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On March 12, 1912, a group of 18 girls gathered for a local meeting with Juliette Low. She had the idea that girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally and spiritually, thus creating the Girl Scouts of America.
Today the Girl Scouts of America’s membership exceeds 3.2 million girls and adults with more than 59 million women being Girl Scout alumnae.
“I like being a Girl Scout because it gives us a chance to give back to the community,” said Girl Scout Adrianna Juergen. “I like to spend time with my friends.”
Girl Scouts help throughout the year with events like selling cookies and donating proceeds to the United Service Organizations, Wounded Warrior Project, deployed service members and many other events. During Veterans Day, the Girl Scouts joined the Boy Scouts picking up trash on Pulaski Barracks and Vogelweh Air Station.
“The girls learned how to be more responsible with their environment taking nature walks, going on trips to the recycling center and learning about water conservation,” said Dawn Hunt, Troop 228 leader. “The girls also spent time cleaning up the school grounds during a troop meeting.”
The Boy Scouts of America, much like the Girl Scouts of America, are active in the KMC by volunteering in local communities.
Since the founding of the Boy Scouts, the values of the scout’s Oath and Law are practiced by the scouts. The Oath and Law build character, patriotism and fitness in a scout’s life journey.
Troop 156 is the oldest chartered Boy Scout troop in Ramstein. Currently, there
are 35 Scouts in the troop.
The Boy Scouts volunteer in the KMC often by helping at the Naval Warfare Transition Center on Sembach Kaserne, building dressing rooms for the Ramstein thrift stores, and posting flags at memorials in cemeteries in Ramstein and Kaiserslautern.
“Scouting is fun, especially in Europe. So much of the scout experience is getting boys and their families outdoors. Last weekend, 400 Scouts and leaders participated in the Klondike Derby,” said district executive Melissa Mitchell.
Boy Scouts conduct service projects that benefit the environment and people in need. Every year, Eagle Scout candidates plan and supervise volunteer projects. In 2011 alone, Eagle Scouts and their volunteers completed more than 9.5 million service hours.
One can register as an adult and volunteer with a troop or just assist with specific events.
“The Girl Scout’s Neighborhood and Girl Scouts National Organization need volunteers to hold board positions to assist with all the administrative duties involved in supporting Girl Scouts,” Hunt said.
Scouting can offer adults a supportive volunteer community. It provides a community where one can share skills with youth and leaders and offer training in leadership and outdoor skills. Scouting also helps parents by providing a structured yet fun program where their children can grow both physically and mentally.
“I really enjoy seeing (Scouts) grow into trustworthy, helpful, and capable young men,” Mitchell said.
Contrary to popular belief, the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of America are two separate organizations, which operate independently from each another. Though they differ in practice and implement different methods, they share the same goal of patriotism, service to community, and growth in an ethical environment to become great leaders.
