When I was in first grade, I remember being so jealous of all of the girls in my class who were Daisies. They wore blue smocks, they earned awesome petals, and I wanted to be included so badly.

So you better believe that I had my mom sign me up for Girl Scouts the following year. And so began my lifelong love of Girl Scouts.

I participated as a girl member from second grade through eighth grade, as a Brownie, Junior, and Cadette. And throughout those seven years, I got to participate in an awesome Girl Scout tradition: bridging.

Bridging ceremonies mark a girl’s move from one level of Girl Scouting to another. In my case, I bridged from Brownie to Junior, and again from Junior to Cadette.

As I walked across the small wooden bridge my school kept on hand, I remember feeling sad that I was leaving my old Junior sash behind. But at the same time, I was excited about the possibilities of my new, blank canvas of a Cadette vest. My next season of Girl Scouts was going to be a great one. I could feel it.

While I absolutely loved my two bridging ceremonies, I can’t help but be a little jealous of current and future members of Girl Scouts of Western Ohio who have a much more impressive bridge to cross: the Purple People Bridge.

On Saturday, July 22, I watched hundreds of my Girl Scout sisters crossed over the Ohio River on the Purple People Bridge during our inaugural Bridge to the Future celebration. Joined by their families, Girl Scouts of all ages walked from Newport, Kentucky to Cincinnati, shaking hands with alumnae has they transitioned from one age level to the next.

Troops from Ohio and Kentucky have been using the Purple People Bridge for their personal bridging ceremonies for decades, but it was amazing to see girls from all over come together for one massive bridging event! It didn’t matter that most of them didn’t know each other; they were all there to celebrate the accomplishments of every single Girl Scout present.

After the formal bridging ceremony, everyone gathered at Sawyer Point Park to check out all of the activity booths, entertainment, food trucks and, of course, complimentary cupcakes!

While every single bridging event is something to be proud of (mine included!), I know Bridge to the Future is something special.

Did you miss out on this awesome event? Are your girls bridging to the next level in 2018?

Don’t worry, we plan to do it again next summer on July 28, 2018. Save the date!