Welcome to Girl Scouts of Western Washington!

The largest leadership development experience available to girls 5-17 in Western Washington

Girl Scouts of Western Washington (GSWW) is the result of a merger between Girl Scouts – Totem Council, serving northwest Washington, and Girl Scouts - Pacific Peaks Council, serving southwest Washington. GSWW now serves more than 27,000 girls in 17 Washington counties.

Our realignment will allow us to make better use of shared resources, build on the strengths in each region, and improve efficiency—all with the ultimate goal of providing the highest quality experience possible for our girls.

This transition was sparked by Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), which has developed a core business strategy with the goal of having the greatest impact on girls’ lives nationwide. Within two years, GSUSA will consolidate 310 Girl Scout councils across the country to 109 high performance councils.

"We are excited about the opportunities this alignment presents," says Grace Chien, Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s first CEO. "It strengthens our position as a community-based organization and allows us to focus our efforts on working with girls to develop their leadership skills, connect with others, and take action to identify and address issues facing them, their communities and their global sisters."

The Council Realignment Committee—charged with the merger process—selected Grace Chien, former CEO of Girl Scouts – Totem Council, to lead the new organization. Grace was CEO of Totem Council for almost 11 years and currently serves as the Chair of the Executive Alliance and as a commissioner on the Washington State Commission for National & Community Service.

Girl Scouts of Western Washington will offer girls camping and hands-on outdoor education opportunities at six camp properties located in Longview, Hoquiam, Belfair, Carnation and Lilliwaup on the Hood Canal. In addition to providing year-round program opportunities for girls, GSWW’s camps are used by school groups and other youth-serving non-profits for environmental education and learning experiences. The camps offer an array of water-related activities as well as horseback riding, challenge courses, a 30-foot climbing wall, and numerous hiking trails.

Outreach initiatives serving girls living in poverty or facing other obstacles will be expanded, and more resources will be allocated to provide programs and activities to girls who have not yet had the opportunity to experience Girl Scouting. In Pierce and Thurston Counties, Girl Scouts is mobilizing to respond to a critical shortage of services for girls in foster care. GSWW hopes to expand its foster care program, Girl Scouts Fostering a Future, which is currently limited to serving only 30 girls in southern Washington.

Created to address the instability faced by girls in foster care as well as their unique social needs, Girl Scouts of Western Washington is one of the first of its kind in the nation and has proven very successful throughout our region. The program started in King County in 2002 as a partnership with the Kent Division of Children and Family Services. Since its inception, Girl Scouts Fostering a Future has strengthened girls’ sense of belonging and provided one-on-one mentoring for more than 150 girls throughout Western Washington. When additional funding can be identified, Girl Scouts Fostering a Future will be able to accommodate 40-45 girls in southern Washington and offer them weekly rather than every-other-week experiences for greater continuity and support.

While our geographic boundaries have changed, our mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place, is unwavering. The organization’s larger territory will present more opportunities for volunteers and girls from diverse backgrounds to work with and learn from each other.

Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s administrative headquarters will be located in Seattle. Additionally, program and regional offices will continue to be located in DuPont, Bellevue, Aberdeen, Marysville, Bremerton, Longview and Renton.