March 9, 2016 - Women in Aviation International has created a Girl Scout fun patch to award to Girl Scouts who take part in Girls in Aviation Day events. The first chance girls will have to earn the patch will be at Girls in Aviation Day Nashville, on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at the International Women in Aviation Conference.
WAI’s Aviation Girl patch will be available exclusively through WAI chapters around the world to serve the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Girl Scout fun patches are worn on the back of the uniform vest to show participation and interest in a subject or activity.
"Since the inception of Girls in Aviation Day we have included Girl Scouts, so we created the patch to make Girls in Aviation Day part of Girl Scout culture,” said WAI President Dr. Peggy Chabrian. "We hope the girls will proudly wear their Aviation Girl patch and that it will serve to further promote an interest in aviation as a career and lifestyle.”
The Aviation Girl patch program will include challenges of varying degrees of difficulty for the different levels within the Girl Scout organization, from Daisies and Brownies through Seniors and Ambassadors.
Approximately 225 girls are scheduled to take part in Girls in Aviation Day Nashville. The all-day event includes a variety of activity stations, a lunch featuring astronaut and author Dr. Rhea Seddon who flew three space shuttle missions, access to the exhibit hall as well as other activities.
“Dr. Seddon was selected as the Girls in Aviation Day Nashville luncheon speaker since more than 20 of NASA’s career astronauts were former Girl Scouts,” said Dr. Chabrian. “Former Girl Scouts have flown on at least 40 of the first 114 Space Shuttle missions, according to NASA.”
Girl Scouts who participate in International Girls in Aviation Day activities on September 24, 2016, will also have the chance to earn the Aviation Girl patch. On this day, WAI chapters around the world will again host their own one-day events to attract more young women to the aviation and aerospace communities with a day of activities appealing to girls ages 8 to 16 years. This program is an outgrowth of the successful Girls in Aviation Day events held since 2012 during the International Women in Aviation Conference.
Women in Aviation International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing networking, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for women and men who are striving for challenging and fulfilling careers in the aviation and aerospace industries. For more information about WAI scholarships, please contact WAI at (937) 839-4647 or online at wai.org.
