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THEY’RE SMART COOKIES
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Girl Scouts posing with cookies front l-r Rachael Herns, 10, and Wendy Ford, 11. Back l-r Shelby McIntroy, 12, Breanna Armeni, 13 and Crystal Munoz, 13 They are members of troops 155 and 81 of Campbell.
By Jon Moffett
Cookie sales teach business savvy to young women.
YOUNGSTOWN — Selling cookies isn’t just about tradition.
For Girl Scouts, the annual event is a learning experience.
“The cookie program is the largest financial literacy program in Northeast Ohio, and maybe in the country, for girls,” said Marianne Love, director of business services for the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio. “The main thing is that financial literacy is so important and it is so much more important than just selling the cookies; it teaches leadership and business skills.”
Love, who was a Girl Scout, said the cookie program gives girls the opportunity to learn about money and teaches important skills dealing with finance.
“You could have a 6-year-old learning how to make change,” she said.
Sheilah Gates and Emelinda Soto are co-leaders of Troops 81 and 155 in Campbell. Gates said the cookie sale teaches important skills such as financing, budgeting, responsibility, leadership and communication. She said teaching the girls, who range from 5 to18 years old, about money is very important.
“Every year we teach them finances and financial responsibility,” she said. “We do a skit among our troop and say if you have a job and this is what you earn, what is important to you? They learn quite a bit. They learn the value of money and how to budget it.”
Breanna Armeni, 13, of Troop 81 said she’d learned about leadership and teamwork through the program.
The cookie sale, which began Dec. 20, gives girls the chance to enhance their business skills by going door-to-door to sell the traditional treats. Customers will recognize favorites such as Thin Mints and Samoas, and can also experience the newcomer, Dulce de Leche.
“We get positive feedback on the cookies every year,” Love said. “... It’s a tradition, like apple pie. And the fact that you can only get it once a year makes people anticipate the cookie sale.”
The proceeds from sales, after the bakery is paid, go to the individual troops, Gates said. The girls then decide how to use the money. Love said the girls use the money for camping trips and sleepovers as well as arts-and-crafts activities.
The girls of Troops 81 and 155 plan on working hard to earn enough money for something special.
“So far I’ve sold about 32 boxes,” said Wendy Ford, 11. “I go to my friends and relatives.”
Soto said although the goal is to sell as much as possible, it’s not a competition.
“We try to make it not so competitive, at least amongst the girls themselves,” Soto said. “Because they are a team, and when you’re a team you all have the same goal.”
Though the money raised from the sales goes toward the individual troops, Love doesn’t consider the event a traditional fund-raising effort.
“The girls are the ones who do the preparation for the sale,” she said. “This is a program where the girls are learning something, and they are the ones who ultimately prepare it all.”
Love said although the cookie sale is a large part of what it means to be a Girl Scout, the organization offers girls a variety of experiences.
“Girl Scouting in itself has taken a transition in the last couple of years. We’re really trying to get away from being known just for the cookies. ... We’re providing a leadership experience for girls. ... The girls have fun while they’re learning these leadership roles.”
Love, who remembered going camping and selling cookies herself, said nostalgia is one of the reasons the cookie sale is so anticipated.
“For a lot of people, especially a lot of women, it takes them back to their years as Girl Scouts and selling the cookies.”
Customers who wish to purchase cookies but do not know of a local troop can call (888) 984-4664 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on the Girl Scouts, to join or volunteer, visit www.gsneo.org or call (800) 852-4474.
jmoffett@vindy.com