A girls’ scouting organization in the U.S. is marking Sanctity of Life month by touting its dedication to teaching young ladies to value life – at any stage.
American Heritage Girls, the largest faith-based scouting organization in the world for girls ages 5-18, encourages girls to see all life as a precious gift. It also teaches girls the importance of courage and caring for mothers and their babies.
“We live in a day and age where life, in all of its ages and stages, is taken for granted,” Founder and Executive Director Patti Garibay said. “More than ever before, it is vital to defend the right to life.”
American Heritage Girls was established in 1995 when Garibay became concerned with the direction the Girl Scouts of America was headed. She, along with a group of concerned parents, wanted a faith-based, scout-type character development program for their daughters, and American Heritage Girls was born.
Today, there are AHG troops in all 50 states, and girls being served in 15 countries around the globe. Girls can join a troop at any time. If a troop is not available nearby, they can become a trailblazer and enjoy the AHG program alongside their parents.
Girls ages five to 18 meet together as a single troop at the same time and then break out into units by level. This gives girls the important social experience of interacting with friends and godly mentors of various ages. AHG members also learn leadership skills within a group setting.
Thousands of volunteer members across the country are helping girls grow in their faith, cultivate a heart for service, enjoy the great outdoors, and have more fun than they can imagine.
The three words incorporated into the AHG logo are faith, service, and fun. The group even has a special Respect Life patch for girls to achieve during their acts of service.
“AHG believes that each stage of life is valued in the eyes of God and that advocating for life recognizes the dignity of all humankind,” Garibay said in a statement. “That’s why our troops earn the Respect Life patch or pin when they participate in any event that brings attention to respecting life, or by providing service to an organization whose mission or purpose demonstrates a desire to respect life, such as pregnancy centers, pro-life groups, and hospices.”
January is a major month for pro-life efforts like the March for Life, and so it has been dubbed Sanctity of Human Life month. This year marks the 39th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s proclamation designating the third Sunday in January as the National Sanctity of Human Life Day. President Reagan chose this date — the Sunday closest to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade — as it brought a reminder of the gift of life and the importance of fighting for the right to life.
Now almost seven months after Roe was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, AHG believes the fight for the unborn is far from over since the high court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson returned the abortion decision to state legislatures.
Garibay is encouraging parents and guardians to actively instill pro-life values in their daughters at home.
“Start the conversation reminiscing on the precious time she was being knit in the womb,” she suggested. “If you can, share ultrasound photographs or memories of hearing her heartbeat for the very first time. If your family celebrates an adoption story, share how God’s hand orchestrated it all. Visit the elderly together. Care for the sick in your community. Showing her the value of humankind, while having conversations about how precious all life is, will get the ball rolling.”
AHG’s “Raising Godly Girls” radio feature and Raising Godly Girls blog also shares guidance and biblically based advice on many key topics affecting girls today — from bullying and identity to anxiety and body image issues. It gives parents, educators, and faith community leaders a set of tools, resources, and Scripture-based advice to assist in raising girls after God’s own heart.
The “Raising Godly Girls Minute” with Patti Garibay airs on more than 1,000 Christian radio stations across the country. You can also listen to several examples of the program here.
For more information on American Heritage Girls, click here.
Watch the American Heritage Girls short video titled IMPACT below:
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