Customized Membership Projects

Trip Report: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars visits the Juliette Low Birthplace in Savannah, GA, October 6-8, 2007

Thirty-one Girl Scouts, ages 7 to 17, participated in the trip to Savannah, Georgia. The girls represented three different Girl Scout troops. Parent registration for the trip took place at Bates Memorial Church, where one of troops meets regularly, before the trip commenced.

Day 1 Saturday
Despite the long bus trip to Savannah, the girls found interesting, and sometimes silly, ways to entertaining themselves. When they arrived, the first place they visited was the original Girl Scout headquarters building. Next, they made their way to the riverfront area, where the girls participated in various activities associated with Oktoberfest, including an inflatable bounce room and a candy-making booth, and they watched part of an interesting stage musical. They also enjoyed watching musicians playing drums made out of buckets. Afterward, the group toured some of Savannah’s historic buildings and parks. For some girls, it was the first time they had ever seen a cobblestone street or Spanish moss.

Day 2 Sunday
The next day, the girls traveled to Tybee Island, where they boarded a boat for a dolphin-watching tour. Wearing their life vests, the girls watched as shrimp boats lured the dolphins closer for a good look and photos. Several of the girls admitted to feeling a bit apprehensive about the aquatic mammals, but everyone enjoyed the boat ride nevertheless. In addition to seeing dolphins in person for the first time, the girls also got an up-close and personal look at the very extroverted seagulls as they ate lunch on the beach. There were some great photo opportunities with the Tybee turtles, which are very much like the artistic Derby horses in Louisville. Later at the hotel, the girls had fun swimming and making bookmarks as a service project for the Girl Scout council to sell.

Day 3 Monday
On the third day of the trip, the group visited the current local Girl Scout office and participated in a tour of the Juliette Gordon Low historic home. During the tour, they learned about styles of dress from the early 1900s from a storyteller and tried on corsets. They also enjoyed a troop scavenger hunt, orientation of the troop house, special breakout sessions, and a Girl Scouts’ Own pinning ceremony in the Low garden. During the pinning ceremony, the girls sang songs while receiving special Birthplace pins and patches. The group embarked on the long bus ride home later that afternoon, thoroughly tired but very happy with all of their newfound knowledge and experiences.

Service Project

In December, the girls of Troop 1366 participated in the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program by traveling to the local Louisville warehouse and helping put together gifts for underpriviledged children. The project was very rewarding for the girls as they shared their time with such a great organization.