I found statistics on girls scouts and how they contribute to the community, their drinking and drug use, etc. but no drop out statistics. (on girl scouts website)

Statistics show that 27% of women participate in raising money for charity vs. 22% for men
Statistics show last year only 5.4% of registered/eligible girl scouts received the gold award

From daisies, to brownies, Girls Scouts have been a part of every young girls life. After a few exciting years of cookie selling and badge collecting it was over, but not for six dedicated sophomores. Senior Girl Scouts Andrea Erickson, Abby Moore, Heather Hartong, Ellie Walker, Paige Kovarick, and Carolyn Wolff chose to pursue it.
Forming a troop in the first grade, these Girl Scouts have been working hard ever since to complete all of the requirements to achieve their Gold Award. The Gold Award is the highest and last award any Girl Scout can receive, like the Eagle Scout for Boy Scouts. Before working on their Gold Award, the troop had to work on their Bronze and then Silver Award, and in between all of the fundraising and community service they participate every summer in campouts and Girl Scout Day Camp as OWL’s, or counselors to the younger girls.
The troop originally formed in the first grade and since many have left and new have joined, the troop advisor, Lisa Erickson, has been with the girls every step of the way. The real challenges started for the troop in the fifth grade when the Girl Scouts were named Juniors, which meant that it was time to start work on their Bronze Award. They chose a project and were required to put in 20 hours of community service.
“In grade school you do a lot of camp outs and sell cookies and earn badges and patches.” Andrea said,” When you’re an older Girl Scout you have to do separate fundraisers to earn money for your Silver and Gold Award.”
In order to receive the Silver Award the troop had to complete a booklet and several self evaluating prerequisites, a small project was required with 50 service hours. They chose to volunteer at the Kaw Valley Center where they did a sock and underwear drive for foster children, also the scouts played with the children at picnics and events, once even setting up face paint booth for them. In order to help fulfill theirs and others requirements, the troop formed a group called CSA (Cadette Senior Ambassador).
“It’s a brand new group they formed for teen girls who want to work together to organize events for the girl scouts in our servic unit,” Erickson said.
CFA organized and worked a Service Unit Camp Out where they were in charge of young Girl Scouts while camping. They also organized an International Fair where young Girl Scouts pick a country, study it, and can do a dance from that culture on stage, make a craft, or bring food.
After the Silver Award, which prepairs scouts for the Gold Award, was completed, the girl scouts immediately started the planning processes for their Gold Awards, which were to be done individually and require 65 service hours.
“After the Silver Award, a lot of troops split up and so they are kind of on their own for the Gold Award, which is really difficult.” Andrea said, ” If you have a troop to back you up it’s so much easier because they can help you with to with ideas and fundraising.”
In order to have a project for the Gold Award, each of the girl scouts had to appear before the Girl Scout Council where they introduced their project which was then evaluated by the counsel and approved.
“They don’t want it just to benefit Girl Scouts, they want it to benefit the community” Erickson said, “The requirments say ‘the best projects are those that touch peoples lives and inspire others to continure the work that you have started’.”
For her Gold Award Andrea chose to build a sensory garden for the blind at the Overland Park Arboretum, which is filled with gardens and trees. She decided on the Arboretum after volunteering there with her grandmother multiple times noticing that they had open space.
“They have provided me with two tables and an area in the children’s area.” Andrea said, ” I am getting a bunch of plants that contribute to the five senses, planting them, and painting the tables.”
After Andrea completes her Gold Award she plans to continue being involved in community service, camp outs, and eventually being a troop leader when she is a mom. Since part of her Gold Award requires two years of maintenance after completing the project, Andrea hopes to make a badge that Girls Scouts can receive after they replace the plants that have died at the Arboretum.
For Kovarik, who has been involved since the second grade, painting a mural and throwing a party for The Institute for the Deaf was the perfect project to complete her Gold Award. Getting the idea from her art class last year where a few of her peers were deaf, she thought it was the perfect plan.
“There are so many causes to do and I think this one is one that is often overlooked, like underappreciated,” Kovarik said.
Being in the troop is fun for Kovarick, who loves the girls and giving back to the community while representing a great cause.
“I definitely want to pursue it past the gold award because it’s good for college and it’s really fun.” Kovarik said,”So maybe, when I am a mom, I will be a troupe leader.”
Working with Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Belle of the special ed rooms in Shawnee Mission East, three scouts Heirtong, Walker, and Moore will complete their Gold Award on similar projects. Redoing spaces in one and a half special ed rooms the girls will decorate, create a reading nook, and purchase educational games and media.
“Basically we are just redoing their rooms and providing for them what the district hasn’t.” Hartong said, “One of our ideas is painting the ceiling tiles, if we can get approval.”
With her mom working at KVC, Wolff who is still undecided, is looking into working with little kids for her project. She plans to involve KVC and the little kids who are involved in the center throught various drives, one involving getting supplies for school. Remembering Girl Scouts from when she was little, Wolff’s favorite activitiy was the camp outs.
“You make a lot of new friends and help people, I remember going to Girl Scout Camp and thinking that I wanted to be one of those older girls,” Wolff said.
Meeting once a month the troop works on different activities and paperwork for the Gold Award. Since the scouts have already completed their prerequisites and badge requirements, the troop is now working on paperwork and forms that are due. Along with the paperwork they have to work on their timeline, their budget, and their project proposal.
“Prerequisites are a requirement and it helps them figure out what they are interested in and develops their leadership skills so that when they get to the Gold Award project, they are prepared,” Erickson said.
The troop’s goal is to complete their projects by March of 2011, in time for the Gold Award Honors Ceremony with all of the girls in the service unit.
“You gain so many life skills from it and I probably wouldn’t volunteer as much.” Hartong said, “I think it forms a great person.”

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