One hundred years after the Girl Scouts’ national founding in 1912, four Ohio Girl Scout councils have called on the state’s women legislators to advocate for issues affecting girls and young women in 2012 and beyond.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012, chief executive officers from Girl Scouts of Black Diamond, North East Ohio, Ohio’s Heartland, and Western Ohio Councils gathered at the Ohio Statehouse to pin Ohio’s 30 women legislators into Ohio Honorary Girl Scout Legislative Troop #1912.
Girl Scouts’ legislative focus encompasses: promoting girls' physical, social and emotional health; increasing girls’ involvement in science, technology, engineering and math; advancing the cause of girls in leadership; and strengthening their financial literacy. Ohio Honorary Girl Scout Legislative Troop #1912 will serve as an advocate for girls and young women in those areas and help educate branches of Ohio government about the issues and barriers that hinder girls and young women from opportunities to excel. Serving as co-chairs of the troop are state Rep. Anne Gonzales (R-Westerville) and Sen. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland).
Susan Thompson, Dr. Daisy Alford-Smith, Tammy H. Wharton, and Roni Luckenbill, CEOs of the four respective Ohio Girl Scout councils, represented their councils at the event. They were joined by state Rep. Gonzales, Sen. Smith, and Stephanie Owen, communication director from the office of Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, and Erin Shannon, community relations manager at White Castle System Inc., the event’s sponsor.
