"I Will Try to Serve My Country": A Fourth of July Message from CEO Loretta Graham
On July 4th we stand united, paying respect to the courageous patriots who valiantly fought and made immense sacrifices to free our beloved country. As we raise our flags, we must embrace the core principles of our independence movement: inclusivity, diversity, and unity. Numerous religions, cultures, and diverse backgrounds have united to form the strong nation that we are today.
Before becoming a country, the U.S. was a group of colonies owned by Great Britain. On July 4th, 1776, the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and announced their independence from Great Britain. The 4th of July is now an important holiday in the United States.
So, when an organization like Girl Scouts has been around for more than 110 years it’s natural to look back to its humble beginnings and see what progress has been made towards its mission to serve our country.
Founded in March of 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low, the organization’s mission was to build character through community service, outdoor activities, and homemaking skills. With service being an integral part of the Girl Scout movement, they were active in a myriad of ways during the war. Girl Scouts sold war bonds to the public. They found themselves tending “victory gardens,” through which they grew and canned their own food to conserve commercially grown food for troops; studying nutrition; and using food thriftily. Brownies even had a Clean the Plate campaign to promote food conservation. Girl Scouts proved that they truly knew what it meant when they pledged to serve their country and to “help people at all times.”
Juliette Low was an energetic person with a wide range of contacts, and she used all her resources to raise awareness of the movement. The movement multiplied, and Low continued working to promote the organization. In her honor, the one hundred and first Liberty ship was given the name S.S. Juliette Low and launched in Savannah, GA on May 12, 1944.
As responsible citizens, we pledge to take our nation forward, upholding the ideals of democracy, equality, justice, and unity in diversity, in honor of our freedom fighters. Let's rejoice in our nation’s independence today but let us also embrace our duty to America’s future. Together, we will propel our country onto the global stage, a beacon for the entire world to follow.
