The Brownie Elf  

You may remember an earlier blog, written by Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Historian Christine Caragher, about the ceremonies a Brownie participates in to become part of Girl Scouts.  

As troops are now forming for the new Girl Scout year, we’d like to further examine the history of becoming a Girl Scout Brownie and how the Brownie “elf” still lives on today.  

The Brownie program was inspired by the children’s book The Brownies, by Julia Horatia Ewing. In the book, Brownies were compared to fairies or elves (who were to help others by doing a “good turn”), and their uniforms often sported an elf in one way or another. It was only fitting that the first Girl Scout Brownie uniforms also had elf-like features.  One of their earliest hats was a peaked cap like an elf might wear, and their first uniforms had an elf patch stitched onto them.

Lending a Helping Paw - Teddy the Therapy Dog

Bryanna and Dog

My name is Bryanna. I am a Girl Scout Ambassador in Troop 381 and just graduated from high school. I have been working on my Girl Scout Gold Award, “Lending a Helping Paw-Teddy the Therapy Dog”. My project was to train our Sheltie, Teddy, to become a certified therapy dog, so I can go with him as a therapy dog team to visit schools, libraries, nursing homes, and hospitals to bring smiles, joy, and happiness to the lives of those that he visits.

I would love to visit some local troops during their regular meeting times. I am also open to doing at-home visits if anyone has a friend or family member, maybe a shut-in or the elderly, or someone recovering from surgery(young or old), that could benefit from a visit from Teddy. I am fully certified and insured through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. You can text me at 321-456-7606 to schedule.