A beautiful centennial surprise!
As we come to the end of our centennial year, I received a most unexpected and delightful letter from a woman in Pennsylvania! She noticed on the home page of our website an article about the history of Girl Scouting in Southeastern New England and she proudly shared a piece of her own history.
Her Mom, Gene Belknap Edgar, was a member of the Red Clover Troop in Newport, RI. In fact she was a lifelong friend of the renowned Kit Hammett, for whom one of our prestigious adult volunteer awards was named.
Another amazing fact about her Mom is that she established Sangam, the WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) center in Pune, India. And to think, her Mom’s journey started in Newport!
The highlight of Gene’s life that her family got the greatest kick out of was the day she accompanied a small group of Girl Scouts to the White House in 1962 to give a Brownie doll to Caroline Kennedy. As it happened, Jackie decided to start Caroline’s dancing classes that day so the girls had to give the doll to Jack instead! She told me that there is a picture of this in a book by Roy Hoopes, What the President Does All Day, on page 14.
What amazing Girl Scout stories can you share? Think about all the lives we have changed over the years, and thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers, we can continue to do so! Thank you for your continued support of Girl Scouting!
Warmly,
Pam Hyland, CEO