Founder’s Day Scout’s Own

Today is Halloween, but for all of us here in Girl Scout land, it’s really Founder’s Day aka J-Low’s birthday.  Birthday wishes are sent out via multiple sources on Facebook and shared multiple times by everybody!  Halloween is always a very hectic day in my household due to trying to get everybody home from school, home from band practice, and attempting to cook dinner and eat it in time to get ready for trick or treating.  I got all of this done and was checking my email when I realized I had completely forgotten to write up something for the blog.  I always try to post something on March 12th and October 31st because I would hang my head in shame if I didn’t.

So I quickly flipped through a bunch of books and nothing jumped out at me.  Then I remembered the GS Leader Magazine Archive hosted by the GS History Project which is run by the fabulous Ann Robertson – who will now get her own tag here on GSWAC (not a council).  I’m sure she winced when she read that last line.

I did a quick Google site search and found the perfect item to share.  Here’s a Scout’s Own ceremony especially created for Juliette’s 100th birthday as published in the October 1960 Leader Magazine.  You can find it on pgs. 24 & 34, but I’ve pulled those two pages out and put them in their own PDF if you’d like to download it separately: 100 JLow Scouts Own

Here’s the text of the ceremony (written by Alice White):

This Scouts’ Own requires no special staging other than a simple stylized tree, back center.

The troop enters singing “Where’er You Walk” (Sing Together, p. 31), and proceeds to the area reserved for the event. They circle the tree, some clockwise, some counterclockwise. As the music ends, the SPEAKING CHOIR of at least twelve voices takes its place on one side of the tree, the SOLO SPEAKERS standing toward the front of the group. The rest of the girls arrange themselves on the side and hum softly under the words of Juliette Low.

SPEAKING CHOIR: Juliette Low once said:

1st SOLO VOICE: “Did you ever think how wonderful it is that wifh every new spring sap should rise in the trees? So one knows whence it comes, but it flows from root to branch, and makes a dead bare tree blossom with with green leaves. . .. And so it is with Scouting; it rises within you and inspires you to put forth your best…. In every path of life you have a chance to show what a Girl Scout can do.” (Humming fades out.)

SPEAKING CHOIR: Juliette Gordon Low knew well
That time flies swiftly.
Today is soon tomorrow,
And all our tomorrows
Lie in the hands of youth.
Her gift to youth was Girl Scouting.
And her dream, a tree of fellowship
Grown from a tiny seed.

LIGHT VOICES: She knew the seed would ripen,

DARK VOICES: The tree grow,

2ND SOLO VOICE: Nourished by faith,

3RD SOLO VOICE: Watered by service,

4TH SOLO VOICE: Tended by love.

(Members of the group opposite the speaking choir may pantomime these actions as the speakers say the three preceding lines. Then a telephone rings. )

IST SOLO VOICE: “I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah,
And for all America,
And all the world!”

LIGHT VOICES: She said,
In the phone call that made history.

SPEAKING CHOIR: Yes, we started it that night!
She brought the seed from England.
And we helped her plant that seed
In the rich soil of Georgia.
We twelve.

5TH SOLO VOICE: “On my honor, I will try,”

TWO VOICES: Each said.

FOUR VOICES: Soon there were scores of us.

SIX VOICES: Hundreds.

EIGHT VOICES: Then thousands.

ALL (including the girls in the group opposite the SPEAKING CHOIR. who move slowly forward during the preceding lines):
Now we are three million strong,
Living the Promise!

6TH SOLO VOICE: Let us all repeat it together.

ALL (including assembled Girl Scouts, who rise) :
On my honor, I will try:
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people at all times,
To obey the Girl Scout Laws.

LIGHT VOICES: Duty, Service, Loyalty,
These were the challenges,

DARK VOICES: These the roots our Founder planted many years ago.

7TH SOLO VOICE: The tree grew strong and flourished.

DARK VOICES: Its branches:
Delight in the out-of-doors,
Joy in the arts,

LIGHT VOICES: Its leaves:
Fun, friendship,
New things to do.

SPEAKING CHOIR: Juliette Low knew what girls wanted! She said:

IST SOLO VOICE: lf it isn’t right the girls won’t take it, and it won’t last!”

SPEAKING CHOIR: Three million voices answer:
It is right!
It will last!
Thanks to your inspiration,
Juliette Low,
And to the founders of our troop,
Our camp, our council,
Who have helped our tree reach skyward.
Nourished by their faith,
Watered by their service,
Tended by their love.

 (Action by members of the group on the right may accompany lines as before.  The troop may wish to show appreciation to their founders in some appropriate way, such as a short speech, a reading, or a song, and perhaps the presentation or some memento of the occasion.)

SPEAKING CHOIR: Our roots lie deep in earth,
Revered, like our traditions.
Honoring the past, we live each day
Beneath the spreading branches of our tree.
As we move into the future
We raise our eves to the topmost leaves
And the clear beyond.

Circling the tree as before, the troop sings “Tree Song” (Sing Together, p. 25).  Girls leave the same way they came in, singing the final verse or humming the melody until the last girl has left the meeting place.

I’m not usually one for ceremonies, but I thought it’d be neat to share this one created especially for J-Low’s 100th birthday.  Unfortunately we aren’t 3 million strong anymore, but I thought the overall sentiment was nice.  And now I’m going to click publish to get this in right under the wire so that this post has an October 31st date!