Girl Scouts in St. Louis area celebrate 100th anniversary of organization

Girl Scouts in St. Louis area celebrate 100th anniversary of organization

For learning more about her Christian faith, the Girl Scouts awarded 10-year-old Elizabeth Ames with a medal, one of the few pins or badges that get to be worn on the front of her vest.

Elizabeth's mother, Racheal Ames of Wentzville, likes that the medal has a special place apart from the back of the vest or sash, where other awards go.

It serves as a reminder that the Girls Scouts are more than cookies, camp-outs and crafts. "People believe that they don't have any faith-based component at all," said Ames, also a troop leader.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts. That's when the spunky and energetic Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low registered the organization's first 18 members in Savannah, Ga. Inspired by the founding two years earlier of the Boy Scouts, Low wanted to teach girls to be resourceful, confident and socially responsible.

Now known as the Girls Scouts of the USA, the program boasts about 3.2 million Scouts and 880,000 adult volunteers. About 50 million girls and women have participated over the years.

While much has changed over the century — girls can now earn merit badges in robotics, digital moviemaking and managing credit — the Girl Scout Promise has stayed the same: "On my honor, I will try, to serve God and my country ... ."

But as the Girl Scouts mark their centennial, the organization is finding itself under attack by those who say it has steered from that promise. Some conservatives have denounced the program for what they say are associations with Planned Parenthood and for accepting a transgender child into a Colorado troop. Some Roman Catholic parishes refuse to host Girl Scout meetings, and an Indiana legislator refused to vote for a resolution honoring the 100th anniversary.

Nearly 20 years ago, the Girl Scouts allowed local troops to substitute the word "God" in the Girl Scout Promise with another option such as "my creator." That prompted the formation of the Christian-based American Heritage Girls, which has grown to more than 18,000 members in 45 states.

But Girl Scout participants, volunteers and staff say faith is still a central part of the organization, and that the promise is as strong as ever.

"There's definitely a stereotype that you are not allowed to have God involved, and you really are," said Ames, whose daughter attended a "Girl Scout Sunday" celebration Sunday at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Creve Coeur.

Each year, the weeklong celebration of the founding anniversary begins with Girl Scout Sunday and ends with Girl Scout Sabbath, which gives places of worship an opportunity to recognize their members who are Girl Scouts.

The Girls Scouts worked with national religious organizations to develop awards programs that encourage Scouts to grow in their faith through study. Programs include Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, Islamic and Buddhist faiths. The awards programs are optional for girls to complete with the help of their families or volunteers.

The Girl Scouts of the USA started a new program this year called "My Promise, My Faith," where girls can examine within the troop setting what the Girl Scout Law and their faiths have in common.

"It's a vital part of Girls Scouts," said Donna Martin, who heads Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. "Girl Scouts was founded on very strong values and our connection to faith, and we work hard to make that connection for girls."

Programs of Religious Activities for Youth, a nonprofit based in St. Louis, developed the awards curriculum for several Christian religious organizations. This past year, said assistant director Debra Hazlewood, more than 25,000 Girl Scouts across the country earned awards in the Christian denominations, including about 80 in the Eastern Missouri council. Those 80 girls were invited to be honored at the celebration Sunday at Mount Zion church.

The annual celebration, which this year included a special choir and Juliette Gordon Low impersonator to mark the centennial, is organized by the area's Christian (Protestant) Committee on Girl Scouting. The committee of volunteers helps the girls earn their religious awards by providing workshops.

Volunteer Tara Mooney, 48, of west St. Louis County, said, "I feel it's very important for girls not to forget the religious component, the God component of Girl Scouts."