Girl Scouts Celebrate 100-Year Anniversary

Local Girl Scout troops celebrated the organization's 100-year anniversary.

Girl Scouts was formed in Savanna, GA, one hundred years ago this week, said Bradley Weaver, the organization's spokesperson.

Girl Scout troops from across Riverside County gathered at in Temecula to exchange gifts and donations of cookies to woman affected by cancer.

Exchanging gifts is an old tradition for the Girl Scouts, Weaver said. "The tradition, which dates back to the Girl Scout Senior Roundups of the 1950s and ’60s, encourages the promotion of friendship," he said.

Girl Scouts USA was founded on March 12, 1912 by Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low.

"Low was looking for purpose in her life when, in 1911, she met the founder of the Boy Scouts and set out to establish a similar organization for the girls of Savannah," Weaver said. "Her intent was to 'make better women' by instilling skills and values that would be useful in the home and elsewhere.

To mark its centennial, the Girl Scouts recently unveiled 82 new and updated badges intended to reflect the changing tastes and interests of the organization’s 3.2 million youth and adult members worldwide, Weaver said.