CRAWFORD, Texas - Donna Coody disbanded her 7-year-old daughter's Brownie troop and took her 9-year-old daughter out of another Girl Scout troop because she was upset over the organization's endorsement of two Planned Parenthood (news - web sites) sex education seminars.
But Coody didn't want her daughters and their friends to miss out on camping trips, educational activities and service projects. So she decided in March to start a troop affiliated with the Christian-based American Heritage Girls.
"I felt like the Girl Scouts' morals were definitely lacking, and the girls needed another choice," Coody said.
American Heritage Girls was founded in 1995 by a Cincinnati-area woman and her friends who were unhappy that the Girl Scouts accepted lesbians as troop leaders, banned prayer at meetings and allowed girls to substitute the word "God" in the oath.
What started with 100 girls in Ohio has turned into a nonprofit group with 2,800 members in 22 states . with a 40 percent enrollment boost since the fall, founder Patti Garibay said.
Troops must be chartered by a church or private school with the same basic religious beliefs as American Heritage Girls. Leaders must sign a statement of faith, but girls don't have to be religious to join. The organization receives no government money and operates by donations, fund raising, membership dues and merchandise sales.
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