Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital
Encyclopedia
The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital (GSCNC) serves girls in Washington, D.C. and portions of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.
and Charles
Counties in Maryland, and lone troops in Prince William
, Loudoun, and Fauquier
Counties in Virginia.
The merger that built GSCNC was very carefully crafted with full consideration given to all the councils and lone troops that were to merge. Prior to the merger, there was a year-long study made by a group composed of both GSUSA and the local councils. Under consideration was the real need of delivering the required services to girls so that all the girls could benefit from a strong and diverse program. The first meeting for the actual merger was on Friday, March 2, 1962. A committee of 15 was formed.
In 2004, the national organization began a series of mergers and realignment of the Girl Scout Councils throughout the nation. The purpose of this realignment is to create high-capacity councils, with volunteers, staff and financial resources to serve growing numbers of girls. By the end of 2009, this nationwide effort to combine councils reduced the number of Girl Scout Councils from 313 to 109. In 2006 the Penn Laurel Girl Scout Council in Frederick County
, Maryland merged into GSCNC. In October 2009, Shawnee Council http://www.shawneegirlscouts.org with 5,000 members and 491 troops in 14 counties, merged into GSCNC.
In 2012, Girl Scouts
will celebrate its 100th anniversary. A Sing-Along, in Girl Scout tradition, is planned for June of 2012 on the National Mall
in Washington, DC.
Other programs include: Congressional Aide internships, Girl Scout Day at the National Air and Space Museum, Capital Currency financial literacy workshops, a Girl Scout performance of the Washington Ballet's Nutcracker, easy-to-do program kits for leaders, and programs in partnership with local museums and vendors. To encourage inclusion in all activities the “Including All Girls” patch program was launched and GSCNC served 522 girls with disabilities during camp programs.
GSCNC trained 1,907 volunteers through online and home study training courses in 2008. To attract graduating college seniors into volunteer roles with Girl Scouts, the Young Leader Program placed 118 college students as troop leaders at 54 sites in the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County.
SHARE, the council’s annual giving campaign raised $593,215 in 2008. In addition, over one million dollars was raised from foundations, corporations and government agencies. GSCNC provided $417,930 in financial aid to girls and adults to participate in GSCNC activities, start troops and fund camp fees.
Camps:
Organization
GSCNC is headquartered in Washington, DC with satellite offices in Frederick and Waldorf, Maryland; Lorton, Leesburg and Manassas, Virginia; and Martinsburg, West Virginia. GSCNC employs 115 full-time employees. The 2008 Operating Budget was $12,050,000. As of the 2009 membership year, membership for the Council is 90,000, including 63,000 girls and 27,000 adult volunteers.History
The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital as we know it today was formed in 1963 and encompassed five area councils that were in existence at that time, plus CalvertCalvert County, Maryland
Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It occupies the Calvert Peninsula which is bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the west by the Patuxent River. Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. Calvert County's residents are among the highest...
and Charles
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
Counties in Maryland, and lone troops in Prince William
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
, Loudoun, and Fauquier
Fauquier County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 55,139 people, 19,842 households, and 15,139 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile . There were 21,046 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
Counties in Virginia.
The merger that built GSCNC was very carefully crafted with full consideration given to all the councils and lone troops that were to merge. Prior to the merger, there was a year-long study made by a group composed of both GSUSA and the local councils. Under consideration was the real need of delivering the required services to girls so that all the girls could benefit from a strong and diverse program. The first meeting for the actual merger was on Friday, March 2, 1962. A committee of 15 was formed.
In 2004, the national organization began a series of mergers and realignment of the Girl Scout Councils throughout the nation. The purpose of this realignment is to create high-capacity councils, with volunteers, staff and financial resources to serve growing numbers of girls. By the end of 2009, this nationwide effort to combine councils reduced the number of Girl Scout Councils from 313 to 109. In 2006 the Penn Laurel Girl Scout Council in Frederick County
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
, Maryland merged into GSCNC. In October 2009, Shawnee Council http://www.shawneegirlscouts.org with 5,000 members and 491 troops in 14 counties, merged into GSCNC.
In 2012, Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
will celebrate its 100th anniversary. A Sing-Along, in Girl Scout tradition, is planned for June of 2012 on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
in Washington, DC.
Programs and activities
In 2009, 244 girls, a record number, earned the Gold Award, the highest level of achievement for a Girl Scout. In 2010, Girl Scouts sold over 4.7 million boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.Other programs include: Congressional Aide internships, Girl Scout Day at the National Air and Space Museum, Capital Currency financial literacy workshops, a Girl Scout performance of the Washington Ballet's Nutcracker, easy-to-do program kits for leaders, and programs in partnership with local museums and vendors. To encourage inclusion in all activities the “Including All Girls” patch program was launched and GSCNC served 522 girls with disabilities during camp programs.
GSCNC trained 1,907 volunteers through online and home study training courses in 2008. To attract graduating college seniors into volunteer roles with Girl Scouts, the Young Leader Program placed 118 college students as troop leaders at 54 sites in the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County.
SHARE, the council’s annual giving campaign raised $593,215 in 2008. In addition, over one million dollars was raised from foundations, corporations and government agencies. GSCNC provided $417,930 in financial aid to girls and adults to participate in GSCNC activities, start troops and fund camp fees.
Camping
GSCNC owns and operates eight campsCamps:
- Camp Aquasco is 172 acres (69.6 ha) in Aquasco, MarylandAquasco, MarylandAquasco is an unincorporated area in southeastern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located near Eagle Harbor and Charles County. It was home to the Aquasco Speedway....
. - Camp Brighton Woods is 60 acres (24.3 ha) near Ashton, MarylandAshton, MarylandAshton is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. The commercial center of Ashton lies at the junction of Route 108 and New Hampshire Avenue ....
- Camp Coles Trip is 225 acres (91.1 ha) near Stafford, VirginiaStafford, VirginiaStafford is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 4,320. It lies north of Fredericksburg, approximately south of metropolitan Washington, D.C., and about north of...
- Camp Crowell is 60 acres (24.3 ha) near Oakton, VirginiaOakton, VirginiaOakton is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. The population was 29,348 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code is 22124.-Geography:Oakton is located at...
. - Camp May Flather is 45 acres (18.2 ha) located in the George Washington National Forest near Bridgewater, VirginiaBridgewater, VirginiaBridgewater is an incorporated town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population was 5,644 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bridgewater is home to the Reds of the Rockingham County Baseball League...
. - Camp Potomac Woods is 101 acres (40.9 ha) located on the banks of the Potomac River near Leesburg, VirginiaLeesburg, VirginiaLeesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
- Camp White Rock in Capon Bridge, WV
- Camp Winona is 176 acres (71.2 ha) located near Hughesville, MarylandHughesville, MarylandHughesville is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,537 at the 2000 census. Truman's Place was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.-Geography:...
.
External links
- http://www.gscnc.org
- http://gscnchistoryarchives.org
- http://girlscouts.org