For most people, Girl Scouts are just fantastic little salesladies slinging the irresistible Thin Mints and Caramel deLites with those charming grins that you cannot resist. Well, Girl Scouts are certainly more than Keebler Elf wanna-be's. The rest of the year, Girl Scouts do much more than simply slip back into the bakery to churn out more Shortbreads.

Are you aware that 53% of women business owners, 66% of women of professional achievement, and 64% of the women in the Who's Who of American women were Girl Scouts? Well, there may be a lot about Girl Scouts that you do not know.

Girl Scouting gives girls a chance to do things that they may be afraid to do or may not normally have the opportunity to do. There are huge events exclusively for Girl Scouts, such as the annual "Mall Lock-In" at the Citadel Mall, which is an all night event from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. filled with various activities. This year's theme was related to CSI, so the girls had to investigate and solve a "crime". There are also summer camps and day camps every year that range from horse camps to Harry Potter camps.

Although troops are the traditional avenue to deliver Girl Scout program, there are other ways to become involved. A girl can become a Juliette, or individual member, and work on badges and recognitions in her own time with an adult advisor and still be eligible to attend any council-wide event. There are also the recently-developed "Pathways Programs" which are 6 week programs designed for the girl that is too busy during certain times of the year to commit to troop-based Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts is a program that can be applied to each individual girl's interest and lifestyle.

The common conception is that the 3 C's of Girl Scouting are Cookies, Camping, and Crafts, but in fact it is an organization that builds girls of Courage, Confidence, and Character who make the world a better place. Although, cookies, camping, and crafts still have a place in Girl Scouts, the national organization changed to keep up with the times. Even the Brownies, girls in first through third grade, are exposed to a range of stereotypically male themes. There are still try-its in art, dolls, and manners, but in the last several years, badges have been added in science, computer literacy, math, space exploration, and community awareness. The cookie program itself is designed to teach the girls basic business skills like marketing a product, how to make change, and how to be a good sales person.

In the fifties, there was a badge for Cadet and Senior Girl Scouts, grades 6-12, called matron housekeeper, which taught girls how to use a vacuum and identify cuts of meat. Today its corresponding badge is a Ms. Fix-It badge for Junior Girl Scouts, grades 3-6. To earn this badge girls have to learn how to help rewire a lamp or replace an electrical cord, how to fix a leaky faucet or help paint or refinish a piece of furniture.

GSUSA has also responded to the changing lives of girls by creating the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) in 2000 with its headquarters in Manhattan. The goal of the GSRI is to put together projects and initiatives that strengthen knowledge about girls as well as augment research that exists on the healthy development of girls. This program is designed to not only support the development of the Girl Scout program, but to also provide information to educational, non-profit, and other public organizations on the best ways to help girls grow.

Teens especially have a distorted view of Girl Scouts. A lot of Jr. High and High School girls do not want to join because it's uncool or they think it's only for little girls. Well, it's certainly not just for elementary school girls. Any girl from the ages of 5 to 17 can be a Girl Scout and the program changes to accommodate the girl's maturing interests.

Girl Scouts has tried to resist the somewhat square image by offering rugged adventures like mountain climbing, internships, and travel opportunities for older girls in the Studio 2B Destinations program. Girls can travel somewhere new, do something different like see what it is really like to be a doctor, research animal behavior, or learn how to sea kayak. The possibilities are amazing. Girls can have the chance to go to Peru, India, the Galapagos Islands, on an outward bound trip, or participate in an Aerospace Career Explorer program. The Destinations programs are available in 6 categories: international, outdoors, science, people, apprenticeships, and get-a-ways.

Older girls also have the opportunity for awards and programs that almost guarantee scholarships to college that put them up above the average applicant. As part of the 1980 You Can Make a Difference Campaign, GSUSA developed the Silver, and Gold awards that focus on skill development, leadership, service, and career exploration and in 2001 they added the Bronze award as an opportunity for younger girls. A girl can begin working on the Bronze as a Junior, the Silver as a Cadet, and the Gold as a Senior Girl Scout. The awards require a commitment to working to better the girl's life and the lives of others. She must express dedication to herself, her community, her world and the future. Each award requires different levels of hours devoted to a leadership role, activities in a career related field, and certain hours for planning progressing in difficulty and perseverance.

The Gold Award is the highest possible recognition and achievement in Girl Scouts. The Gold Award requires organization, 30 hours in a leadership role to earn the Leadership award, 40 hours in a career related activity, the completion of the Gold 4 B's challenge (becoming, belonging, believing, and building a better community), in addition to planning and implementing the project itself which requires a minimum of 65 hours of work. In 2005, Laurel Barrett designed a project to support families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. She made small bags which were initially filled with personal care items yet could later be used to keep track of small items and keepsakes. In addition, she created a brochure that explained what the Ronald McDonald House is and how others could help with its needs. In 2006, Kimberly Hedding received the Gold Award project that was chosen because of a personal experience that led to a deep concern for the safety of young women everywhere. She planned and executed a day long workshop on how to stay safe from sexual predators. Kimberly hopes her project will raise awareness of this issue and educate girls on safety and how to protect themselves if faced with this situation. Through the Gold Award projects, young women have exhibited unique, creative ways to serve their communities and to make a difference in the world.

The great outdoors still figures prominently in Girl Scouts, and for older girls in Wagon Wheel Council, there is an annual competition developed around camping skills. No, not just who can make the best s'more and although one would bet there are some phenomenal ones available, the contest is much more in-depth than that. The girls participate in Reach for the Peak annually at Sky High Ranch, Wagon Wheel Council's camp facility about 7 miles north of Woodland Park. The activities include gourmet camp cooking, knots, lashing, emergency survival, nature ID, first aid (including the kit and different scenarios), camp site building, map and compass (orienteering), and team work.

The organization was founded 95 years ago in 1912 by Juliette Gordan Low, who believed all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. From the beginning, Girl Scouts wanted to get girls out of their homes and into community service and the open air. Community service is still an integral part of Girl Scouting at all age levels. Last year in Wagon Wheel council alone, girls and adults committed a combined 35,000 hours of community service.

Some people believe Girl Scouting is an expensive program to participate in. That's another misconception. Although there are certain costs associated with membership and programs, there are scholarships available. Girl Scouts is an all-inclusive organization regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, and economic status. Girls can join at any time of the year, troops are always forming and anyone is welcome to help, yes Dads too! Another misconception is that Girl Scouts has enough volunteers and financial support. In fact, we are always looking for great mentors for girls and funds for our outreach programs, camperships, and subsidies for basic supplies for girls in need.

Girl Scouts may not be what you think it is, but feel free to ask more questions! Please contact Wagon Wheel Council at 719-597-8603 or www.girlscouts-wwc.org for more information or to get yourself or your daughter involved.