in brief: girl scouts of western washington choose inclusivity over $100K donation

In early May, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington received a $100,000 donation, which was nearly a quarter of their fundraising goal and enough to make up a third of their annual financial aid program. Understandably, the council’s CEO Megan Ferland says that they were thrilled when the donation arrived.

However, this donation was followed a few weeks later by a letter from the donor, requesting a guarantee that the money would not be used to support transgender children. ‘If you can’t, please return the money,’ the letter continued.

The Girl Scouts of Western Washington captured media attention after they promptly returned the money and set up a crowdfunding campaign to make up for the lost donation.

On their Indiegogo campaign page, entitled ‘Girl Scouts is #forEVERYgirl’, they state that ‘our vision at Girl Scouts of Western Washington is that EVERY girl in our region—regardless of her race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or geographic location—is empowered to unleash her potential, build her future and transform her world.’

This message of acceptance and inclusivity clearly appealed to the public, with over $288,000 being donated to the campaign within the last three days.

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