When the Girl Scouts say they’re for every girl, they really mean it! A donor recently gifted the group’s Western Washington chapter a $100,000 donation, but with one caution attached: Do not spend the money supporting transgender girls. So there was only one thing the group, which aims to empower all girls, could do: return the money.
“We wholeheartedly believe EVERY girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to,” Stefanie Ellis, public relations director for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington, told Us Weekly. “The only way we’re going to fulfill our mission of building girls’ courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place, is if we make sure there aren’t any barriers in place for girls’ success. We welcome all girls to join us, and get out there and make a difference in our world.”
But returning that large amount of money meant the chapter wouldn’t be able to help 500 girls join a troop and participate in other activities, so the Girl Scouts of Western Washington soft launched a fundraising campaign on Monday, June 29, to raise $100,000 to replace the donation it returned. By the next morning, the goal had not only been reached, but well exceeded.
“To see that we not only made our goal in our FIRST day, but surpassed it, is not something that can be easily described,” Ellis said, adding that they had no idea they would reach their goal so quickly. “The words 'grateful,' 'blown away,' 'thrilled,' and 'moved' come to mind, though even those words don’t seem to easily articulate what we’re feeling over here. Because at the end of the day, it’s about the girls. It’s why we do what we do. It’s why we were moved to find another source of funding when the one we initially had was given back.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the donations had reached nearly $280,000 with 28 days left in the campaign.
“The more more money we raise, the more girls we can serve who most need it,” Ellis said. “Since the original donation was earmarked for financial assistance, so, too, will the money that comes in from this campaign.”
According to the campaign’s Indiegogo page, the amount currently raised will help ensure that “more than 1,250 girls can join the a troop, go to camp, and participate in a multitude of life-changing Girl Scouts experiences. … Every additional $50,000 we raise goes to support 250 more girls.”
