Girl Scouts can now earn a Dolly Parton Patch

Dolly Parton became an honorary Girl Scout back in 2007.  Now when she dons her special sash, it will contain a patch of her very own. 

Dolly and the Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council have joined together to create a brand new patch called the “Coat of Many Colors” patch program based on Parton’s best-selling autobiographical song about childhood poverty.

"Have you ever felt bad about being different? I’ll bet you have,” Parton says in a video (see below) from Tanasi.com. “But you shouldn’t—being different is what makes you special.”

The patch is a way of recognizing that 20% of U.S. children live below the federal poverty line and helps Girl Scouts to remember to treat everyone equally well.

“This patch is a call to action for Girl Scouts to understand and respect one another,” said Mary Leidig, chief marketing officer for Girl Scouts of Tanasi Council. “And giving back to others is at the center of Girl Scouting.”

 

“Honor yourself and stand up for who you really are—those are the most important messages in Girl Scouting—and that’s what this patch is all about,” said Lise Bender, Tanasi’s director of program services. 

 

Right now the patch has only been able to be earned by the Tanasi Council Girl Scouts and those who have earned it will be honored at a special celebration at Dollywood on June 13 at 10:30 a.m.  After the celebration, the “Coat of Many Colors” patch program will go national and be available to Girl Scouts everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Kudos to That Nashville Sound for digging this story up.

Published 6/5/09 by

shanda208 5 shanda208

DISCLAIMER: This posting was submitted by a user of the site not from The Insider editorial staff. All users have acknowledged and agreed that the submission of their story and its contents is in compliance with our Terms of Use.

Comments (5)

  • orLogin
  • My Girl Scout Troop is in Bryson City, NC which is not far from Pigeon Forge TN. Most of my girls have seasons passes to Dollywood every year! It would be amazing to give them the opportunity to earn the patch!
    Anonymous 8/12/09 Reply
  • That's so wonderfull I cant wait to have my girl scout troop earn this patch!!!and to have them realize how special they are!!!and how great it feels to help others
    Anonymous 6/17/09 Reply
  • What deed do you need to perform to acquire the patch? I thought patches were awards for doing something.
    Anonymous 6/15/09 Reply
  • I'm really looking forward to helping my troop earn this patch next year! Our school has girls of all economic circumstances (especially in light of Michigan's economy) and I think this will help the girls to be more aware of how they are treating their Girl Scout sisters and other classmates.
    Anonymous 6/10/09 Reply
  • How incredible that Girl Scouting in East Tennessee's mission is being carried out through a special badge designed from Dolly Parton's best selling single hit song "Coat of Many Colors." This badge is a call to action for our Girl Scouts to step up and lead and be aware of those in need around us and find ways to help others. Inspiring!
    Anonymous 6/5/09 Reply