The history of Girl Scouting in the Quad Cities is almost as old as Girl Scouting itself. Juliette Gordon Low organized the Girl Scouts in 1912. In 1920 the Civic Department of the Rock Island Women’s Club established the Quad Cities first Girl Scout Troop, ‘bankrolling’ it with a $30 donation. The following year the Shabonee Council, based in the Illinois Quad Cities, was chartered by the national organization. The first Davenport troop was established in 1926 and the first Moline troop was formed in 1933. The Mississippi Valley Girl Scout Council will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1998. The council was formed by the merger of the Illinois-based Shabonee Council and the Iowa-based River Bend Council in 1973. Cardinal Council was assimilated in 1975. The Mississippi Valley Council provides Girl Scout programming and services for 11,000 girls, ages 5 to 17, and 3,000 adults in a 15 county, two-state area. While many things have changed over the more than 85-year history of the Girl Scouts, one thing that has not changed is the mission: ”To help all girls, ages 5 to 17, develop to their fullest potential and become competent, resourceful women.“ Today’s Girl Scout programming helps girls gain a clear vision of who they are and what they can accomplish for themselves and their community. Through ”Girl Planning,“ Girl Scouts plan, implement, and evaluate all activities in partnership with their adult leaders. Girl Scouts learn life and job skills and values in a comprehensive program specifically designed to meet the special needs of girls. These needs include health concerns, sports competency and body image; individual and team leadership; math and science competency; career exploration and academic goal setting; also included is substance abuse and teen pregnancy prevention education. In 1997, the Mississippi Valley Girl Scout Council established an Organization Endowed Fund with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend. A healthy and growing endowment will assure that the Council and its many volunteers will continue to meet the challenge of providing girls with the positive capacity-building programs and activities they need to become competent, resourceful and healthy women.

webpage@girlscouts-mvc.org
www.girlscouts-mvc.org