Girls Scouts have been an American institution since 1912, known not only for selling delicious cookies, but also for building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. There are over 100 local councils in the United States, one of which is headquartered in Tarrant County. The Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains (GS-TOP) operates with a corporate location in Fort Worth and recently opened a service center in Southlake. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held July 31 at 11:30 a.m. to officially open the new location at 584 N. Kimball Avenue.

The Texas Oklahoma Plains council has area offices and service centers throughout five distinct regions in Texas and Oklahoma, including Abilene, Amarillo, Fort Worth, Lubbock and Wichita Falls and serves over 20,000 girl members across 79,000 square miles and 81 counties.

The Southlake Service Center will serve as a retail space to sell items that Girls Scouts need throughout their membership, including uniform pieces and program materials, in addition to items for volunteers, such as t-shirts, sportswear, tote bags, backpacks, and iPhone cases.

The location in Southlake also has a conference room for adult learning and volunteer training, in addition to approximately 10 staff offices for the mission delivery, product sales, and retail staff who serve the northeast Tarrant County area.

“The opening of the Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains Southlake service center occurred because of organization wide priorities on improved customer service to volunteers in the area.  We’ve always served the community of Southlake, however the majority of staff has been located in southwest Fort Worth and we have had retail space in North Richland Hills for over 10 years.  With the population we serve within a 10 mile radius of Southlake (approximately 6,000 girls and volunteers) we can improve support to our volunteers by moving the office further north,” stated GS-TOP Director of Communications, Chelsea Lackey.

Girl Scouts is a values-based, educational program with activities to meet the developmental, educational, emotional and social needs and interests of young girls. The organization has 3.2 million Girl Scouts worldwide, consisting of 2.3 million girl members and 890,000 adult members working primarily as volunteers (troop leaders, parents, board members and alumnae). From kindergarten through high school, Girl Scouts participate in numerous enriching experiences, such as field trips, sports skill-building clinics, community service projects, cultural exchanges, and environmental stewardships.

Girl Scouting is a community resource and depends on each community it serves for support. Major sources of income include food product sales, grants, program service fees, sales of supplies, special events, contributions from special campaigns, and interest income. Parents, caregivers and volunteers are vital to the organization’s success.

“We are excited to be in the neighborhood and we’re always looking for local community leaders and businesses to partner with.  At Girl Scouts, we know that when girls are given the opportunity, they change the world,” stated Lackey.

The Southlake Service Center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. There will be an open house September 27 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. The community is invited to stop by and learn more about the Girl Scouts. There will be activities for girls, information on how to join, and an opportunity for parents to learn more about volunteering. Learn more at www.gs-top.org or by calling 817-281-7578 or 800-582-7272.