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An astute leader. Innovator. Entrepreneur. These are qualities today’s Girl Scouts share with many inspiring women from the past. Those women showed courage, confidence, and character throughout their lives, just like Girl Scouts do today. Next week these historic women and future leaders will stand side-by-side.

On Monday, October 14, 2019, Girl Scouts from the three Virginia councils – Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline, Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast, and Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia – will help pay tribute to the trailblazing women who came before them during Voices from the Garden: The Virginia Women’s Monument, a dedication ceremony recognizing the historic contributions of seven women that shaped the Commonwealth of Virginia over the past 400 years. 

The dedication ceremony will take place in Richmond, Virginia. The monument is the nation’s first on the grounds of any state capitol to showcase the full range of achievements and contributions made by remarkable women in a variety of fields and endeavors. 

The twelve Girl Scouts, representing all program age levels of Girl scouting from Daisy to Ambassador, will help unveil life-size bronze statues of Cockacoeske, Pamunkey chieftain; Anne Burras Laydon, Jamestown colonist; Mary Draper Ingles, frontierswoman; Elizabeth Keckly, seamstress and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln; Laura Copenhaver, entrepreneur in the textile industry; Virginia Randolph, educator; and Adèle Clark, suffragist and artist.

Along with the statues, the monument will also include a Wall of Honor inscribed with the names of 230 notable women with room to add more names in the future.

“The Girl Scouts have a rich history in Virginia, with more than 100 years of building young women’s leadership skills,” said Molly T. Fuller, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth. “It is a proud moment for Virginia’s three councils to participate in dedicating The Virginia Women’s Monument.”

 The event is free and open to the public.

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Click here to read the press release written by the Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast that was created using this story!