Hours after the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy, the Girl Scouts issued a strong reminder: the two groups aren’t affiliated in any way.
In an email to supporters and volunteers, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta CEO Amy S. Dosik said the two scouting groups do not share membership, programs or finances.
“Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and BSA are two unrelated, legally separate organizations that have been entirely separate for their more than 100-year history,” Dosik wrote.
And that means the financial woes of the Boy Scouts, and the problems leading to it, don’t involve the Girl Scouts at all, Dosik said.
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BSA has been rocked by sexual-abuse scandals and declining membership in recent years and was facing approximately 300 lawsuits.
“We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children,” Roger Mosby, the BSA’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process, with the proposed trust structure, will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission.”
Meanwhile, the Girl Scouts organization has put various steps in place and Dosik said, “the physical and emotional safety of girls has always been our highest priority.”
“ We have a strong risk management culture that requires a comprehensive criminal background check for every adult volunteer,” Dosik said. “Girl Scouting uses the buddy system and requires at least two unrelated adults to be present at troop meetings and other girl events to ensure no girl is ever alone with an adult member.”
In October 2017, BSA began admitting girls as members, Dosik said. But the two agencies never merged and have no plans to do so, she said.
Currently 2.5 millions are involved with Girl Scouts, including 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adult volunteers, according to the organization. There are approximately 36,000 Girl Scouts in the Atlanta area, Dosik said.
The group also includes many famous alumnae, including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams and entertainer Taylor Swift. But it’s those cookies — including Thin Mints, Tagalongs and Samoas — sold annually that are most often associated with Girl Scouts.
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