To mark the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, presented members of local troops with a proclamation at the on Tuesday afternoon.
Llodra declared 2012 as the "Year of the Girl" as she posed with several Newtown members, ranging in age from 5 to 11 years old.
"I was a Scout," said Llodra, "and so were my daughters."
Girl Scouts began in 1912 when Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low sold her own pearl necklace to fund a girls' group in Savannah, GA, explained Robbin Chaber Allen, a Newtown troop leader and Girl Scout PR representative.
Chaber Allen noted there are 120 troops in Newtown, with 700 families involved.
Girl Scouts gives women a way to help girls with their self esteem as well as support the girls to help others through a variety of community service, she said.
"I was a Girl Scout," said Beth Groonell, of Newtown. "The thing I like best is it combines three great things: friendship, helping the community and learning."
Groonell's daughter, Hannah, 9, has been in a troop since she was 5 years old.
Troops start with the youngest age group of kindergarten to first grade called Daisies, then move on to Brownies in second and third grades, Juniors in fourth and fifth, Cadets in sixth through eighth grades, Seniors in ninth to tenth, and finally Ambassadors in eleventh and twelfth grades, said Audrey DeBlasio, who trains new leaders.
To honor the actual 100th anniversary on March 12, Girl Scout troops around the country will gather at the same time in their towns for a pledge night, said Heather Smith, who is organizing the event for Newtown's troops.
The girls will have a candlelight ceremony and recite the Girl Scout promise, said Smith, who is expecting about 250 girls.
The proclamation itself will be on display, along with the others from around the state, at the Durham Fair in September, said DeBlasio.
