March is Women’s History Month and we are so excited to be celebrating all the accomplishments of women of courage, confidence, and character throughout history! March is the perfect month to celebrate women in history since its also the anniversary of our founding. Since our founding, Girl Scouts has been supporting female leaders by encouraging girls to get involved in community service and advocacy. To celebrate these contributions, we’re looking back on some of the ways Girl Scouts has left its mark on history!

1920, the 19th Amendment. Girl Scouts has always been an organization that valued civic engagement and the fight for women’s suffrage was a focus on many early Girl Scouts. Troops across the Northeast were known to hold or join rallies in Central Park to advocate for women’s rights. Following the ratification of the amendment, many troops offered free babysitting to allow mothers an opportunity to cast their ballot!

1930, The Great Depression. Less than 20 years after the founding of Girl Scouts the USA faced its greatest challenge when the entire economy collapsed. Girl Scouts, with its early focus on community service, was ready to jump in and help. Across the country troops collected food and clothing donations to assist their community during the time. Beyond food and clothing drives, Girl Scouts took on volunteer positions at overwhelmed hospitals and schools to help these vital institutions keep their doors open.

1940, World War II. By the time World War II broke out Girl Scouts had perfected its ability to recognize need and mobilize, and girls logged over 15 million service hours during the war! Girl Scouts took action by growing “victory gardens” to help with food rations, collected scrap metal and rubber to be used in the war effort, and even began their own bicycle courier services!

1960, Civil Right Movement. Juliette Gordon Low had always believed in the power of every girl which inspired Girl Scouts long history of diversity and inclusion. Girl Scouts fought to lead the way for a world where the color of your skin didn’t matter, and was called “a force for desegregation” by none other than Martin Luther King Jr!

1990, The Digital World. With the sudden boom in personal computer use and a rapidly changing technological landscape, Girl Scouts introduced its first technology badge. Since then Girl Scouts has been a leader in advocating for internet safety and has encouraged girls to pursue their passion for IT through partnerships with Google, codeSpark and more!

2000, Healthy Development. While Girl Scouts prepared for its upcoming centennial celebration, the organization shifted its focus to promoting healthy female development. It was then that the Girl Scout Research Institute was founded to research and report on studies that would benefit not only Girl Scouts but every girl.

Today. Today Girl Scouts continues our mission to promote healthy female development and continues to be on the forefront of women’s history. Currently, almost all female U.S. astronauts were Girl Scouts, 50% of US businesswomen were Girl Scouts, 5 of the 9 female Governors and every female U.S. Secretary of State participated in Girl Scouting.

Girl Scouts have sure left their mark on history and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for every girl! Interested in joining the movement? Visit our website to learn more.