Happy 100th Birthday, Girl Scouts!

Last Monday marked 100 years since the first local Girl Scout meeting.

It all started with a belief that bringing girls out of their isolated home environments and into community service would help them develop into well-rounded young women.

One century later, you'll find Girl Scouts fanning out across the country raising money via Thin Mints and other classic cookie favorites. 

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, Troop No. 1371 from recited the Pledge of Allegiance. And Mayor Michael Cacciotti proclaimed March 11 to March 17 Girl Scouts Week in South Pasadena. 

"[My favorite part of girls scouts] is bonding with other girls," said 8th grader Naomi Low. 

"And helping the community," chimed in Christine Abbott. 

To celebrate this centennial milestone, Lanterman House, along with the LA Council's Heritage Committee, will also feature a variety of historic photographs and uniforms, books, dolls and myriad other memorabilia.

The exhibit, which runs through June 28, will lead visitors through the history of the Girl Scouts, how the organization responded to the challenges of the 20th century, and how it remains vibrant today, according to the Lanterman website.

"There is a long and extremely active history of Girl Scouting in the Valley,'' Executive Director Melissa Patton wrote in an e-mail to Patch.

One hundred years ago, Girl Scouts hiked, played basketball, went on camping trips, learned how to tell time by the stars, and studied first aid.

Today, Girl Scouts of the USA has a membership of more than 3.2 million girls and adults in every residential zip code and in 90 countries, the Girl Scouts website states. An estimated 60 million women in the United States are alumnae. The organization's goal is to give a voice to all girls, regardless of their background or neighborhood.