Call Her the Girl Scout Baby

One hundred years ago this week, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low signed up 18 girls for her first troop. A century later, a group of Meriden Girl Scouts – some of more than 50 million who have been part of the group – visited the first baby girl born at in Meriden this week in honor of the anniversary. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the five Girl Scouts – representing each age group – and the Meriden Service Unit's Treasurer Shelley Bayer - met new baby Ariellah Devlin-Quinones and her mother Jamie Devlin of West Haven.

The child was born Tuesday at about 3 p.m., weighing 6 pounds and 14 ounces, and is Devlin's second.

The scouts talked to Devlin and presented her with a bag filled with treats, including a 100-year anniversary patch for the baby's future uniform, a certificate waiving fees for Devlin-Quinones to join the scouts, a onesie saying "future Girl Scout" and a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies. The last gift was perhaps the favorite for mom at the moment, who jokingly said, "where are the cookies?" when the troop came in. Devlin thanked the girls.

Bayer got the idea to celebrate a local anniversary week baby from a friend in Canada, she said, whose Canadian Girl Guides celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. She said she believes Meriden's the only Girl Scout troop to do this.

Pam Cretella, the hospital's Communication Project member said she can't remember a presentation like this outside of the New Year's Baby, but "One hundred years doesn't come around too often."

The group had hoped to honor the first baby girl born on Monday, March 12, considered the anniversary day – but until 3 p.m., Tuesday, all the children born at MidState's Birthing Center were boys, said Pamela VanHennik, Nurse Manager at the center, who was coordinating the celebration with the scouts. 

This is one of many activities local Girl Scouts have been involved with to celebrate their 100-year anniversary. Next up for Meriden's girl scouts is a pinewood derby at St. John's on Paddock Avenue March 31.