On January 8, 2011, United States House of Representative Gabrielle Giffords was a victim of a shooting near Tucson, Arizona, which is alleged to have been an assassination attempt on her at a Safeway supermarket where she was meeting publicly with constituents. Giffords was critically injured by a gunshot wound to the head; six people were killed, and another thirteen people were injured in the shooting.Gabrielle Giffords, a former Girl Scout herself, has also been a Girl Scout supporter for many years. On April 21, 2007, Giffords hosted her third "Congress on Your Corner" in Tucson, Arizona and kicked things off by speaking to the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Sahuaro Council.
On May 18, 2010, Giffords congratulated a Tucson high school student who has been honored by NASA for a project explaining her interest in becoming a planetary geologist. Zoë Bentley, 13, an Arizona student and member of the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Sahuaro Council, was the second-place winner in a national contest to market careers at NASA to teens. The No Boundaries competition was sponsored by NASA and USA Today. She stated:
“As a former Girl Scout myself, I am so proud to have this honor presented to Zoë – a girl from my hometown who was working on a Girl Scout project... And as a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, I know how critical it is to have young people – especially young girls – interested in science careers at an early age.”Giffords, who also serves as chairwoman of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, called Bentley an inspiration to students in Arizona and across the nation.
In the aftermath of the tragedy in Tucson, the Arizona Daily Star reports on a project by the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Sahuaro Council, who put together tribute posters for Giffords. The posters feature pictures of Giffords at age eight, when she was a Girl Scout. Current Scouts and community members are encouraged to write notes of well wishes to Giffords. Tamara McKinney, director of development at the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, Sahuaro Council, says,
"We wanted to do something that gives our membership, our girls, an opportunity to send a personal message thanking her and telling her that we're thinking of her and love her."
The posters will be delivered to Gabrielle Giffords at the hospital and another will be sent to her office. Our thoughts and well wishes are with victims and their families…