Michelle Obama to Serve as Honorary National President of Girl Scouts
Michelle Obama has agreed to serve as the Honorary National President of the Girl Scouts of America.
"It is my great pleasure to serve as Honorary National President of Girl Scouts," said Michelle Obama. "With their innovative new programming, ground-breaking research, and emphasis on service and leadership, Girl Scouts is preparing the women of tomorrow to be a positive force for change – in their own lives, their communities, and across the globe."
This is a tradition that goes back to 1917, when First Lady Edith B. Wilson became the first Honorary National President of the Girl Scout movement. Every successive First Lady has served in the honorary position. The Girl Scouts plan to work with Michelle Obama on focus areas such as public service, leadershipa and healthy living.
"From bullying to obesity to concern over the economy, our nation's girls are facing significant challenges," said Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of the USA. "Girl Scouts is excited to work with the First Lady's office to ensure that all girls can overcome the challenges they face, and that they have the skills, resources and opportunities they need to become strong, independent young leaders."
Does this mean that Malia and Sasha will be Girl Scouts? We loved being Girl Scouts. Camp outs, merit badges, parties, new friends....good times. You can see an interesting slide show of how the Girl Scout uniforms have changed over time here. The retro ones really were much cuter. But not as practical, of course.
