MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Approximately 35 Girl Scouts from six different troops came together to celebrate Juliet G. Low’s, Girl Scouts founder, birthday here Oct. 30.
Low founded the Girl Scouts in 1912. Girl scouts from Brownie troops 14 and 92, Daisy troops 93 and 95, Cadet troop 30 and Juniors troop 94 got together for a craft day to celebrate the Girl Scout program founder’s birthday.
“It’s fun when all the troops come together,” said Codie E. Hernandez, 12-year-old Girl Scout. “All of the troops don’t get together often, but when we do, we always have a good time.”
During the event the girls participated in many events.
Some of the events included making hot chocolate or caramel apples, painting pumpkins, decorating autumn leaves, getting their faces painted, creating paper girl scouts or dressing other girl scouts as ‘mummy scouts.’
“My favorite event was the caramel apples because they’re delicious and fun to make,” said Hernandez.
Patti A. Howard, West Pacific Girl Scouts director of membership and marketing, travels around the pacific to help and see how Girl Scouts in different areas are doing.
“I want girls to understand Girl Scouting is bigger than their individual troops,” said Howard.
Girls Scouts are a wide spread organization and can help girls where ever they may be.
“(Girl Scouts) really helps the girls when they get here so they can get involved in a troop and have instant friendship, this way they’re not the new kid in school anymore,” said Howard.
Although the Girl Scouts began in the United States, it has spread across the world, but there is very little difference between troops which may live on the other side of the world.
“We hope the only difference between Girl Scouts here and in the states is that we don’t go door to door to sell cookies,” said Howard.
The Girl Scout program is best known for its cookies; however, there they do much more.
“When people think of Girl Scouts they usually think of cookies and they have no idea what else we do,” said Tera K. Scott, Girl Scouts of Iwakuni overseas committee cheer.
With the program being so well spread it is important they can help their communities.
“We do field drives, volunteer activities in the Japanese community,” said Scott. “We are trying to build our relationship with Japanese Girl Scouts throughout the year. We will have activities to invite them on base to participate with us. During the tsunami, we participated with the Girl Scouts in Zama during a back pack drive and we collected enough items to have four truckfulls just from the Girl Scouts here in Iwakuni.”
Scouts collected food to help survivors of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami which struck the coasts of Japan March 11.