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The following is a press release from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri:

Girl Scouts across the state of Missouri celebrated when Missouri Governor Jay Nixon signed Senate Bill No. 649 into law on June 29, 2010, proclaiming March 12 as “Girl Scout Day” in Missouri.   The proclamation will be issued annually for that day, recommending Missouri residents to recognize Girl Scouts, the premier leadership development organization for girls. 

Girl Scouts was founded by Juliette Gordon Low on March 12, 1912.  Low assembled 18 girls from Savannah, Georgia, for a local Girl Scout meeting. She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. With the goal of bringing girls out of isolated home environments and into community service and the open air, the country’s first Girl Scouts hiked, played basketball, went on camping trips, learned how to tell time by the stars, and studied first aid.

Girl Scouting in the state of Missouri began in 1918, when the St. Louis City and County Council of Girl Scouts (now Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri) was established.  In 1923, the Kansas City area council was formed; and in 1954, additional councils formed in the central and southern areas of the state, including those that are now Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland.  Today, more than 88,000 girls, supported by 25,500 volunteers in the state of Missouri join a membership of more than 3.4 million Girl Scouts across the United States.  On March 12, 2012, Girl Scouts will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Girls in grades K -12 join for fun and friendship, but they also benefit from clear developmental outcomes that will serve them for the rest of their lives. In partnership with committed adult volunteers, girls discover a stronger sense of self, connect through healthy relationships with others in an increasingly diverse world, and take action in their local and global communities – these are just a few of the many ways that Girl Scouts empowers girls to become leaders.  All Girl Scout experiences are intentionally designed to tie to one or more of the 15 national leadership outcomes, or benefits.

For more information about Girl Scouts, please visit www.girlscoutsem.org, or call 314.592.2300.