 47 and Service Unit 19 collected more than 100 pairs of new and gently used pajamas to donate to the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program and Valley Health. Seventy Girl Scouts brought their donations to a pajama party where they made ghost lollipops, crafts and played a variety of games.

How did your troop/Service Unit celebrate?

Did You Know?
  • On Juliette’s wedding day in 1886, a piece of rice thrown in celebration became lodged in her ear. When the doctor tried to remove it, he permanently damaged her left ear drum.
  • Money was needed to keep Girl Scouts afloat so Juliette sold the pearl necklace her husband had given her as a wedding present.
  • Juliette was 52 years old when she created Girl Scouts.
  • In childhood, Juliette was known for taking in stray dogs and cats which earned her the nickname, “Crazy Daisy”.
  • In 1979, Juliette was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

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