Girl Scouts prides themselves on supporting every girl, no matter race, sexuality or gender identity, and after a generous donation came with restrictions that would limit that policy, they returned it.
The donor’s letter said, “Please guarantee that our gift will not be used to support transgender girls. If you can’t, please return the money.”
The donor was not specified, but Ferland did say that “the relationship is complex”.
Despite the excitement over such a large donation, Ferland knew what the troop needed to do, and that was return the generous donation.
The CEO of Girl Scouts of Western Washington Megan Ferland did an interview with Seattle Met in which she told the publication that along with returning the money she wrote a letter saying, “Every girl that is a Girl Scout is a Girl Scout because her parent or guardian brings her to use and says, “I want my child to participate. And I don’t question whether or not they’re a girl.”
For the Girl Scouts troop, it would mean they would be able to send 500 girl scouts to summer camp, and the donation made up for almost one fourth of what the council strives to raise at their annual fundraiser.
This money would have done a great deal for the troop, and they are determined to get it back in donations from those who will not put any limitations on the money.
An Indiegogo campaign for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington went up on Monday. The campaign is set to run for 30 days. By Wednesday the campaign had raised $276,691, with 5,710 donators. This achievement means that the girl scouts have raised over 177 percent of their initial goal.
The indiegogo page goes more into depth about what Girl Scouts means.
It explains that Girl Scouts are “empowered to use their voice to stand up for what they believe in, be proud of who they are, and support each other to take action to make the world a better place.”
The donations sky rocketed as the incident, and the campaign along with it, went viral.
In the campaign it says, “Help us raise back the $100,000 a donor asked us to return because we welcome transgender girls.”
Certain donations can get you certain perks. Some of these perks included sending girls to study science, a Girl Scout membership, the opportunity to send two girls to summer camp, and even opportunity to send yourself and a friend to summer camp.
Ferland has worked hard, risking public criticism, in order to make everyone who wants to join Girl Scouts feel welcomed with open arms.
The Gender Justice League’s, Executive Director Danni Askini, told Seattle Met, “There’s a lot of violence and discrimination and prejudice against transgender people. So even if people know they are transgender, they don’t always transition because of that prejudice and bias and discrimination. So the thing about Girl Scouts that’s so vital to all girls is that it’s about creating community and ending isolation.”
As of now, the Indiegogo has raised enough to send over 1,000 girls to camp. Some of the funds raised by the Girl Scouts help girls who want to go to camp, but don’t have the financial means to make it happen.
Use the hashtag #ForEVERYGirl to share why you support all girls, or how the Girl Scouts have impacted you.
Image via Ryan Estes Photography
