[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3959]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE GIRL SCOUTS' 90TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I have a member of my staff who as a 
Girl Scout loved Girl Scout cookies so much she went into debt selling 
herself cookies. She said she had every variety of cookie in her 
possession, for her own consumption, hidden from her little brother and 
the family dog. Her parents had to give her a low-interest loan so she 
could pay off her obligation.
  I don't recommend her financial habits, but I definitely recommend 
Girl Scout cookies, and most of all, for girls to become Girl Scouts.
  The organization just celebrated its 90th anniversary, and it shows 
no signs of going out of style. There are 3.7 million Girl Scouts 
nationwide--2.7 million girl members and 915,000 adult members. My 
state of Iowa has 53,000 members.
  I see why scouting has such broad appeal. The Girl Scouts offer 
community service, field trips, camping, science awareness, sporting 
and fitness development, health education and many more activities to 
girls ages 5 to 17. These programs teach girls not only about the world 
around them, but also about themselves. They learn leadership skills, 
self-confidence, respect for others, companionship and responsibility. 
They also learn egalitarianism. Girl Scouting is open to all girls of 
the eligible age. A girl just has to have the will to participate and 
enjoy. Given the competitiveness of so many extracurricular activities 
for kids, it's refreshing to have an outlet for girls to interact as 
equals.
  Girl Scouting also engages family members and adults in their 
communities. Almost all adults involved with Girl Scouting are 
volunteers, and the organization sponsors activities for mothers to 
spend special time with their daughters away from the distractions of 
everyday life.
  I congratulate the Girl Scouts on 90 years of success. Like all 
classics, the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law remain as fresh 
and relevant today as ever. Here they are, for the Congressional 
Record, for posterity, for the girls of today, and for the women of 
tomorrow.
  The Girl Scout Promise: 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.
  The Girl Scout Law: I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly 
and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and 
responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, 
respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, 
and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

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