Members
In 2006, the Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley served 17,374 girls with the support of 7,167 dedicated volunteers. The council continued to reach 1 in 6 girls, including 1 in 13 girls of color, in our community. The special initiative programs, including Beta Gamma Girl Scouts (BGGS), Hmong Women's Circle (HWC), and the new Latina Unidas programs, helped to increase the numbers of both girl and adult members of color.
There were 1,816 troops or groups in the 59 service units in the council. Program age levels in Girl Scouting include:
- Daisy Girl Scouts (grades K-1, aged 5-6)
- Brownie Girl Scouts (grades 1-3, aged 6-8)
- Junior Girl Scouts (grades 3-6, aged 8-11)
- STUDIO 2B Girl Scouts (grades 9-12, aged 11-13, 13-15, 15-17)
Service Area
The council serves all or parts of Anoka, Chisago, Dakota, Isanti, Pine, Ramsey, and Washington counties in Minnesota and Burnett, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix counties in Wisconsin.
Administration
The council is governed by a volunteer board of directors, which delegates the management of operations to the chief executive officer. Our council president is Sarah J. Andersen, and our CEO is Kathleen H. Corley. For more information, visit the governance section of this site.
Funding
The council's 2006 operating budget was $6.1 million. Support from the following sources makes our program possible:
Approximately $.78 of every dollar raised supports girl and volunteer programs and services.
History
Girl Scouting in our region can be traced back to 1912, soon after Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low began the national movement in Savannah, Georgia. A group of local school girls heard about the Girl Scout organization, sent for handbooks, and began to study the program. The movement continued to expand and in 1921, a Girl Scout council was formed in St. Paul. As thousands of communities throughout the United States embraced the Girl Scout program, the national organization was overwhelmed with requests for services and support. In response to the demand, Girl Scouts of the USA established local councils with contiguous borders that would cover the entire nation. By 1963, Girl Scouts from St. Paul, Hudson, Stillwater, and Hastings had merged to become the Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley, which now serves approximately 5,000 square miles in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The important role that the Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley plays in the lives of girls and adult volunteers in our communities is demonstrated by our membership growth and retention. During the past ten years:
- Girl membership has increased 22%
- Adult membership has increased 17%
- Troops and groups increased 31%
- Adult retention rates were 85%
- Girl retention rates were 73%
- Membership from communities of color increased by 210%
For more information on Girl Scouts, please check the Girl Scouts of the USA Web site.
