Drifting Dunes Girl Scout Council and Girl Scouts of the Calumet Council are joining Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) in a transformation, geared toward modernizing the organization and focus on leadership development for girls in the 21st century, Scout leaders said today in a press release.

As part of a national realignment, both Drifting Dunes and Calumet will join with Chicago, Prairie Winds (formerly DuPage), Illinois Crossroads, South Cook and Trailways councils in Illinois to form one large Girl Scout council with the capacity to serve over one million girls by 2009.

Marlene Cosby, CEO of Drifting Dunes Girl Scout Council, said that “While the national organization is stewarding these changes, Calumet, Drifting Dunes and all councils across the country have been engaged since the beginning. So as we move to a high-performance system, we not only retain but strengthen our ability to serve the local community, which has always been our top priority.

“Girls in Northwest Indiana tell us they need Girl Scouting to personalize their leadership experience in a way that’s fun and relevant to their lives,” adds Cosby, “As a national Movement, we’ve defined the framework for such an experience, and both Drifting Dunes and Calumet look forward to engaging with girls to bring this new and exciting leadership philosophy to life.”

GSUSA’s mission is to ensure that “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place!”

For the past two years, girls and adults in Northwest Indiana have been among thousands nationwide voicing opinions and sharing ideas on the future direction of Girl Scouting. On Aug. 26, 2006, Girl Scouts of the USA’s (GSUSA) National Board of Directors voted to endorse a plan to realign 312 councils into 109 high-performance, community-based councils.

For more information on Girl Scouts programs, volunteer and donation opportunities, please contact: Girl Scouts of the Calumet Council, 2906 Highway Avenue, Highland, IN 46322, 219-838-3171, www.gscalumet.org

 Drifting Dunes Girl Scout Council, 4699 Broadway, Merrillville, IN 46410, 219-795-9640, www.ddgsc.org

Posted 9/19/2006