Girl Power Meets Cookie Power

Taste buds and their owners can now relax. The wait for Girl Scout Cookies is over.

Beginning Feb. 18, troop members were out in full force for the first official weekend of cookie booth sales. They were , waving at motorists and asking passers-by to support their efforts in what is now the 94th year of cookie sales.

This year the cookie program is featuring the six most-popular cookies: Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils, Do-si-dos, Tagalongs and Lemon Chalet Crème. The sales help fund troop activities and community service projects, with some 10 percent to 20 percent of the purchase price of each box going back to troops, according to Girls Scouts of the USA.

Girls say the efforts build confidence and teach business skills.

“Being a Girl Scout has taught me how to deal with peer pressure and leadership skills,” said Joslyn Alls, 12. “What is most important about cookie sales is being able to quickly add and subtract.”

Fellow troop member Samantha Catoggio, 12, agreed. 

“We have all learned teamwork," she said. "By working as a team we get to help community and raise money to help others.”

The Cadettes are part of Troop 132, which set up at Kroger on Scenic Highway South for four hours on Saturday. In that time, the team sold 120 boxes.

“The girls have really worked hard to come up with sales pitches; they even came up with the idea to wear boxes as advertising,” said Jerilyn Catoggio, troop leader. “We started slowly, but then things picked up and have been steady. Biggest sellers were the Samoas, with Thin Mints coming in a close second.”

To prepare for such activities and community events, scouts learn public speaking, people skills, goal setting and more. At the Cadette level, the girls also plan, organize and conduct their meetings.

On Saturday, Troops 1775 and 1403 applied a tag-team sales approach. Both troops set up shop at the Kroger on Highway 78. 

First up from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. was Troop 1775. This five-member team sold 107 cases of cookies in pre-sale orders. Each case contains twelve boxes. They attribute successful selling to getting out early at schools. Over the weekend, the team also brought a secret weapon.

“Here with us today is our new kitten that is attracting people that stop to pet her. While they are petting, we sell,” said 14-year-old, Sara Davis.

As Troop 1775 was dismantling their booth, Troop 1403 arrived to assume this prime selling spot. Troop members Kathleen Dennison, Amanda McKinney and Connor Lynch, all 16, arrived with two Cookie Dads. The dads set up the booth, off-loaded cases of cookies and stuck around to assist with sales.

“People forget that without Cookie Dads there would be no Girl Scouts,” Mike Dennison said. “Seriously, scouting has been wonderful for our entire family. All of my daughters are Girl Scouts and my son is a Boy Scout.”

Describing the importance of Girl Scouts, Neal McKinney said, “Scouting builds character. It teaches respect and proper attitude toward people.”

This troop is using the money from the cookie sales to help work toward renovating Breakthru House, a Decatur transitional facility for women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Completing the project will put the girls one step closer to receiving the organization's highest honor, the Girl Scout Gold Award.

The three young women said participating in such Girl Scouts efforts has better prepared them for college.

“Because we have participated in the scouting shadowing program and visited college campus, we know what we want to do after graduating from college,” Connor said. “I want to be a museum curator with a degree in art history.”

“I want to get degree in engineering or chemistry; then teach. I also want to perform creative dance,” Amanda said.

Kathleen said, “I want to major in music education and become a band director. I would also like to be a flute instructor.”

Members of this troop, along with the other girl-powered cookie sellers, are glad to exemplify the Girl Scouts mission -- being "girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place."