Chicago-area Girl Scouts council receives $4.2 million donation from MacKenzie Scott

Hundreds of girls in the Chicago area will have the chance to participate in Girl Scouts due to a $4.2 million donation from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

The donation to Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana is a portion of an $84.5 million gift to Girl Scouts of the USA that was made by Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

It’s the largest single donation in the group’s history.

“It is really awesome!” said Nancy Wright, CEO of the regional chapter, which has 30,000 girls ages 5 through 17 in 245 communities in six counties in Illinois and four in Indiana.

The donation was announced Tuesday, but when Wright learned of the gift weeks ago she teared up.

“I got goosebumps and then got choked up and started crying,” she said. “Coming out of the pandemic, what an opportune time to have the chance to make a difference in girls’ lives.”

Wright said a portion of the money will go toward hiring staff to expand programs for girls on the South and West Sides.

The group recently hired a few full-time staff members who are helping to get nine new troops off the ground in communities like Roseland, Englewood, West Englewood, Pilsen, Pullman and Gresham.

“The need is much greater than we have capacity for right now,” Wright said.

She said the money would serve as a catalyst in the group’s mission to advance a multiyear strategy to be a more equitable, trauma-informed organization focused on the needs of girls in all communities.

The group is working on an outing to bring 200 girls from the South Side to a Joffrey Ballet performance of “The Nutcracker” at the Lyric Opera House.

And it just held a fall fest event at Dan Ryan Woods that attracted 220 girls and a few family members who were from primarily the South Side.

Scott has gained global acclaim for the quick pace that she’s given away a large portion of her fortune. Her charitable donations have totaled more than $12 billion in just three years.

“People don’t understand that Girl Scouts is a pretty life-changing experience,” said Girl Scouts spokeswoman Julie Somogyi. “It’s more than just cookies and going outdoors and camping. It is really about helping girls thrive throughout their lifetimes and learning skills and resiliency.”