Long before she was America’s favorite domestic diva, Nutley native Martha Stewart was a Girl Scout. So were singer Dionne Warwick, author Judith Viorst, former governor Christine Todd Whitman, and Marge Roukema, who served in Congress from 1981 to 2003.
In all, about 145,000 girls and adults are currently into scouting in New Jersey—and as many as 30,000 of them are expected to attend the B.I.G. (Believe in Girls) Celebration on June 23 at Liberty State Park. The event marks the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in America.
All four Garden State councils—Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey, Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey, and Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore—will be represented at B.I.G., says Susan M. Brooks, CEO of the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey group. Among those in attendance will be First Lady Mary Pat Christie, who was a Brownie Scout and now serves as honorary chair of the state’s centennial celebration.
Juliette Gordon Low, a socialite who as a young woman is said to have attended Miss Emmett’s School in Morristown, founded the Girl Scouts in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. “She knew she would make an impact,” says Brooks. “However, I believe she never dreamed just how big Girl Scouts as a movement would become.”
New Jersey’s centennial event will include a concert headlined by singers Sara Bareilles and Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, assorted activities, fireworks and a birthday cake with 100 candles.