Happy Birthday Girl Scouts!

Today is the 99th Anniversary of the Girl Scout movement in the US.

Dear Girl Scouts USA,

On the occasion of your birthday I would like to congratulate you for 99 years of excellence.

Thank you for providing a safe place for girls to be themselves while they're still trying on so many versions of what that means.  Thank you for all the good times.  Thank you for giving them something to look forward to. They will never forget summers in Swagman or Smuggler's Notch or the chilly nights spent with sleeping bags pulled up over their heads, full of overwhelming gratitude for another day.





I will always be amazed that the waterfront director never figured out who moved the kayaks into the swim docks.  We all remember our camp pranks fondly.

Thank you for bringing us together.

The best friends I've ever had were tested by fire and horizontal rain and conditions that were uncomfortable at best.
















Thank you for teaching them about service.  They've learned even more about themselves by helping others than I would have guessed was possible.  Additionally, thanks for the confidence to believe that one person can make a difference.







Thank you for the skills they've learned.  Thank you for the know-how to get the job done, and for the courage to believe
in themselves enough to risk failure.


Here's to another 99 years and all the great things that will be done thanks to the program that inspires volunteers to lead rowdy gangs of pre-teens.  

How could we lose when all we have to do to succeed is be ourselves?




                                                                                    Your #1 Fan,




                                                                                    The Captain