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Character-BuildingCookies |
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by Calista Sprague
For decades Girl Scouts and their cookies have enjoyed a prominent position in American culture. Thin Mints, Trefoils, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos…everyone has a favorite, and even if you manage to resist these sugary temptations, no one can resist that bright smiling face at the door.
According to Stephanie Jordan, business director of the Concharty Council of Girl Scouts, the boxes of cookie goodness began as a bake sale in a school cafeteria in Oklahoma, part of a troop service project in 1917, five years after the inception of the Girl Scouts.
Expanding numbers of scouts baked sugar cookies with their moms and sold them door to door in wax paper bags during the 1920s and 1930s. And by the late 1970s, cookie sales became standardized with licensed bakers and standard packaging. Today, bakers can produce up to eight varieties, but thin mint, peanut butter sandwich and shortbread cookies are mandatory, and all the cookies are kosher, said Jordan.
Shannon Moon, troop leader and mom to three scouts, remembers selling cookies as a girl. “On a Friday afternoon, my mom would bring me where my dad worked, and we would go around. My dad was so proud, and I got to show them all my badges and my patches. It was a real confidence booster to know that everyone was so proud and happy.”
Moon now leads three troops with a daughter in each: 3rd grade Brownies, 4th grade Juniors and 10th grade Seniors. Each year she asks her troops what goals they would like to work toward with their cookie sales. She and the girls are currently planning a trip to Atlanta.
“When I was little, it was the zoo and the aquarium, and when I was a 9th-, 10th-grade Girl Scout, my cookie money helped pay for a trip to Disney World,” she remembered.
Rather than funneling profits through the national budget, proceeds from local cookie sales go directly to support local scouts. In addition to working to fund trips and other troop activities, the girls are encouraged to give back to the community. “A percentage of what we do for each troop goes to charity,” Moon explained. “This year they couldn’t decide between the two, so they decided to donate to the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. Last year, the girls donated part of their proceeds to the Humane Society.”
Budgeting and goal setting are just two of the many benefits realized by girls during the annual cookie drive. Moon pointed out that, “it really builds their confidence to talk to people, to sharpen their communication skills, to be comfortable in their own skin.” She said although her daughters are often nervous for the first few sales calls,“an hour later, it’s just like they’ve been doing it for years.”
“The Girl Scout cookie program is the premier business literacy
program for girls, developing skills like goal setting, teamwork and
communication,” added Jordan.
Respect is another important character trait reinforced through
the sales process. “It’s terrific to see them be respectful of their elders,
even if they don’t want to buy any cookies,” Moon smiled. “Those
‘please’ and ‘thank-yous’ are still necessary. It’s that respect that is
lacking in a lot of children these days. It’s just another avenue to instill
respect and self-esteem and confidence.”
Moon remembers selling door to door as a child, but notes that
times are different now. “They
always have to be safe. We instill
that from the time that they’re 6
until they’re 26, to always be alert
and aware of your surroundings.”
The girls work hard to reach their goals, but the experience remains a positive one, no matter how many or few cookies are sold. “One box or 100 boxes, it was great. I remember that as a kid, and now my daughters do the same,” Moon said, adding, “After the cookies come in, they can go out [for deliveries] and it always makes people smile. That’s rewarding.”
While preorder sales will end February 8, the cookies will be on sale outside retail stores around town until March 10. For booth sale times and locations, visit www.girlscoutsconcharty.org or call the local council office at 706-327-2646, ext. 118.
This year you can also buy cookies for military troops who are far from home through the Cookie Care program. “Cookies you purchase can be mailed to deployed soldiers, providing a taste of home to soldiers overseas,” said Jordan.
So, while you enjoy the cookies, also enjoy knowing that you are supporting the endeavors of local Girl Scout leaders to encourage girls to one day become confident, respectful and community-minded women.
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