Speeches

I joined Girl Scouts when I was eleven, at my church in Milwaukee, Wis. This great circle of friends opened wide, welcomed me, and loved me for the girl that I was—and for the leader I could become…Girl Scouting helped me understand that I was a young girl who mattered, not only to God, but also to my community. The Servant Leadership we must provide to girls starts by telling them…"Young lady, you matter—and don't let anybody in this world tell you that you don't."

—Connie Lindsey

In 1956, Dr. King said that the Girl Scout Movement was 'a force for desegregation.' Fifty years later, we are still a powerful force for equality and positive change…Our girls teach people to read, clothe and comfort the homeless, establish medical clinics, found libraries—and so much more. Through their millions of individual acts of compassionate public service, our world is transformed. They carry Dr. King's dream forward and show the world, through their intelligence and strong character, that there is hope of creating the Beloved Community within our lifetime.

—Kathy Cloninger

Our girls are right to believe in their ideas and they are right to believe in themselves. We will show every girl, of every heritage—and our world—why our Movement remains the best place to transform a girl's best ideas and aspirations into the powerful, purposeful reality of her life.

—Connie Lindsey

Creating a Girl Scout community that is inclusive and reaches out to all of the diverse communities of our great nation is one of my highest priorities.

—Kathy Cloninger

We embrace the opportunity to prepare every girl with leadership skills, because women will be this century's new majority. We empower our girls to lead at every moment, everywhere.

—Connie Lindsey

We must commit to be a model of diversity in America. Let's follow in Juliette Low's footsteps of bringing the benefits of Girl Scouts to all girls who want to join. Let's impact the lives of even more girls by attracting and inspiring girls from all races and ethnicities. Let's continuously uphold the values of inclusiveness that are at the core of this Movement.

—Kathy Cloninger