Girls 'Bridge' Over Hudson to Celebrate Milestone

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the national Girl Scouts organization—and several Bridgewater members of the program are planning to mark the milestone with a walk across the George Washington Bridge in a statewide event.

“We’re going over the bridge into a new century of girl scouting, and it’s cool because we go from one state to another,” said 12-year-old Cassie Mountney, who is a member of a Girl Scout troop based out of the

A tradition of girl scouting is to bridge from one level to another, and girls often mark it by crossing over a bridge with their fellow troop members. This event to cross over the bridge from New Jersey into New York on Sunday is designed to have the same effect.

“Bridging represents moving on to the next level of girl scouting,” said 12-year-old Ritu Sadarangani, a member of the middle school troop. “Going over a state bridge represents everyone going on to the next level, and the bridge is an American icon.”

According to Ritu’s mother, Mona who serves as one of the leaders of the troop, the troop decided to participate in this event because it is the first one to kick off the program’s 100-year celebration. Girl scouting, she said, turns 100 in March, and this is the first event.

Erin Gilbert, 12, also a member of the middle school troop, said she is excited to be part of this opportunity.

“It’s important because I’m in girl scouts, and it opened a lot of doors for me,” she said. “It means a lot to be there. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have this anniversary.”

Gilbert’s mother, Stacey, who is also a co-leader of the troop, said they thought this would be a good opportunity to get together with girl scouts from all over the state, and to be part of this historic event. They are expecting, she said, to have 5,000 participants crossing the bridge at one time.

“They can celebrate being Girl Scouts,” she said. “They happen to be lucky enough to be around for the 100th anniversary.”

Stacey Gilbert said the bridge will be closed around 9 a.m. for the all-day event that will include on-site activities and prizes after the walk, such as zumba, rock climbing, souvenir lunch bags and other entertainment.

Mountney said she is excited for the opportunity to meet new people.

“Girl scouts opens a life of opportunities, and it builds confidence, courage and character, which are the three ‘c’s’ of girl scouting,” she said. “It’s really fun to learn about these different people, and it is a way that we can make an impact on the world.”

Ritu Sadarangani said the troop has done a lot of community service, helping out at senior centers and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, among other activities. This is just one more way to honor all they have accomplished.

Girl Scout troops from are also prepared to take part in the celebration. Bridgewater resident Phoebe Marioni said her two daughters—7-year-old Betsy and 5-year-old Lucy—are both girl scouts, and are prepared to walk over the bridge as well.

“I remember the bicentennial for the country, and it is a good childhood memory,” she said. “Not a lot of kids get to celebrate this kind of thing.”

“They may not be able to appreciate it now, but it will be something to remember, and it’s kind of a big deal,” she added.

Marioni said she is also looking forward to meeting different people from all over the state.

“My girls are excited to see a lot of other people there, whether their age or others,” she said. “Especially as they look back on girl scouts, this is something they can take pride in. They’re going to appreciate it.”

For Betsy Marioni, she is just excited about being near the bridge itself.

“I’m excited because I’ve never been near this bridge in person, and I think it’s going to look very cool,” she said. “I’m very excited about walking across the bridge and meeting other Girl Scouts that I’ve never met before.”

And for the middle school troop, they have been preparing to celebrate the 100-year anniversary for some time.

Last year, Ritu Sadarangani said, the troop bridged from juniors to cadettes, and, along with the special bridging ceremony, they took the time to do a little research about girl scouting in preparation for the anniversary.

“We knew the 100-year anniversary was coming up, so we did research presentations, and each of the girls had a decade assigned to them,” she said. “We did some research about scouting to see what it was like during the different decades and how they compare to each other.”

“We presented our findings to an audience, and we saw the differences in uniforms, activities and patches they earned,” she added.

Mona Sadarangani said the leaders introduced the concept of the anniversary to the girls last year.

“We planted the seed in them last year, so the girls are looking forward to it,” she said. “It was great to see the research, and when the presentations came together, there were a lot of similarities, but the basic structure stayed the same.”

“This is why we thought it important that they be part of the celebration,” she added.

The troop is also looking forward to the opportunity to participate in other 100-year anniversary events, including a Rock the Mall event in Washington D.C., for a singalong with girl scouts from all over the country.

“Usually the singing songs is a big part of girl scouting because whenever we go camping or other girl scouting with lessons, we sing songs and learn things,” said Ritu Sadarangani. “A singalong is a symbol.”

And in June, the troop is planning to participate in a two-day camping event at Liberty State Park, with singing, fireworks and other activities throughout the day.

The girls, and their mothers, said they are proud to be members of the Girl Scout organization, and are looking forward to upcoming times in the group.

“This has been a great experience for us,” said Stacey Gilbert. “I’m impressed by the number of skill building activities they have, and things that they wouldn’t have done if they weren’t part of the troop. The girls see that there are other things more important than themselves.”

“If I hadn’t joined Girl Scouts, I wouldn’t have made so many new friends who encourage me to try my best,” Erin Gilbert said. “I feel like I can have an impact and do something important in the world.”