The year was 2016 and Giselle Burgess, a single mother of five children had just been evicted from the home they rented in Flushing, NY. The property was being converted into condominiums.
She was employed, but her salary was not enough to afford an apartment for six. She did not qualify for food stamps. Homeless services helped her find a place to stay in a Sleep Inn. The city had taken over the former hotel to accommodate 100 homeless families.
Giselle was employed as a community engagement specialist for Girl Scouts of Greater New York. When she and her children were moved into their new quarters, she was surprised to find out that out of the 287 people housed in the Sleep Inn, 155 were under the age of 18.
She proposed the idea of a Girl Scout troop for homeless girls to her bosses. She gained immediate acceptance from the Girl Scouts but not from the girls themselves. The first meeting only attracted 8 girls. The cost of joining was a problem. The Girl Scouts organization covered the cost.
Another problem was the Girl Scout troop number to be used. In New York City, Girl Scout troop numbers are assigned by the borough where the troop is located. But that didn’t seem to be appropriate for those who were homeless. The number 6000 was chosen to represent the growing number of Girl Scouts troops in homeless shelters.
There are now troops in 12 shelters throughout New York City with over 600 girls participating. Other homeless Girl Scout troops have now been formed in other locations across the U.S. Some of these support immigrant children.
Troop 6000 does all of the same activities as other Girl Scout troops, but it does something more. It provides hope, pride, and a refuge. How much talent and purpose might have gone wasted without Girl Scout Troop 6000? We may never know, but giving hope and raising aspirations are societal needs that Girl Scout Troop 6000 is providing. They are a model for the rest of us.
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“Girl Scouting is not just knowing…but doing…not just doing but being.” – Juliette Gordon Low