Girl Scouts Hold Candlelight Vigil to Mark 100th Anniversary

Girl Scouts from the “WARM” Association (Williston Park/East Williston, Albertson, Roslyn/Roslyn Heights and Mineola) gathered at dusk Monday on the East Williston Village Green adjacent to the village hall and LIRR Train station to mark the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts.

Approximately two dozen scouts, ranging in ages and levels from Daisy to Brownie to full-fledged scouts participated in a “values of life” ceremony which included lighting small tea candles on a wooden trefoil – the four-leaved symbol of the Girl Scouts– marking the seven values: wisdom, courage, charity, justice, faith, hope and love.

The Girl Scouts of the USA was founded on March 12, 1912 by Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, whose purpose was “to train girls to take their rightful places in life, first as good women, then as good citizens, wives, and mothers.”

There are approximately 3.2 million active girl scouts ranging in age from 5 to 17 today.

The local troops then held a circle ceremony with electric tea candles, with each scout lighting the candle of the girl to her right, passing the light from scout to scout on in symbolic fashion.

“You guys are the next generation of girl scouting,” Junior Troop No. 1074 leader Patricia Schneider said to her scouts as she helped conduct the ceremony alongside Association chair Patricia Blach. “You guys are going to take us into the next hundred years.”