Girl Scouts Float Looks To Build A Better World

For more than 100 years Girl Scouts of the USA has been encouraging young women to give back to their communities as part of a much broader initiative to build a better world. This year the largest organization dedicated to developing leadership qualities in young women has taken their message of empowerment to the 90th Anniversary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a float showcasing just what being a girl scout is all about. The first-ever Girl Scout float to appear in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade features girls literally building a better world one piece at a time.

For its Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut, the Girl Scouts went big. Their float features Girl Scouts using a crane to fit giant 3-D puzzle pieces together into the shape of a globe in a visual representation of how capable girls are of making great change. Two dozen Girl Scout badges adorn the float, representing some of the activities and leadership experiences girls are exposed to through the Girl Scouts. In a symbolic gesture of how girls can — and do — drive progress in the world, girls also physically powered the float down the parade route via bicycles.

The organization hopes the float inspires all girls to join the Girl Scouts in creating positive change in their communities. "What better way to champion the amazing activities our Girl Scouts do and the impact they make every day than to give their accomplishments national visibility with a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," Andrea Bastiani Archibald, chief girl expert at Girl Scouts of the USA, said in a statement released by the organization.

"Girl Scouts across the nation positively make the world a better place by identifying problems in their communities and developing innovative solutions to address them," Archibald said. "Our intention is that, with our appearance in the parade, all girls will be inspired to realize their potential, encouraged to embrace challenges, and motivated to make a positive change in the world."

Country music duo Madison Marlow and Taylor Dye, known simply as Maddie and Tae to fans, sang their hit song Fly from atop the first-ever Girl Scouts Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float.

The organization also rolled out their To Get Her There Campaign Thursday to highlight the importance of investing in girls by investing in the Girl Scouts, which aims to help young women take the lead and embrace their innner G.I.R.L. (that stands for Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader).