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In 1912, Juliette Daisy Gordon gathered a group of 18 ecstatic young girls together over a shared vision of empowerment. Today, Girl Scouts of the USA has evolved into a cultural rite of passage for future leaders and confident women the world over. From Friday, July 27 to Sunday, July 29, 15,000 Girl Scouts from New York and Pennsylvania will assemble at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary.
During the day Friday, the girls will be indulging in contemporary activities from arts and culture to science and technology, all the while promoting healthy living and enjoying the great outdoors. On Saturday night, an alumnae reception will give former members the chance to reminisce about their days as a scout and share their experiences with the girls.
With more than 3.2 million current members and 59 million alumnae in the United States alone, Girl Scouts continues to shape the ambitions and confidence of young girls striving to grow into the leaders of tomorrow. We caught up with three local former Girl Scouts, who told us their stories.
Growing up in Chicago, Liz Ayers still remembers the confidence stepping into her Girl Scout uniform brought. Ayers’ mother was a Girl Scout leader, inspiring her and her two sisters to join the troop. She marched proudly alongside her troop each year on Memorial Day. “I loved the idea of bonding with other girls and the leadership aspect of Girl Scouts was important. Little did I know I was on the cusp of women becoming true professionals so I think that was a wonderful catalyst for me,” said Ayers.
Today, Ayers still carries with her the leadership values and skills for professionalism she acquired from her experience with the Girl Scouts. “Most of my friends married, had kids and didn’t work, but I did,” she said. “Girl Scouts set the stage for me, and I probably didn’t even know it.” While working at WTVH-Channel 5 (now a memory) for 18 years, Ayers won two Emmys. Now she is the director of development and grants for WCNY-Channel 24.
Being a Girl Scout was more than just having fun with her friends, Ayers remembered, although that was a big part of it, especially on camping trips. Back then, there weren’t many afterschool activities, especially for girls. As a Girl Scout, Ayers acquired skills and learned the value of being selfless and growing into a compassionate leader. Years later, she became a Brownie leader.
Another former scout, Gwendolyn Webber-McLeod’s childhood in a military family wasn’t always easy. Her father, a military officer, moved the family all over the United States and Europe. The frequent change of scenery made it difficult for her to make friends; Webber-McLeod’s only constant was Girl Scouts.
Her fellow troop members’ military backgrounds bonded them and they were able to relate to each other’s struggles from constantly transitioning from place to place. “One of the things I can remember as a little girl is everything I did in Girl Scouting made me think I could do anything,” she explained. “So when I think about that, I always felt very confident and capable when I was a Girl Scout.”
One of the quests of Girl Scouting is to add badges to a sash worn across the right shoulder. Webber-McLeod said earning them—Community Service and Cooking—helped her grow into a strong, confident young woman. “Receiving those badges was visual indication that I was smart enough to achieve anything I put my mind to,” she said.
Webber-McLeod graduated from Keuka College seeking to work for an organization that shared her values of the development of women and people of color. For a while she worked as director of communications and development for the Seven Lakes Girl Scout Council in the Finger Lakes, and she has watched the organization evolve over the years, adopting corporate strategies and operating as a successful business.
“The thing that is a constant is that I still experience Girl Scouting in the same way—it is a safe place where girls can gather to develop confidence and begin the process of believing that if they put their mind to something they truly can become anything they desire to be,” she said.
Girl Scouts provided Webber-McLeod with the courage to eventually start her own business, Gwen Inc., a private sector leadership development corporation based in Auburn. Webber-McLeod takes pride in being a confident mentor to aspiring female leaders, sharing her skills to teach them how to be competent, courageous and calm. Still, she maintains her ties with the Girl Scouts, donating money and speaking to troops.
Amy Robbins might not have been the best swimmer at Camp Near Wilderness in West Monroe, but she was exceptional at cookie sales. “Ted {Long, her WNTQ-FM 93.1 cohort} still makes fun of my beginner bather cap,” she admitted. Robbins first joined Girl Scouts as a Brownie, for ages 6 to 8, and continued through middle school. Girl Scouts was a way for her to meet friends, which came in handy while she was adjusting to new home towns after her parents moved the family several times.
Robbins still laughs about her days peddling Girl Scout cookies around nearby apartment buildings. “Selling cookies was interesting because we wouldn’t take a pre-order, we used to have to lug the cookies all over the place,” she said. “My mother would drop us off at apartment buildings and we’d be lugging these cookies through the buildings trying to sell them.”
While it may have seemed like a chore, selling cookies imparted to Robbins leadership values. The cookie sales taught the girls how to work with people and manage money. Whether they were earning badges or spending a weekend camping, the girls were able to test their strengths and build confidence.
In seventh grade, when she lived in Henderson, N.Y., Robbins’ troop took a trip to WSTM-Channel 3 headquarters on James Street. Laura Hand guided the tour, giving the girls a glimpse into the communications industry. Inspired by the trip, Robbins set her ambitions to some day work in the field.
A graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in communications, Robbins has co-hosted the morning show on 93Q with Long for 24 years. Thinking back to how much that trip to Channel 3 meant to her, Robbins frequently gives tours around Cumulus Media headquarters, hoping to inspire young girls as Hand had inspired her. “No matter how old you get, your experiences are all a part of growing up,” she said.
—Amanda Galster
