By: Kimberly Reed, Executive Director, International Food Information Council Foundation Date: 3/12/12
A big smile came to my face when I heard a National Public Radio report celebrating the Girl Scouts 100th anniversary. If you were a Girl Scout or know a Girl Scout, take a few minutes and listen to this NPR story – Girl Scouts: 100 Years of Blazing New Trails – by Tovia Smith. Hearing today’s Girl Scouts in full “cookie selling leadership mode” made me giggle…as it was like I listening to a tape recording of me and my troop of close friends doing the same thing more than 30 years ago! The only thing that has changed is the price of the cookies. Thank you, NPR, for prompting this wonderful trip down memory lane.
I am pleased to see that Girl Scouts now emphasizes important topics like healthful living and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) that, to quote the timeless Girl Scout motto, will help young women to “Be Prepared.” Given our mission at the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition and food safety for the public good, I recommend that Girls Scout, Brownie, and Daisy troop leaders and volunteers who are looking for healthful and fun resources check out our “Healthy Kids and Families” and “Kidnetic.com” webpages. 
And, the good news about Girls Scouts and healthful, active lifestyles continues. Lisa Gable, President and CEO of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, recently announced that Girl Scouts will incorporate key concepts from its Energy Balance 101 curriculum into customized Journey booklets for Daisies, Brownies and Juniors. "This initiative will reach girls as soon as they are old enough to begin thinking seriously about living a healthy, active lifestyle, and while they are still at a stage when they are shaping their attitudes and habits," said Ms. Gable. (The accompanying picture features Lisa Gable with Lidia Soto-Harmon, CEO of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, and Girl Scouts at the DC Step Showcase.)
I would like to wish all past, present, and future Girl Scouts big, heartfelt, congratulations on today’s wonderful 100-year milestone. And, I am hopeful that America will continue to produce many outstanding female leaders, including in the fields of medicine, nutrition, physical activity and other life sciences, over the next 100 years because Girl Scouts tapped their interests and taught them how to “Be Prepared!”