Beginning this weekend, you will start to see Girl Scout cookie booths popping up all over our community. Or perhaps you have already been approached by one of our young entrepreneurs selling the product we're best known for across the country! Either way, Girl Scout Cookie Season is officially here.
My co-leaders and I have a troop of nearly 30 Girl Scouts ranging from kindergarten to 5th grade, and I have truly been impressed with their commitment to the task of selling cookies this year. As part of their work to earn a cookie badge, we've talked with them about the elements of a good sales pitch (including a polite "thank you" whether a sale occurs or not!), how to address customer questions (even difficult ones!), and budgeting of our proceeds (pay for what you need first, then what you want, and always set some aside to give back!). They have great ideas and are learning valuable communication skills.
These "behind the scenes" elements of Cookie Season are the perfect example of how far beyond the cookies Girl Scouting really goes. These girls gather together each week to have fun, of course, but also to learn a variety of life skills, build relationships, develop their self-confidence, and begin to understand the importance of giving back to their community.
In the short time since our troop was founded, we have been camping with our girls at Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low's beloved camp in the marshbeds of Savannah, letting them explore the beautiful lowcountry landscape, get dirty, challenge themselves physically and mentally, and enjoy a campfire meal together. We've worked on badges ranging from cooking to pet care to coding and completed service projects benefiting organizations like the Open Hearts Community Mission and Veteran's Last Patrol.
In a time when screens seem to be taking over our kids' lives and they appear to be growing up faster than ever, Girl Scouting is truly a time for these girls to get back to the basics of real life, real relationships, and yes, really good cookies.
One important thing for our shoppers to note is that cookie sales help support our local Girl Scout troops; this is something Girl Scouts of the USA has always been committed to. With a homebase in Savannah, Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia receives part of the profits and provides programming for girls and support for leaders throughout the year. We also retain some of the profits in our own troops, which we use to pay dues (making the Girl Scout experience free for everyone), cover meeting expenses, fund service projects, and have a little fun, too! After all, by the end of Cookie Season, the salesgirls have earned it!
So yes, this is a shameless plug for our local troops, hoping you will stop by one of our cookie booths and pick up a few boxes this season, but it's also a reminder of how wonderful an organization you're supporting with those purchases.
You can CLICK HERE and find a schedule of our booths throughout the community this February and March so that you can see our young entrepreneurs in action! (You can even donate a box or two, if you like! My troop will be sharing donated boxes with the Statesboro Food Bank.)
As a gentle reminder, please be kind, encouraging, and positive as they get their footing and build their confidence. No comments about their cookies ruining your diet or making you "fat," please! But do take the opportunity to talk with them, ask them questions, and learn more about what this awesome organization is accomplishing in the lives of girls in our community.
Juliette Gordon Low once said, "The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers." The work we are doing with these girls today is sure to produce a better history of tomorrow, and we thank you for your support in making it happen!
If you are interested in starting your own Girl Scout troop or volunteering with an existing troop, please visit https://www.gshg.org/en/get-involved/volunteer.html.
The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of Girl Scouts of the USA or Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia.
