What do the commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk, a Bayside High School senior, and the interim provost and vice president of academic affairs at Norfolk State University have in common? They are all Girl Scouts, bringing talents and skills to our community. This year, they and millions of women and girls celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Girl Scouts of America, an organization which encourages girls from all backgrounds to become cooperative, confident, and capable women.

The Girl Scouts have declared 2012 the “Year of the Girl” and are focusing on increasing opportunities for more young women, hoping they will follow in the footsteps of the 60 percent of American female leaders who are former Girl Scouts. Let’s meet a few of these leaders—former and present Girl Scouts—who are empowering others with their talents and example, changing the world, one girl at a time.

ACADEMIC LEADER

“When I was a girl, I had not envisioned myself in an academic career, but I knew I wanted to become successful in an important way,” said Dr. Sandra DeLoatch, acting provost at Norfolk State University. Born and raised in Suffolk, she began her journey to leadership as a Brownie Girl Scout at meetings held in her church. Back then, Sandra says, scouting gave girls an opportunity to socialize, make crafts, and learn skills. Day camps offered summertime fun, she recalls. That wholesome atmosphere gave her the confidence to become her true self, embracing all her talents.

Around the time many girls decide they are not made for math, Sandra made a decision. “In the seventh grade I knew that I wanted to go to college and major in math,” she said. “And I was fortunate; I grew up with a good support system, with no nay-sayers about my future plans.”

As dean of the College of Science, Engineering, and Technology—fields where women have been in the minority—Dr. DeLoatch has made a personal commitment to Tidewater area Girl Scouts, creating opportunities for girls interested in science and technology careers through her work with the Girl Scout Council of the Colonial Coast. Last November, she received the “Thanks” badge, the highest award an adult Girl Scout can learn. The council honored her by creating the “Dr. Sandra DeLoatch STEM patch” (Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), which can be earned by girls in kindergarten through high school through a series of hands-on activities, guided by student mentors and Norfolk State faculty.

Sandra cites recent research on the effectiveness of all girl-environments, which provide a place where girls with different personalities and gifts can feel safe to explore and grow courage, confidence, and character.

“And, as a parent, you think to yourself, ‘What better comfort can I have when my daughter is involved with like-minded girls, having good, positive, wholesome experiences,’” Sandra said. She believes that many girls today grow up very fast, and scouting gives them a chance to grow as they have fun, camping, canoeing, swimming, and learning together.

Even cookie selling has taken a whole new spin, Sandra says.

“Back in my day, cookies sold for forty cents a box, but now it’s a big business, and girls are learning so much more!” she said.

Beyond cookie sales and making lanyards, girls who stay involved in scouting earn awards that take discipline and commitment—the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. Sandra DeLoatch says she is so impressed at every Gold Award ceremony with the depth and breadth of each girl’s project.

GOLD AWARD ACHIEVER

Rachel Eddowes, 18, is doing all the things that high school seniors do: thinking about her future, applying to colleges, getting ready to graduate and create a new life. But this friendly, competent Bayside High School student has also recently completed a Girl Scout Gold Award, the culminating achievement of a lifelong journey as a Girl Scout. With the legacy of scouting in her family, Rachel became a Daisy in a troop founded by her mother, Ellen, when their Navy family was stationed in California. When they moved to Navy installations in Spain and Italy, her mom led new troops as Rachel became a Brownie and then a Junior scout.

Rachel recalled one of her favorite parts of scouting: Thinking Day. “All the girls in a troop select a country to study, and then on Thinking Day, you present information about that country and share a ‘swap’—a little craft that you make—with other girls. I have a whole box full of swaps,” she said, smiling.

These days, Rachel is an Ambassador Scout and a member of a coed scouting program for teens called “Venturing.” She has earned her CPR certification, learned wilderness first aid, and enjoyed lots of outdoor adventures. In January, Rachel was honored for completing her Venturing Silver Award, which—like her Gold Award—is the equivalent to the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Award, a highly respected accomplishment.

While many Girl Scout Gold Awards focus on a community issue, the motivation for Rachel’s project grew out of her father’s diagnosis of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. When Rachel was in the third grade living in Italy with her family, her father, Andrew, began having a series of symptoms that required a trip to the Portsmouth Naval Hospital here in Virginia. Initially, the family thought he would be having back surgery; however, once he was diagnosed with ALS, everything changed. The Eddowes family moved back to the states.

“He went from walking to using a cane, to using a wheelchair, to using a power chair, and now being bedridden,” Rachel said. “My Dad has had ALS going on nine years now, and so he’s hospitalized, he can’t move, and needs full time nursing care.” She says her dad’s illness is something she has learned to accept. Rachel decided that she could turn her family’s challenge into a learning opportunity.

She knew that many families in Tidewater had no understanding about ALS. And Rachel was aware that families who have a member with the disease often have difficulty keeping up with simple housing maintenance and basic lawn care. So she created a Gold Award project with the title: “ALS: Awareness, Advocacy, and Service.”

To create awareness, Rachel produced a Power Point Presentation to educate members of the community about symptoms and possible causes of the disease, current ALS research, and how the disease affects patients and their families. As an advocate for families, she traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with Representative Scott Rigell to lobby for sustained government funding. There is no known cause—although there are some theories—and at present, no known cure, a fact that discourages families who watch their loved ones lose voluntary control of their bodies, speech, and mobility.

The impassioned scout gave her Power Point Presentation to five different groups, beginning with the students at Bayside High School’s Health and Science Academy. For the service component of her award, Rachel gathered Bayside student volunteers to assist families who needed household or outdoor help.

Rachel Eddowes’ Gold Award is a living example of the Girl Scout code, which includes honesty, respect, sensitivity, and service. These ethics and principles flow naturally into roles of leadership, reflected in business, academia, government, and military service. What better way to build a confident, caring American citizen?

COMMANDING OFFICER

She is the first woman in charge of operations at Naval Station Norfolk, providing support to 46,000 sailors and 105,000 dependents with the assistance of more than 2,000 military and civilian personnel on the Naval station staff. At a recent luncheon at Town Center City Club, Captain Mary M. Jackson gave a presentation called “The State of the Station,” including photos, facts, and figures about the mission of Naval Station Norfolk. Her intense presence, intelligence, and competence filled the room. Captain Jackson is another Girl Scout who grew up to become a leader.

Her journey began in Saudi Arabia, where she lived with her geologist father and cartographer mother. As a Brownie in her mom’s troop, far from American towns and cities, Mary started learning important skills that shaped the woman she has become.

“I think being a Girl Scout demonstrated a couple of things to me. For one thing, watching my mother in the role of leader was important. Because we were overseas, we had the opportunity to work with other troops on foreign soil, with people from other countries,” she said. “And it taught me how to establish goals and then accomplish them, working together to get there.”

“What Girl Scouts gave me was exposure and courage,” she said. “It gave basic principles like respect. These are all things you need when you’re working with others.”

Captain Jackson’s life journey includes earning a BS in Physics from the U.S. Naval Academy and taking tours of duty from Hawaii to the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas to the Arabian Gulf and beyond. She earned a Master’s in engineering management from George Washington University. Her Girl Scout beginnings served her well.

As she reflected on those innocent days of girlhood, Captain Jackson recalled a favorite memory. Beyond leadership training skills and earning badges, she remembers the songs. “Traditionally when you sang songs, you were in a circle,” she recalled. “I have memories that I can picture, whether we were out in the desert or in a compound, or in a gymnasium, doing things that were positive and fun, uplifting and uniting.”

Captain Jackson has a daughter, now 12, who is also growing up as a Girl Scout. She witnesses the way the girls have learned to respect each other and get along as they’ve developed in Norfolk-based Troop 5555.

“I think the emphasis on collaboration and working with other people is a big piece of it,” Captain Jackson said. She explained how important it is to understand who you are, how you communicate, and how you use those skills effectively in many diverse environments.

“And something that Girl Scouting really encourages is to not be inward focused, to open your eyes, see what’s out there and what you can focus on, to jump on the things you’re interested in and make a difference,” Captain Jackson said. “The world is yours!”

THE COUNCIL

Girl Scouts in 2012 have more opportunities available than at any time in the past. With more adult mentors, as well as a focus on developing team building and leadership skills through specialized summer camp programs and new badges, the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast continues to thrive. The council has reason to celebrate with over 22,000 members from Matthews County to Ocracoke, North Carolina. Tidewater area Girl Scouts can be found working on research projects in local libraries, planting trees on a new farm, volunteering with a variety of community non-profits, and learning outdoor survival skills.

As Melinda Carroll wrote in a song for the Girl Scouts of Hawaii in 1989: “Change the world, come with me, time to let our dreams fly free. In the Girl Scouts, together, we change the world.” The song still rings true, as Girl Scouts learn and grow, leading the way for girls—here in Tidewater and around the world. 

Don’t miss the Girls Scouts’ 4th annual Black Tie fundraiser, Samoa Soirée, featuring chef-inspired recipes using Girl Scout cookies on Feb. 17 at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center.

For more information about special events planned for the 100-year anniversary, visit gsccc.org. There’s never been a better time to get involved in Girl Scouts!