Posts tagged ‘White House’
A White House Holiday
On Monday, December 13, a group of Girl Scouts representing our Council trekked to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Once there, they braved the line in 30 degree temperatures. Why? Because this group of Girl Scouts knew they were about to experience something big — a trip inside the White House to view the holiday decorations.
The White House holiday theme this year is Simple Gifts – a celebration of friends, family and home; something that Girl Scouts can relate to. The girls brought cameras and were able to capture their own images of the White House’s beautiful decor.
As they wandered through the Green Room and Red Room, the Girl Scouts were reminded to be thankful for the Simple Gifts in life.
Click here to see a slideshow from the tour.
Click here for an interactive tour that you can take right on your computer.
Let’s Move! – Perfect fit for Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital
On Monday, the First Lady’s Office and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships held a Stakeholders Meeting with faith-based and community organizations on the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative. See the White House blog here.
Lidia Soto-Harmon, CEO of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, had a seat at the table with nine other faith and community organizations. She shared the message that the Girl Scout Council is excited to join Let’s Move! faith and communities to end childhood obesity. According to Lidia, “it fits perfectly with our goal to build healthy girls in our communities.”
The Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital committed to the following actions:
- We will increase awareness of Let’s Move!, using our website, programs and 4,900 active Girl Scout troops
- We will challenge our 88,000 members in the tri-state region to earn the President’s Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) patch in 2011.
- And, we will promote the President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge in several ways:
- We will incorporate the President’s Active Lifestyle Challenge goals in many of our successful Council programs, camps and troop activities throughout 2011.
- We will promote participation in PALA at our highly-attended Step Showcase at Trinity Washington University in February 2011, which promotes healthy behaviors and demonstrates physical activities for girls in the District of Columbia though high-energy dance routines, reaching 1,500 members.
- We will also bring awareness to the PALA and Let’s Move, for girls with disabilities, at our national Keys to Leadership conference in March 2011, providing guidance to Girl Scout councils across the country on how to make physical activities a part of our inclusion efforts.
Leading the Way
Girl Scouts from the Greater Washington region have many opportunities to participate in important high-profile events that occur in our Capital. The exposure helps our girls envision a future where they will lead. Leave a comment telling us about a Girl Scout leadership opportunity you have experienced!
Here’s one local Girl Scout’s recent experience at the White House’s International Women’s Day reception.
http://blog-aauw.org/2010/03/09/at-the-white-house-for-international-womens-day/
National Women’s History Month
It is the Scouting Spirit [which] rises within you and inspires you to put forth your best. ~Juliette Gordon Low
Lidia Soto-Harmon is the Deputy Executive Director for GSCNC.
Each month there is a special reason to celebrate, and March is especially poignant for Girl Scouts and women everywhere. This month we honor the establishment of the Girl Scout movement by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912; it is also a time when we look back at the achievements of women in celebration of National Women’s History Month.
This is a time to reflect on the accomplishments of great women leaders such as Union Organizer Dolores Huerta, Human Rights Advocate and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and our first female Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. As Girl Scouts, we know the importance of learning the lessons of our past, so that we can forge a greater future. In doing so, this month we should commit ourselves to re-examining the contributions of women in history like Rosa Parks, Clara Barton, and Anne Frank. Their perseverance in the face of adversity created a stronger future for girls and women today.
Just this Monday, March 8th, I had the honor of escorting five our Girl Scout Ambassadors to the White House for International Women’s Day. They all received hugs from our First Lady Michelle Obama, but most importantly they heard about the struggle of women and girls around the world and learned about how our Girl Scouts hold in their actions the future of our communities.
I encourage you to take the time to honor the inspirational women who surround us each day—our mothers, daughters, sisters, friends and especially our Girl Scout leaders. Girl Scout leaders are dedicated to helping girls discover fun, friendship and their inner strength. As the preeminent leadership organization dedicated solely to girls leadership, our mission at Girl Scouting is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. We celebrate all the women past and present who help us achieve that goal.
Join us in celebrating Women’s History Month by taking a moment to tell us your Girl Scout HERstory at www.gscnc.org/herstory.html
Below are some simple resources on National Women’s History Month that can be incorporated into your Girl Scout meetings.
