Today is Girl Scout Sunday, which kicks off Girl Scout Week, the celebration of the 1912 founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA by Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon Low (1860-1927) in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia.

"Put forth your best. In every path of life," said Low who passionately believed that every girl could compete and succeed as vibrant members of society.

Born to an affluent family and called "Daisy," Low was hearing-impaired, but never let her handicap stop her. As a child, she loved art and the outdoors. While in England in 1911, she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts who inspired her to start a club for girls in America.

"I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all America, and all the world," Low said.

After selling her pearls to help fund the program, the tenacious Low helped write the Girl Scout Handbook (1916) and opened the National headquarters in Washington D.C., which eventually moved to New York. Because of Low's vision, by 1927, there were over 140,000 Girl Scouts, with troops in every state of the Union.

Low set these goals for her Girl Scouts: "to play fair, to play in your place, to play for your side and not for yourself. And for the score, the best thing in a game is the fun and not the results."

Before her death, she established the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund to help spread the spirit of the Girl Scouts worldwide with fun and educational programs.

With an original membership of 18 girls, today's Girl Scouts has over 3.7 million members and is the largest volunteer organization for girls and women in the world.

Real imagination works wonders.