How to join Girl Scouts
There are two Girl Scout troops in Oglethorpe County. For more information about becoming a Girl Scout, contact Ansley Tweedell Land at aland@gshg.org.
Ansley Land shows off her tattoo of Juliette Gordon Low on Oct. 8, 2026. Low founded Girl Scouts in Savannah, GA in 1912. (Sabrina Felix/The Oglethorpe Echo)
Eighteen months ago, there was one registered Girl Scout in Oglethorpe County, and she was part of a troop in Athens.
Today, there are at least a dozen girls across two troops, because Ansley Land “came home to Girl Scouts.”
“My first question aside from, ‘Hey, what’s my job description’ was ‘How many Girl Scouts are in Oglethorpe County?’” Land said.
Land is a 2017 graduate of Oglethorpe County High School and a recipient of the Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. She serves as the membership manager for River Shoals & The Meadows, service units in the Athens area and Northeast Georgia, for Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia.
Local troops typically meet twice a month in spaces like churches or a troop member’s home, and participate in activities like hiking at state parks and tea parties with other troops in the area.
The Girl Scouts' most recognizable activity is their annual cookie sale, typically between January and April, which encourages financial wellness and entrepreneurship.
According to the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), 45% of girls who join Girl Scouts stay in the organization for only 2-3 years. Land said her goal in Oglethorpe County is to increase the number of girls who stay for longer.
“I’m in recruitment and volunteer training, and making sure families and volunteers have everything they need,” Land said. “But also pulling reports and looking at every single name and making sure girls aren’t falling through the cracks.”
It’s not just Land who has this passion for Girl Scouts; it’s a family affair.
Her younger sister, Carrie Tweedell, is in a troop of her own. Ansley’s mom, DeLynda Tweedell, was a Brownie as a child. Her aunts on her father’s side were also Girl Scouts in the 1960s.
“I feel very passionately about just because your troop falls apart doesn’t mean you have to stop being a Girl Scout,” Land said.
When Ansley joined Girl Scouts, DeLynda became a volunteer for the troop and eventually troop leader. She said one of her favorite things about being a leader was the bond she formed with the girls.
“I’m glad I had the opportunity to, at times, be a second mother or another trusted adult that they could confide in,” DeLynda said. “It was a privilege to be trusted by those girls and still, to this day, have relationships with them.”
Land’s father, Hank Tweedell, volunteered as a basic outdoor skills-trained person for his daughters’ troops.
“I made the mistake of saying that, well, if nobody else will volunteer by the deadline to sign up for it, I’ll sign up,” he said.
But Hank said he doesn’t regret his decision.
“It gave me an opportunity to spend more time with my girls than I would have had if I had not been a Girl Scout leader,” he said.
DeLynda said seeing her daughter serve is a full-circle moment.
“I’m thankful for that, because I think this is a great fit for her,” DeLynda said. “I’ve seen her in action with those girls, with us helping with some of the events that she does. And she’s so good with kids of all ages.
“It gets me emotional thinking about it,” she added. “It really does.”
Land said she’s remained in contact with all of the girls who were in her troop. One of her old troopmates and newborn daughter surprised Land at a recruitment event at the Oglethorpe County Library last month.
“In four years, her little girl will be in Girl Scouts,” Land said.
The surprise visit has her thinking about the future.
“Maybe we’ll start a troop together and keep it going,” Land said. “Because her mom was a volunteer for my troop, too. That would be a beautiful, generational thing.”