Girl Scouts Rocked the Mall

Were you part of herstory?

A quarter of a million Girl Scouts, Girl Guides, alumnae and friends celebrated Girl Scouts 100^th Anniversary on the National Mall, Saturday June 9, 2012. The largest gathering of Girl Scouts in the Movement's history was hosted by the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital. Girl Scouts from all fifty states, 112 Girl councils and across the globe came to sing, make new friends and exchange swaps at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall: 100^th Anniversary Sing-Along.

There were over seven hours of entertainment from two stages, the Sylvan Theater and the gigantic Dove Stage facing the Washington Monument. Local Girl Scouts from our council were featured on stage as emcees, song leaders and performers. Girl Scouts of the USA President Connie Lindsay and CEO Anna Maria Chavez joined GSCNC President Diane Tipton and CEO Lidia Soto-Harmon in welcoming the enthusiastic audience.

Girls cheered, danced and sang traditional and new Girl Scout songs led by 19 performers, including Girl Scouts Ani Hesse, Erin Willett, Teresa, Melinda Caroll, Candice Cole and Silver Logan Sharp. The crowd united to attempt a Guinness World Record for the largest sing-along and flash mob to our official theme song-IGNITE. We are still waiting to get the results! To see all the performers and view the program and photos from the event, visit our website.  

Thank you to the Washington, DC Fire Department for providing relief from the heat with two misting fire trucks that served as giant sprinklers, cooling off the Girl Scouts. We want to thank the 668 volunteers and GSCNC staff who spent the last two years planning the event and welcoming over 250,000 Girl Scout guests. And, a special thank you to all Girl Scouts Rock the Mall sponsors! This historic event would not have been possible without them:

Dove
EF Tours for Girl Scouts
K12 Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
GEICO
Pepco
Ernst & Young
J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation
Wells Fargo
Nestlé
Purple Promise Foundation
Be Your Own You
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Nauticon Imaging Systems
Hard Rock Cafe
TMA Resources
KPMG
Guest Services
Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

Dove Launched Women Who Should Be Famous

Mandy Moore, actress, singer and former Girl Scout, spoke to the crowd at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall about women who inspired her. She kicked-off the new Dove campaign,Women Who Should Be Famous, a celebration of real women. Mandy Moore said, "It is critical for all of us to celebrate the real women who make significant contributions to our world and who are remarkable role models for girls. Today, I am celebrating the many unsung women across this country by joining Dove in recognizing inspirational women, sharing their stories and motivating others to step up and make a difference when it comes to girls and our future." Hundreds of Girl Scouts were interviewed, recognizing a woman in their life they believe should be famous at Dove's activity tent.  

On stage Dove presented a special musical performance by pop-singing sensation Jessica Jarrell and a video salute to women recognized in the new campaign.

Washington, DC Rolled Out the Green Carpet

Washington, DC rolled out the green carpet to welcome over 250,000 Girl Scouts to town. Pepco hosted a Welcome Center for Girl Scout visitors at the Pepco Edison Gallery Place. Over 1,700 visitors viewed memorabilia from our 100 year history and artwork from today's Girl Scouts.

Sports enthusiasts enjoyed Girl Scout Night at the Mystics women's basketball and Girl Scout Day at the Nationals baseball games. Before the Mystics game, girls were able to participate in the GEICO DASHBoard Road Safety program. Participants received a Girl Scout patch and the chance to participate in special activities like meeting the team captains and a post-game autograph session. Girl Scout Jessica P, an Ambassador, threw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals vs. New York Mets baseball game.

The Hard Rock Café sold-out reservations for a very special "swap" breakfast, lunch and dinner (over 5,000 Girl Scouts), and provided 3,900 box lunches for Girl Scouts on the National Mall. They also donated proceeds from the sale of food and special collector edition Girl Scouts Rock the Mall pins. In total, the Hard Rock Café DC donated $41,000 to the Girl Scout SHARE annual giving campaign.

Several local museums planned special Girl Scout activities. The Smithsonian featured special Girl Scout memorabilia and conducted hands-on activities at the National Museum of African Art, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Zoo. They reported 250,000 more visitors at their museums on June 9 than they've had the previous year. In addition, the National Archives also had an exhibit of First Lady Lou Henry Hoover focusing on her impact on the Girl Scout organization. 

Premieres Juliette Gordon Low figure

Diane Tipton, President of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital, along with thirty Girl Scouts from around the Council unveiled the new wax figure of Juliette Gordon Low at the President's Gallery at Madame Tussauds. Madame Tussauds studio artists in London worked diligently to create this entirely new wax figure of Juliette Gordon Low.  An intricate process, the figure takes from three to six months to finish.  Creating just the head of the wax figure takes up to five weeks; artists insert each strand of hair individually and it takes almost four days to make a set of teeth. In order to make the figure as lifelike as possible, Madame Tussauds artists studied hundreds of photographs, hours of video footage and conferred with Girl Scout historians. The exhibit was a favorite destination for Girl Scouts during the weekend of Girl Scouts Rock the Mall, with over 4,000 Girl Scouts visiting the museum.

The wax figure of Juliette Gordon Low also appeared at several special events. On May 30, she appeared at a Newsmaker luncheon at the National Press Club where GSUSA President Anna Maria Chavez addressed the audience. She also made a surprise visit to the Pepco Art Gallery for the opening of the visitor center. Special thank you to the Madame Tussauds team for traveling with the likeness of Juliette Gordon Low.

Girl Scouts Celebrate Many Faiths, One Promise

Interfaith Service at the Washington National Cathedral

The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital hosted the 100^th Anniversary Interfaith Service on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the Washington National Cathedral. Over 2,000 Girl Scouts attended the service that paid tribute to Girl Scouts' rich diversity and inclusion principals. Girls who earned the One Promise, One Faith badge were recognized and a special Girl Scout Centennial Choir performed. Girl Scouts honored the many faiths that represent our diverse membership.  

Leaders from many faiths spoke at the service including The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Reverend Dr. Nancy Lee, Executive Minister at Community of Hope AME Church; Dr. D.C. Rao, Hindu and Jain Representative of the Board of Directors for the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington; The Reverend Kaz Nakata, resident minister at Ekoji Buddhist Temple; Rabbi Rachel Gartner, Director of Jewish Chaplaincy at Georgetown University; Imam Mohamed Magid, Executive Director and Minister at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center; and Father Frank Ready, Vicar General for Pastoral Services with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.

Juliette Gordon Low Honored with the

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Girl Scout Troops Celebrate 100th Locally

Everyone was involved in celebrating the 100^th anniversary. Girl Scout troops from across the region planned special events to mark our 100^th anniversary. Local governments presented Girl Scouts with proclamations, and troops participated in parades, hosted vintage uniform fashion shows, planted trees and journeyed to the birthplace in Savannah to pay tribute to Girl Scouts. Hats off to all the local troops for making the 100^th anniversary of Girl Scouts something to celebrate! Learn more about how Girl Scout troops from across our Council celebrated the 100^th anniversary by visiting Girl Scout Troop News. 

There is still time to listen to the GSCNC Our Voices Podcast series, captivating stories of Girl Scouts impact on women in the region.

Girl Scouts Partner with National Cherry Blossom Festival

100^th Anniversary Patch Program

In celebration of both the 100^th anniversary of Girl Scouts and the gift of the flowering cherry trees from Tokyo, Japan to Washington, DC, the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital and the National Cherry Blossom Festival developed The Gift of Trees patch program. This program commemorates the gift of 3,020 cherry blossom trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC in 1912 - the same year Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scout movement in Savannah, Georgia. Girl Scouts of all levels are eligible to receive the Gift of Trees participation patch by completing the required activities found in the patch program booklet. The PDF booklet can be downloaded by clicking here.

Thank You for Supporting Girl Scouts!

• Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund for Girl Scouts Rock the Mall
• Ausherman Family Foundation for camperships for Frederick County girls
• Be Your Own You for Girl Scouts Rock the Mall
• Booz Allen Hamilton for Make the Connection, the Environmental Leadership Institute and Girl Scouts Rock the Mall 
• CareFirst for the Grow Strong Healthy Living Program and Girl Scouts Rock the Mall 
• The Dimick Foundation for Girl Scout outreach to girls from low-incomefamilies
• EF Tours for Girl Scouts Rock the Mall
• GEICO for Girl Scout Day with the Mystics and Girl Scouts Rock the Mall 
• Girl Scouts of the USA and Dell for the Powering the Possible Program
• Girl Scouts of the USA and the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for a STEM innovation summer day camp
• Guest Services for Girl Scouts Rock the Mall
• Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation for the Girl Scout   Inventors Program
• The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation for accessibility efforts at Girl Scouts Rock the Mall
• Mars Foundation for Girl Scout outreach to girls from low-income families
• Wells Fargo for Girl Scouts Rock the Mall       
• Washington Forrest Foundation for Encuentro de Chicas Latinas de las Girl Scouts
• Washington Gas for the Washington Gas Air Quality Environmental Learning Program

A Special Message from EF Tours for Girl Scouts

More than 10,000 schools have already traveled with EF. Now we offer international tours for Girl Scout groups of all sizes. With nearly a half-century of experience, we at EF believe that an international experience is a stepping stone to building future young leaders of the 21st century. Click here to learn more about where you and your girls can travel and how EF makes it easy and affordable.