Girl Scouting builds young ladies of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. It is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. Founded in 1912 by Juliette Low with just 18 members, Girl Scouts now consists of 3.7 million girls and adult members worldwide in 236,000 different troops dedicated to service and building character. Nearly one million adults volunteer with Girl Scouts of the USA every year. Its sister organization, Girl Guides, is active in 90 countries around the world. Laura Bush is the national honorary president. More than 50 million American women have been Girl Scouts and each knows the global impact rippling out. Each ripple starts at the hand of a little girl just like Brittany Roach.

March on, shore up the little troops, and support “girls growing strong.”

Girl Scouts of the USA

420 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10018

1-800-478-7248

www.girlscouts.org

Courageous and Strong

“It was supposed to be the trip of 12-year-old Brittany Roach's young life. Little did she know what challenges she and her family were about to face. For five consecutive months in 2001, the longtime Girl Scout had spent all her spare time collecting 3,000 pounds of toys, supplies, and other treats destined for poor orphaned children in Poland. She started the charitable project called “Collections for Kids” with her eyes set on earning Girl Scout’s Highest Award for girls 11-14 — a Silver Award. While other girls her age in West Los Angeles were busy picking school outfits or shopping for CDs, Brittany coordinated drives that amassed loads of diapers, shoes, and even wheelchairs. Poland wasn’t Brittany’s first choice. “My friend’s dad owns an orphanage in China where we originally wanted to do something, but all the kids got adopted. We thought about Korea, but were told it would be too hard politically. Our neighbor suggested Poland because even though the Polish people don’t have much, they will give you the shirts off their backs. So we went along with that idea.” In the one-time Soviet occupied country, Brittany discovered that children and their families only dreamed of luxuries like a new toy or a mattress…”