Girl Scout National Birthday: 22 Facts About Girl Scouts

Founded March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Ga., the Girl Scouts remain a beloved organization that promotes friendship, innovation and empowerment among millions of girls across the nation.

Through numerous enrichment activities and opportunities, the organization encourages girls to contribute to their communities, support one another and always expect the best of themselves. The organization’s mission to build “girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place” has now been embodied by girls around the globe.

March 12 marks the day in 1912 that Juliette Gordon Low officially registered the organization’s first 18 members. In celebration of Girl Scouts’ 102^nd birthday, we’ve gathered 22 interesting facts about the organization.

1. The founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, Juliette Gordon Low, was born on Oct. 31, 1860, according to the Girl Scouts site. Her hometown was Savannah.

2. The first 18 girl members were officially registered on March 12, 1912, in Savannah. The patrols were named Carnation and White Rose.

3. Girl Scouts hold a national convention every three years. The next convention will be held in 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The theme is “Discover, Connect, Take Action: Girls Change the World.”

4. There are a total of 3.2 million Girl Scouts across the nation. This number includes 890,000 adult members who work mainly as volunteers.

5. The organization is also a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, with more than 10 million adults and girls in 145 countries.

6. The Girl Scout national center in Savannah is also Low's birthplace. It was built in 1821 and has since been restored in the fashion it would have appeared in the 1880s.

7. During the 1920s, the first Native American Girl Scout troop was founded with girls of the Onondaga Nation in central New York State.

8. The sale of commercially baked Girl Scout cookies began in the 1930s.

9. Girl Scout members elected their first African-American national Girl Scout president, Gloria D. Scott, in 1975.

10. Girl Scout Cookies are made by only two licensed bakers: ABC Smart Cookies and Little Brownie Bakers.

11. Juliette Gordon Low’s nickname was “Daisy.”

12. The organization is headquartered in New York.

13. The highest award in Girl Scouting is the Girl Scout Gold Award.

14. When she was still living, Low personally presented each recipient with the award.

15. The U.S. Postal Service issued its 75th anniversary Girl Scout commemorative stamp on March 12, 1987.

16. Girl Scouts have a total of 112 chartered councils around the nation.

17. First lady Michelle Obama is the honorary national president.

18. Girl Scouts of the USA was chartered by the United States Congress on March 16, 1950

19. USA Girl Scouts Overseas (USAGSO) is an organization that serves American girls living overseas.

20. In 1956, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. described Girl Scouts as "a force for desegregation."

21. The Girl Scout Promise is: "On my honor, I will try. To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law."

22. The Girl Scout Law is:

I will do my best to be