March 12, 1912, was the first meeting of the original troop of American Girl Guides. Juliette Gordon Low organized the gathering in Savannah, Georgia, with 18 girls in attendance. The following year, the name of the organization was changed to the Girl Scouts of America. Following a meeting with Sir Robert Baden-Powell (founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in the U.K.), Low was inspired to create an organization in the U.S. to nurture self-reliance and resourcefulness in girls. In addition to being prepared for traditional homemaking, the girls were encouraged to have professional aspirations in the arts, business, and science. A deaf woman herself, Low welcomed disabled girls into her organization at a time when they were excluded from many other activities.