It’s been three years since the troop was founded by couple parents and myself at table with a lot of paperwork at the oak park public library. We weren’t much then. The goal was to have a place for girls interested in the Boy Scouts of America’s program to join in Oak Park. BSA was just beginning to let in girls then, so we knew there would a lot push back and communication required for our troops subversive nature. Still we wanted there to be a place where the girls could participate in the same kind of learning outdoors activities as the boys do, so we worked through them.
Lots has changed since then. We’ve gone through multiple meeting places and leaders to find our footing. All while a strong and spirited group of girls has grown with us and not only made new friends but had a lot fun new experiences. The pandemic has brought it’s share of challenges no doubt, but we continued to hold our meeting every week over zoom and even found more members. New members requires more funding, so we started our annual mum fundraiser. All the girls have been working their way up the rankings and now there even a couple of them close to Eagle. We hope to continue growing and learning as a BSA Girls troop, especially on international women’s day.
Tabitha Hoag
Adult Leader & Co-Founder Troop 308