Dekker: Girl Scouts celebrate 100 years of scouting

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A sample of some of the Girl Scout memorabilia on display through April at the Tinley Park Historical Society. | Supplied Photo

Updated: March 20, 2012 8:05AM

March will mark the 100th year of Girl Scouting in America. In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low established the first Girl Scout troop in her hometown of Savannah, Ga.

While living in Great Britain in 1911, Low met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides organizations. She admired the ideals of the Scouting movement and wanted to bring the concept to American girls.

On March 12, 1912, Low gathered 18 girls and registered the first troop of American Girl Guides. From those original 18, Girl Scouts has grown into the largest educational group for girls in the world, with more than 3 million participants in the United States. The mission of Girl Scouts is to build courage, confidence and character. Scouting provides programs designed to educate and empower girls ages 5 to 17.

On March 12, at 7:12 p.m., Girl Scouts worldwide will recite the Girl Scout Promise in recognition of the formation of that first troop.

The Tinley Park Historical Society will host the anniversary for our Scouts. The girls and their families will meet in the Landmark Church for the ceremony, followed by a museum tour and reception.

Everyone is invited to share in this celebration. The Historical Society is exhibiting a large collection of Girl Scout memorabilia that will be on display through April.

The Landmark Church and Historical Society are at 6727 174th St. in Tinley Park. For more information, call (708) 429-4210.

To learn more about today’s Girl Scouts or to find a troop in your area, visit the website girlscoutsgcnwi.org or call (312) 416-2500.

Always looking ahead

I think one of the great things about Tinley Park is that we not only celebrate our traditions and history, but we are constantly looking forward in an effort to make it a better place to live.

Village officials and the Mainstreet Commission have worked closely with business owners in the downtown Oak Park Avenue area to develop marketing strategies designed to improve and enhance it. Cathy and Mark Maloney of Findzall Community Marketing have been retained by the village to create a marketing plan designed to attract new businesses and shoppers to Oak Park Avenue.

Cathy addressed a full house of independent business owners last Thursday during a meeting at VFW Post 2791. She stressed that strategic marketing management is the key.

The Maloneys will help business owners with website creation and analysis, developing local shopping campaigns and using social media to attract shoppers and keep their businesses connected to the public.

As part of the effort to revitalize the downtown area, students from Andrew High School’s graphic arts program have been given the challenge of creating a new logo that will be used to symbolize the downtown Oak Park Avenue business district as simply “Downtown Tinley Park.” The logo will be used on all websites, social networks and advertising pertaining to Oak Park Avenue businesses.

This joint effort is just another example of how the people of Tinley Park work together to continue to improve the quality of life here for all of us.

Remember to support our local businesses and shop in Tinley Park whenever you can.

We all need to reinvest in our community if we want it to grow and thrive for generations to come.