Facts About Girl Scouts – Circle T Council, Inc.

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Membership
In 2006, Girl Scouts – Circle T Council registered 16,156 girl members and 6,052 adult members in Hood, Johnson, Somervell and Tarrant counties. In 2007, Cooke, Hill, Montague and Wise counties joined Circle T Council, bringing hundreds of girls and volunteers into the Council’s service area.

Girl Scouts is open to all girls, ages 5 to 17. The strength of the Girl Scout Movement rests in its volunteers. Adult volunteers work in partnership with employed staff in all aspects of the Council’s service to girls.

Diversity
Circle T is dedicated to having Girl Scout membership reflect the diversity of our communities. The Council’s 2005 diversity was 48 percent in girl members and 9 percent in adult members.

The Girl Scout Program
Girl Scouts is a values-based, informal educational program with activities on five age levels to meet girls’ developmental, educational, emotional and social needs and interests. Girl Scouts offers activities in a variety of interests for today’s girls, such as math, science, the arts, technology, the outdoors, people and cultures, contemporary issues, and individual well-being. Activities include more than half of the 40 Developmental Assets identified by the Search Institute as keys to a child’s healthy development and well-being.

Funding
Girl Scouting is a community resource and depends on each community it serves for support. Major sources of income are Girl Scout product sales (cookies and nuts/candy), United Ways (Tarrant, Johnson and Hood counties), grants, program service fees, sales of supplies, special events, contributions (including the Annual Giving and Family Partnership Campaigns) and interest income.

Program Delivery
Girl Scout program takes place where girls are and is delivered in a variety of ways.
• Troops are the major program delivery method. Troops are small groups of girls in the same age range, led by trained adult volunteers. Troops are organized in all neighborhoods so meetings are near girls’ homes. Troops meet in religious facilities, community centers, schools, homes and other safe, accessible locations. Each troop sets its own meeting place, time and schedule that is convenient to its members.
• Girl Scouts at School brings the Girl Scout experience to girls in underserved or low-income neighborhoods in their schools.
• Together for Girls brings the Girl Scout experience to girls through collaborations with other community organizations, such as shelters, the Salvation Army and Boys & Girls Clubs.
• YES! (Youth Enjoying Summer!) is Circle T’s award-winning summer program that takes Girl Scouting into community centers, churches and apartment complexes in two-week increments with activities for boys and girls.
• Hot Stuff for Summer is a selection of more than 80 activities for girls in every age group to explore the world around them during the summer.
• Day/Twilight Camp is for individual girls, usually for five days during the day or at twilight in the summer or during school breaks. Day/Twilight Camp is Council sponsored with volunteer staff members who receive special training. Circle T operates 10 camps each summer in convenient locations.
• Resident Camp is a summer camp experience in sessions ranging from three to 13 days. Camp staff members are employed and trained by the Council. Circle T operates two resident camps during June and July at Camp Timberlake and Stevens Ranch.

Circle T At-a-Glance
1942 Chartered as Fort Worth Girl Scout Council by Girl Scouts of the USA
1950 Girl Scouts of the USA chartered by U.S. Congress
1953 The Arlington Council (chartered in 1944) merges with the Fort Worth Council to become Tarrant County Girl Scout Council
1963 Circle T Council established to include Johnson, Hood and Somervell counties
1996 Circle T hosts 47th National Convention of Girl Scouts of the USA with 10,000 in attendance
1997 85th anniversary of Girl Scouts, national membership dues increase to $7
2000 Council name changes to Girl Scouts – Circle T Council, Inc., and girl membership exceeds 16,000
2002 90th anniversary of Girl Scouts, Circle T receives first-ever Diversity Award from the United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County and the Outstanding Services to Women Award from Women’s Policy Forum
2003 National membership dues increase to $10, girl membership exceeds 18,000
2004 Girl membership exceeds 19,000; longtime CEO Sandy Kautz retires and new CEO Patricia Thomson, Ph.D. is appointed.
2005 New mission statement adopted at GSUSA National Council session in Atlanta; however, the Girl Scout Mission since it was founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low, Girl Scouts of the USA has remained true to its mission: “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” GSUSA announces new Core Business Strategy to strengthen the Girl Scout Movement.
2007 Cooke, Hill, Wise and Montague counties join Circle T Council. Girl Scouts celebrates its 95th Anniversary.