Every cookie has a mission: to help girls do great things.
Spring is in the air and buds are on the trees, which can only mean one thing: Girl Scout cookies are almost in season.
Girl Scout Cookies have been the official fundraiser of girl scouting troops since 1917. The Girl Scout cookie program is the largest women-operated business in the country and generates over $700 million each year.
“The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches girls how to run their own business in a fun and rewarding way,” said Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Utah Cathleen Sparrow.
Proceeds from the cookie sales help sponsor troops and give the girls a chance to have new experiences. The top cookie seller in Utah last year, Maya Moody, sold 5,024 boxes of cookies. She plans on taking a trip with her cousin to Trefoil Ranch, a horse-themed Girl Scout adventure camp. Furthermore, Moody’s entire troop is planning a trip to Color-Me-Mine for a “Mommy & Me” day.
Third place seller Alyssa Snyder, who tied at 3,452 boxes, is going to Costa Rica this summer with eight of her closest friends. Another local troop went on a week-long trip to Disney World last year. And it was all, believe it or not, because of cookies.
Last year, Utahans purchased 1,545,912 boxes of cookies. Cookies are presold Jan. 17-29, however, if you don’t know a girl scout or couldn’t preorder, they are available at cookie booths around the state throughout the month of March. Last year over 200 businesses in the Valley allowed girls scouts to sell cookies in their parking lots and on their storefronts.
The cookie program allows girls to serve their community. 102 troops participated in the Gift of Caring program, which allows girls to donate cookies to charities of their choice. They also participate in service projects like collecting donations for the Salvation Army and the Red Cross.
This non-profit organization offers girls around the nation an opportunity to explore the world around them and learn to become productive contributors to the community.
“I’m way more confident talking to people now,” said Snyder about how her skills have increased over the past seven years of selling cookies.
Buying a box of cookies is a great way to help a girl have experiences she might not have otherwise. So take a break and grab yourself and delicious box of Girl Scout cookies before they’re gone.
Info:
Girls Scout Cookies, available for $3.50 a box, come in eight flavors: Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Dulce de Leche, Savannah Smiles, Thank U Berry Munch and Trefoils, with Thin Mints the top seller around the nation.
By Chrys Rafferty
Information about the girls scouting program can be found at www.gsutah.org
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42270952/ns/business-small_business/t/how-girl-scouts-built-their-million-cookie-empire/#.T0Xz8XJWo2o
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