Fall 2025 SOAR Magazine

CHANGEMAKERS

Carrying the Torch

I n 1936, a young woman in Ferguson, Missouri, accepted a simple invitation: to serve as an assistant leader for a Girl Scout troop. Her name was Dorcas Engelhardt, and that single “yes” grew into a lifetime of service spanning 65 years and a ripple effect still felt today. Dorcas, who grew up in poverty and left high school to support her family, knew firsthand what it meant to go without. Yet within Girl Scouts, she built a community where no girl would be left behind. She covered dues in secret, refurbished donated uniforms, and made sure every girl had the same chance to discover her potential. Her quiet acts of generosity became a powerful legacy—one her daughter, Dr. Ann Teske, and son-in-law, Dr. Doug Teske, continue to honor. In 2001, they established the Dorcas Engelhardt Endowment Fund, ensuring that girls facing financial, physical, or emotional challenges can fully participate in Girl Scouts. “None of us develop on our own,” Ann reflects. “We were raised up on hundreds of shoulders. Doug and I believe deeply in paying it forward.” That belief is more than words, it’s lived experience. While pursuing her doctorate at The Ohio State University, Ann led Troop 1562 in Columbus. One afternoon, she received a call from a mother whose daughter, Jenny, had been turned away from two troops. Jenny lived with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition that left

her bones extremely fragile and required her to use a wheelchair. Ann brought the request to her 23 third graders: “Jenny wants to be a Girl Scout. She doesn’t want to sit in her wheelchair and watch you be Girl Scouts.” The girls voted unanimously: Jenny was in. Together, the troop adapted every badge, game, and trip so Jenny could participate. “It wasn’t just inclusion,” Ann explains. “It was education. The girls learned how to open their arms and hearts to someone different, and that stayed with them.” Years later, Jenny credited those experiences with giving her the confidence to serve two terms on her local city council, where she became a powerful advocate for accessibility. Today, the Teskes’ focus on expanding opportunities in STEM, donating more than 500 books to the local council’s STEM Center and partnering with companies like Honda Motors to create hands on programs. As members of the Juliette Gordon Low Planned Giving Society, they are also ensuring Girl Scouts will thrive for generations to come. “Technology is reshaping every field,” Doug says. “We want girls to have access now, so doors are wide open later.” From Dorcas’s humble troop in 1936 to Ann and Doug’s vision today, their family embodies the enduring power of Girl Scouting

The purpose of the Dorcas Engelhardt Endowment is to

provide membership activities, programs, and camp scholarships in order to remove barriers for girls who wish to be Girl Scouts and are challenged financially, physically, or mentally.

and the belief that every girl deserves the chance to lead, learn, and change the world.

10 SOAR Magazine