Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, would have turned 158 years old on October 31. In honor of her memory, Girl Scouts from around the community came together to celebrate Low’s birthday on October 26 at Laguna Middle School in San Luis Obispo.
Low founded the Girl Scouts back in 1912. She came from a family with many brothers, watching them explore outside while she was told to stay indoors, which she didn’t enjoy.
“So she came up with the idea of Girl Scouts to help girls discover the outdoors and through that, become self-sufficient,” said Lisa McKimmy, who is going on her 20th year of volunteering with the Girl Scouts organization.
The celebration began with the 1918 silent movie “The Golden Eaglet,” showcasing the life of a Girl Scout. Then the girls learned about Girl Scout history and traditions and played games that were traditional to the first members of Girl Scouts. They learned about Girl Scout law, made friendship bracelets and decorated a birthday card for Low. The event also showcased a display of uniforms from each decade, showing the impact Low made across the country.
“She was a champion of women and she was definitely a feminist,” said McKimmy. “And she believed that girls even at the turn of the century should have equal rights and equal opportunities as the boys did.”
Later in the evening, McKimmy dressed up as Juliette Low in a wool suit accurate to the time period of Low’s life, visiting the girls to talk about her life and give them more Girl Scout knowledge. They ended the night singing happy birthday to Low and eating cupcakes.
The community’s Girl Scouts left the event reflecting on their time in the organization.
“We are the premier leadership organization for women, for young girls,” said McKimmy. “And our goal is to teach girls how to be great leaders.”
