Juliette Gordon Low

Hello! My name is Juliette Gordon Low, but most people called me Daisy. I was born on a spooky, fun day—October 31st, 1860—in a beautiful city called Savannah, Georgia. As a little girl, I loved adventure! I wrote poems, put on plays with my cousins, and loved to be outdoors with animals. I was also an artist and loved to draw, paint, and even make sculptures. I had some trouble with my hearing, which made things tricky sometimes, but I never let it stop me from exploring the world and trying new things.

When I grew up, I traveled to many interesting places. In 1911, while I was visiting England, I met a man named Sir Robert Baden-Powell. He had started a group for boys called the Boy Scouts. He also helped start a group for girls called the Girl Guides. They learned how to be helpful, brave, and good citizens. They went camping, learned about nature, and helped people in their towns. I thought it was the best idea I had ever heard! I knew right away that girls back home in America would love a group like this. I wanted them to have the same chance to be strong, confident, and make new friends.

I was so excited that I hurried back home to Savannah. I called my cousin Nina and said, 'I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!' On March 12th, 1912, I gathered 18 girls together for our very first meeting. We were the first Girl Guides in America! Later, we changed our name to the Girl Scouts. We played basketball, went on hikes, learned to tie knots, and studied the stars. We learned that we could do anything we set our minds to, whether it was learning first aid or starting our own business.

That small group of 18 girls quickly grew and grew. Soon, there were Girl Scout troops in every state! I wanted every girl to feel like she belonged and to know how important she was. I lived to be 66 years old, and I was so proud to see my dream spread across the country. Today, millions of girls are Girl Scouts, and they continue to do amazing things—exploring science, helping their communities, and becoming leaders. My hope was that every Girl Scout would leave the world a little better than she found it, and they still do that every single day.