WHEREAS, On March 12, 1912, the first Girl Scout meeting was held in Savannah, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, The first Girl Scout meeting was led by Juliette Gordon Low who founded the Girl Scouts of the USA after meeting with Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides; and

WHEREAS, In order to launch the Girl Scout Movement in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low sold her valuable necklace of rare matched pearls to support the organization and to pay the rent at the Girl Scout national office in Washington, DC. She was quoted as saying, Jewels are not important but my Girl Scouts are, they need the money more than I need pearls.; and

WHEREAS, In 1917, Girl Scouts sought a way to financially support their objective of building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place, and the first cookie sale began in the kitchens and ovens of girl members, with moms volunteering as technical advisers; and

WHEREAS, In 1935, the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York raised money through the sale of commercially baked cookies. Buying its own die in the shape of a trefoil, the group used the words Girl Scout Cookies on the box; and

WHEREAS, In 1936, the national Girl Scout organization began the process of licensing the first commercial bakers to produce cookies that would be sold nationwide by girls in Girl Scout councils; and

WHEREAS, In 1951, Girl Scout Cookies came in three varieties: Sandwich, Shortbread, and Thin Mints. The door-to-door sales strategy was the cornerstone of the approach to selling Girl Scout Cookies, but with the advent of the suburbs, girls at booths began selling cookies in shopping malls; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the Girl Scout Cookie Program launched the Digital Cookie, that introduced vital 21st century lessons about online marketing, app usage, and e-commerce to Girl Scouts, while still maintaining the door-to-door and booth sales; and

WHEREAS, Girl Scout Cookie sales teach five skills that are essential to leadership, to success, and to life: Goal Setting, Decisionmaking, Money Management, People Skills, and Business Ethics. Girls learn that there is no limit to their success and that any goal they set is achievable, as they utilize the skills they learn selling cookies; and

WHEREAS, Juliette Gordon Low gave so much of herself to others that Girl Scouts has continued to grow from the first 18 scouts in Savannah in 1912 and it has been the power of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, that has created a sisterhood of courageous, confident women of character throughout our nation; and

WHEREAS, Since the first meeting, more than 59 million girls have participated in the Girl Scout Movement during their childhood, and that number continues to grow as Girl Scouts of the USA continues to inspire, challenge, and empower girls everywhere; and

WHEREAS, There are currently 2.7 million Girl Scouts: 1.9 million girl members and 800,000 adult members working primarily as volunteers; and

WHEREAS, Through its membership in the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a worldwide family of 10 million girls and women in 146 countries; and

WHEREAS, The Girl Scouts is the largest, longest running, and most effective leadership program for girls, not only in the United States, but in the world; and

WHEREAS, Seventy-five percent of the women currently in the United States Senate and more than half of the 88 women in the United States House of Representatives were Girl Scouts when they were children; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-five percent of all women astronauts are former Girl Scouts and former Girl Scouts have flown in over one-third of all space shuttle missions; and

WHEREAS, An estimated 80 percent of women business executives and business owners were once Girl Scouts; and

WHEREAS, Sixty-four percent of todays female leaders listed in Whos Who of American Women in the United States were once Girl Scouts; and

WHEREAS, Countless women educators, scientists, and women in the media and performing arts discovered their passions and talents as Girl Scouts; and

WHEREAS, In the 1900s Girl Scouts developed the same core values while learning housekeeping and forestry badges as girls learn today while earning computer technology and financial literacy badges; and

WHEREAS, That same social consciousness continues today as the Girl Scouts champion the ideals of acceptance, understanding, cultural awareness, and tolerance; and

WHEREAS, Girl Scouts develops girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature is proud to join the Girl Scouts of the USA in recognizing their 106th anniversary and the 101st anniversary of their beloved cookies; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

ACR 193: The Girl Scouts.

Assembly Floor

News Coverage: