What You Should Know About the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital

GSCNC's Fact Sheet in Spanish (PDF)

GSCNC's Fact Sheet in Farsi (PDF)

GSCNC's Fact Sheet in Korean (PDF)

GSCNC's Fact Sheet in Vietnamese (PDF)

Facts about the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital

The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital (GSCNC) has a combined girl and adult membership of 73,040¾ 50,845 girls in 4,184 troops and 22,195 adults. Our Girl Scouts are from the greater Washington area, including the District of Columbia, five counties in Maryland, five counties in Virginia, and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church.

Programs…

We offer programs for girls in their troops as well as through "beyond the troop" opportunities. In our math and science programs, 20,935 girls were served in 2004. Programs that focus on violence prevention, the performing arts, river refuge and wild life preservation attract big numbers every year. High adventure activities involving white water rafting, rock climbing and canoeing also are favorites, as are mentoring programs that bring together businesswomen and girls for activities as diverse as investment seminars and professional basketball games.

Last year 116 girls from our council earned the Gold Award, Girl Scouting's highest award that recognizes outstanding leadership and community service. Their projects included adopting a community shelter and working with residents, entertaining senior citizens in an assisted living facility, distributing health-related materials, organizing a heritage festival, sewing quilts and making blankets for use in disasters, planning a Special Olympics event, landscaping and gardening, creating a free library/reading program, teaching a theater workshop for at-risk children, arranging for pet registration, and planning a community health fair.

Our girls sold 4,289,572 boxes of cookies in the 2004 Girl Scout cookie sale. Each spring, a magazine subscription campaign is conducted to raise funds for camps, and in the fall girls sell GSCNC's full-color calendar to family and friends.

Volunteers…

We are fortunate that many of our 22,195 adult members contribute time and talent to the council as a way of helping our Girl Scouts grow strong. Our trainers are extraordinary, and we have the area's largest slate of free adult enrichment classes. In 2004, council trainers provided instruction to 12,162 adults in courses such as orientation for new troop leaders, first aid, event planning, troop money management, leadership and science.

Camping…

Our year-round camping includes summer camps, troop overnights, service unit encampments, adult training, core camps, day use and special programs. Last year, 43,059 girls and adults participated in Girl Scout-sponsored camping programs at our seven camps and in public and private campsites that we make use of throughout the metropolitan area. During the summer of 2004, 3,219 girls attended our three resident camps.

GSCNC's 2004 summer day and evening programs included 26 community-based camps held in recreation centers, parks, churches and other neighborhood locations?they served 2,662 youth-and 31 fee-funded day camps that served 6,091 youth. The 7th annual Camp CEO brought together 30 women executives and 34 teen Girl Scouts for a week of fun and networking at one of our resident camps.

More camping…

As popular and well attended as our camps are, we still have long waiting lists of girls who wish to attend; more than 10,000 individuals are turned away from camps each year for lack of space. GSCNC is currently conducting a capital campaign to raise $4 million: $3,500,000 to expand and improve camp facilities, including converting one camp into our fourth resident camp, and $500,000 for financial aid for girls who need assistance.

Inclusiveness…

Disabilities are accommodated whenever feasible, all camps have handicap-accessible facilities, and programs are adapted for girls and adults with hearing or visual impairments. Our linguistic outreach staff regularly recruits in communities where English is a second language, and some materials are printed in Spanish and Korean. Through our Starfish Troops program, girls in hospitals, long-term care facilities and rehabilitation centers work on badges. In 2004, we provided $352,656 in financial aid to girls and adults for membership, program assistance, camping fees and other expenses.

Financial support...

SHARE, our annual giving campaign that targets Girl Scout families and friends, raised a record $530,703 last year. Also in 2004, grants from corporations and foundations brought in $552,743 and the United Way/Combined Federal Campaign and workplace giving campaigns accounted for $128,851.

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