Mike Smith:
Joining me this week on Home School Heartbeat is Patti Garibay, executive director of American Heritage Girls. Patti, as a Christian having worked with the Girl Scouts, what inspired you to create a ministry for girls that provides a wholesome Christian environment?

Patti Garibay:
Well, Mike, you’re right. I was a Girl Scout leader, a volunteer recruiter, and even a Girl Scout area delegate. I became alerted to a major philosophical change in the Girl Scouts by way of (of all things) the evening news. This change that happened in 1993, entitled “flexibility in spiritual wording” in the Girl Scout promise, which basically allowed for atheist pagans or whomever, to substitute the word “God” for a word more suitable to their beliefs or in the case of an atheist, no word at all. Well, this major philosophical shift created a moral dilemma for me. And many of the other Girl Scout leaders in our area that were Christian women. We love scouting. We considered it an effective vehicle for character development and truly felt the Lord leading us to start an alternative group for our daughters. Little did we know, God’s intention was much much larger than our simple understanding. As a way of doing that, we have continued to be obedient to the calling for a Christ-centered scouting organization for girls and that is the American Heritage Girls.

Mike:
Well, thank you, Patti. It’s great to see what you’re doing with American Heritage Girls. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.