After championing menstrual poverty with the Greater DC Diaper Bank last year, and working to advance life skills within her unit this past spring, 15-year-old Jewel Paige is entering her sophomore year of high school proud of her work as a Senior level Girl Scout.
Now, with the Aug. 5 unveiling of Girls Scouts’ Way on 3000 block of Veazey Terrace NW, she gets to add another bullet point to the growing list of milestones she’s celebrating.
“To me, it shows that Girl Scouts is more than just something you do when you’re younger, it’s something that goes beyond that,” Jewel told The Informer. “We do all these things that a lot of times go unnoticed, in my opinion, so I believe that it brings awareness to Girl Scouts. I’m looking forward [to walking on Girl Scouts’ Way].”
Fresh off the Van-Ness UDC Metro Station, Jewel counted among dozens of proud Girls Scouts, leaders and parents ringing the bells of sisterhood and service on Aug. 5 to not only launch the local street sign but also celebrate a 113-year legacy still thriving abroad.
Amid stations of arts and crafts, giveaways, and customizable build-a-bears, the theme of lifelong membership and inclusivity was exemplified through the diverse crowd donning their vests, badges and stories with enthusiasm, including president of the UPS Foundation Nicole “Nikki” Clifton.
“[This unveiling] is more than exciting–it’s historic. It tells every Girl Scout who walks by that her voice, her leadership and her potential matter,” Clifton told the crowd on Aug. 5. “As Juliette Gordon Low, our founder, once said, ‘The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers.’ Today, we’ve made history together.”
Others joining the historic celebration include local officials and avid Girl Scouts’ Way champions, such as: Kim Ford, CEO of Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital; Ward 8 D.C. State Board of Education Rep. LaJoy Johnson-Law; and D.C. Council members and co-introducers of the congressional bill, Ward 1 Rep. Brianne Nadeau (D) and Matthew Frumin (D) of Ward 3, where the street sign and organization’s nearby main office is located.
Ahead of the unveiling, Ford noted the newly minted street represents far more than a deep history in D.C. — the original headquarters for Girl Scouts USA. A lifelong trooper, Ford emphasized Girl Scouts’ Way brings an opportunity to continue generations of impact that already thrives in the District, “the largest and strongest council in the Girl Scouts world.”
“The legacy for us, particularly in the nation’s capital, has been being at the forefront of diversity and inclusion,” Ford told The Informer. “When you talk about continuing that on, it’s making sure that that diversity, that inclusion continues for everyone.”
Thanks to the permanence of Girls Scouts’ Way, and its “living promise” to invest in the community, Ford hopes this moment will inspire others to grow a relationship with the broad movement shaping lives beyond seasonal treats.
“You see that this is an organization that is giving far more than cookies,” said the CEO, “to everyone that it touches.”
Honoring 113 Years of Empowerment, Service
For 46-year-old troop leader Octavais Brown, the inevitable pull to Girl Scouts started as a young girl, admiring Virginia troops lead blanket and food collections and hand out donations to support the underserved.
“So when I became an adult and had a daughter, that was the first thing I wanted to show her,” said Brown, “how [to] give back to a greater community with a group of people who are like-minded.”
While many may liken Girl Scouts to annual cookie sales, Brown, Ford and other local leaders underscored the true emphasis on community service.
Ford highlighted championing overlooked populations as a core component of the organization’s motto: building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.
The girl-led entrepreneurship program — notably the largest in the world, and open to anyone who resonates with the Girl Scout experience — produces 70% of all women leaders, while propelling inclusivity in areas like STEM, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and outdoor appreciation.
As for D.C.’s local council, Ford emphasized a mission to work with residents to build the dreams of individuals, children and communities.
She noted some pivotal momentums gearing up in the city, including: co-creating more models and programs in Wards 7 and 8; marking the original national headquarters in the recently launched augmented reality app 51 Steps to Freedom; and preparing to host the National Girl Scout Convention in July 2026.
“We’re part of the community, [and] being in community means…being in conversation,” Ford told The Informer. “[Asking] ‘how do we actually understand your needs? How do you understand us? And then, how do we build things together?’”
A member for more than 16 years, Brown lauded the honorable unveiling and 113-year legacy as a “two-fold” celebration for an African American Girl Scout.
Similarly, while reflecting on a history and reputation of the Girl Scouts being “exclusive back in the day,” plus the current federal push back against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Johnson-Law highlighted the urgency for a marker like Girl Scouts’ Way. She particularly applauded its placement in front of the historically Black University of the District of Columbia, the nation’s only exclusively urban land-grant university.
“Joy is an act of resistance, pushing is an act of resistance, inclusivity is still an act of resistance,” Johnson-Law told The Informer, lauding Ford as a Black woman heading the charge. “No matter what is going on in this world, there are folks who are saying, ‘These are my values, and I’m taking them wherever I go,’ and I love how [Ford’s] bringing those values right to Girl Scouts [Nation’s Capital].”
‘It’s Not Just Where We Are, It’s Who We Are’
Beyond communal impact, aspiring leaders such as Jewel and Jackson-Reed High School junior Avani Patel amplify the program as a critical propeller for leadership, lifelong skills, and character development within its membership.
Avani, who served as the Aug. 5 keynote speaker, shared how she earned her Girl Scout Gold Award working at a local orphanage in Indonesia, where she provided more than 40 children with a sustainable harvest. Additionally, she anticipates proudly representing the local council as a national delegate for the forthcoming National Girl Scout Convention.
Meanwhile, Jewel – on her way to securing her Gold Award through literacy-centered initiatives – celebrates numerous opportunities to branch out and learn how to navigate public and professional communications, taking initiative, and gaining an overall boost of confidence.
Touting an inclusive environment rooted in service and sisterhood, the sophomore said she considers Girl Scouts a pivotal path to self-sufficiency and self-discovery that she believes will help her find her “calling in life.”
“[Girl Scouts] made me realize that I could do something. You see all these things online [and you] want to help, but don’t know where to start,” Jewel explained. “Girl Scouts helps build that confidence of first, you can do something, and this is how you do it.”
With initiatives such as the Girl Scout Promise Fund, assisting youth and volunteers with financial barriers to join Girl Scouts, and council forums addressing key areas of concern and reform, the well-rounded experience acts as a pillar for belonging and togetherness, said Johnson-Law, particularly needed in a society “where women are put against each other in a serious way.”
As the organization acts as a continuum of service for young people at all stages of life, Ford reminded that the only way to build a better world is to start by building better people, an effort begun in Girl Scouts.
“[It’s not only] the importance of entrepreneurship, respecting and appreciating the outdoors, the life skills, the STEM, but [it’s] being a good person,” Ford told The Informer, “being there for your sister, standing by her, their family and the communities during the good and the bad.”
While D.C. gears up to host next year’s convention, the CEO looks forward to showcasing the inaugural Girl Scouts’ Way for all councils across the nation to bask in with pride and joy. She highlighted the unveiling as “the beginning of a drum beat,” promising more of the entrepreneurial program in both action and 51 Steps’ augmented reality.
In the meantime, Girl Scouts’ Way makes its mark on the city, and Clifton hopes that same impact is felt among the courageous and confident changemakers it honors.
“To every Girl Scout past, present and future, walk this street with pride,” said the UPS Foundation president. “Girl Scouts’ Way isn’t just where we are – it’s who we are.”