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From the Chair of the National Board
Every Girl a Jewel*
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What an honor to serve with you following in uliette Low's footsteps as your new national board chair and to have the extraordinary opportunity with my incoming board colleagues to partner with Kathy Cloninger, our chief executive officer! Together we will shepherd the Girl Scout Movement through its greatest transformation. As we all work together, we are confident the Movement will soar beyond greatness for all girls. We'll make Girl Scouting the place girls and adult mentors want to be. A new inviting image of Girl Scouts will inspire girls of every age, and families of every culture, to join us.
It's unbelievable that some families in America still have no idea what Girl Scouting is, or the difference it makes in girls' lives. We need to let them know—whether in African-American, Native American, Muslim, or Hispanic communities. We need to do more to welcome all girls into Girl Scouting. As GSUSA's first Latina national board chair, I am particularly energized by this challenge and humbled by the opportunity to reach out to girls with backgrounds like mine.
I believe each and every girl is a jewel. She may begin as an unpolished stone, but through the power of Girl Scouts, she is assured of uncovering the vibrant and valuable gem within, because every girl is unique, multi-faceted, charismatic . . . brillante, preciosa.
Some girls are like emeralds, glowing in shades of Girl Scout green. Some are like delicate opals, with flashes of iridescent color. Others are like amber, prized by artisans and scientists for the secrets they hold within. And some are diamonds in the rough, just beginning to sparkle. Our job is to discover the glint of each girl's promise, to help polish her inner beauty, and keep her integrity intact as we help her shine.
Jewelers measure a gem's value by the four Cs — color, clarity, cut and carat — we in Girl Scouting have our own Cs: Courage: Empowering girls to set and achieve high personal goals and to stay true to their beliefs. Confidence: Enabling girls to realize their inner sparkle knowing they can accomplish anything. Character: Building each girl's character with every Girl Scout activity so she can develop the inner strength to make the most of her abilities. Community service: Girls doing good to make the world a better place.
Throughout our history, Girl Scouts, these precious gems who grace our families and communities, have carried the hopes and dreams of girls and women to this magnificent point, when we believe all things are possible for girls, and our light can shine without limit. Looking to the future, we are updating the settings for our precious jewels, because today's girls are so different from yesterday's. I know the changes we will make may seem strange at first, and yet I am not afraid. The gleaming gemstone within each and every American girl will light the way for us.
I can't help thinking of how Juliette Low sold her necklace of rare matching pearls to finance the future of the Girl Scout Movement. She willingly parted with her treasure, knowing one of far greater value awaited her in giving the Girl Scout ideal to girls all over the world. Like Juliette, we must sacrifice something precious for girls. We will sacrifice our time, our talents and attention to ensure each girl uncovers the gemstone within. We are polishing Juliette's pearls. It is an honorable thing we do, in a long and honorable tradition, and we have the courage to change and grow with our girls. After all, Juliette's pearl necklace has already bought an alumnae list of 50 million Girl Scouts, with millions more to come.
We can pass the inheritance of Juliette's pearls to girls who yearn for careers in science, math and finance; to the daughters of migrant farm workers along the Mexican-American border; to girls who are in danger of dropping out of school, or becoming pregnant, or doing drugs, or worse; to girls whose mothers are in prison and who desperately need the Girl Scout connection; to girls who have never experienced that powerful moment when someone says to them, "You can do anything. Si puedes — Yes, you can!"
Volunteers are also Girl Scouting's precious jewels. Together we can make that essential difference in girls' lives. When we give our courage, our confidence and our character to transforming the Girl Scout Movement, we will soar beyond greatness and illuminate the whole world with the enduring brilliance of all our girls.
Every one una joya — a jewel, a treasure.
—Patricia Diaz Dennis
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VOLUNTEER