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Girl Scout Cookie Season Is Here!

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Each girl scout cookie season I share this story:


I admit I was a girl scout. And for those of you who know me, it will come as no surprise that I was determined to sell more cookies than any of the other girls. I went up and down my street, knocking on doors for orders. I called all my relatives and perfected my telemarketing skills. I asked my dad to get his co-workers to buy from me. And he said NO! But he did offer to take me to work so I could ask for the order. I worked hard and sold hundreds of boxes and was sure I’d win the Cookie title.

Well as it turns out, I didn’t. Some little girl named Susie did. She lived down the street from me and I never saw her ask any of our neighbors to buy cookies. I asked her how she did it and she said it was easy-her mom and dad got all the orders for her. I was mad and didn’t think it was fair and complained to my dad about it. He told me life wasn’t fair, never would be, but that I’d really won, and I’d appreciate it some day when I realized that I had gotten much more out of it than Susie had. Not what a 9 year old girl wants to hear. So I’m sure I sulked around for a while, until something else captured my attention.

But now many years later, I get it. My dad was right- I had won! I’d learned how to set a goal, prospect customers, perfect my sales pitch, work on my organizational skills, plan the logistics of delivery, handle money, make change and enjoy quite a few cookies, too!

And that’s why I implore you to only buy cookies from Girl Scouts. I know there are many well intentioned parents that want to help their daughters, and help support the troops so they can put on all the programs they have scheduled; but please help them by letting them sell! And I still pledge to buy cookies from any girl scout who asks.  

Skill #1: Goal Setting
Girl Scouts learn how to set goals and create a plan to reach them, enabling amazing experiences for themselves and their troops all year long, while helping others too.

Skill #2: Decision Making
Girl Scouts learn to make decisions on their own and as a team, whether it’s how to run and promote their cookie sale, interact with customers, or spend their earnings.

Skill #3: Money Management
Girl Scouts learn to expand their money smarts while running their own cookie business and create a budget to fund the experiences they want to share as a troop.

Skill #4: People Skills
Girl Scouts find their voice and build confidence through customer interactions, developing valuable skills that will help them succeed in school, in business, and in life.

Skill #5: Business Ethics
Girl Scouts learn to act ethically—lessons that will stay with them for a lifetime of leadership and success.

And now about the cookies:

New this year: Raspberry Rally is described as a thin, crispy cookie infused with a raspberry flavor and dipped in the same chocolaty coating as Thin Mints. This cookie is the first Girl Scout Cookie to be exclusively offered for online sale and direct shipment only. These are available starting Feb 28th.
New Raspberry Rally Girl Scout Cookie joins lineup for 2023 season nationwide. Sales began Jan. 1.

Gluten free? Try Toffee-tastic cookies.

Vegan? Try Thin Mints

Kosher? Halal? Try them all! Every flavor variety is kosher and Halal certified.

While door to door sales do still happen, most girl scouts have moved to calling or texting for sales or even setting up online sales sights. Cookies will begin being delivered the week of Feb 12th. Don’t know a Girl Scout? Fill out this form to be connected. Troop booths at local retailers will be held starting February 17th.

All Girl Scout Cookie proceeds stay local.

Do you know what’s even sweeter than Girl Scout Cookies? Every box of cookies you buy from your neighborhood Girl Scout stays local. Proceeds from your purchase help fund incredible adventures like camping and bold ideas like a local recycling program. The Dayton region has over 5000 girl scout that will benefit from your support when you purchase cookies from a local Girl Scout today!

Girl Scout Cookie Season Has Started- Don’t Buy Cookies From Parents!

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1. Goal Setting – Girls set their own goals and contribute to setting troop/group goals.
2. Decision Making – Girls decide how to spend their troop/group proceeds.
3. Money Management – Girls tally orders, count change and budget.
4. People Skills – Girls interact with a variety of people and understand the importance of customer service.
5. Business Ethics – Girls learn how important it is to be honest, meet deadlines and properly market a product.

 

2022 Cookie Menu

And as I do each girl scout cookie season I share this story:


I admit I was a girl scout. And for those of you who know me, it will come as no surprise that I was determined to sell more cookies than any of the other girls. I went up and down my street, knocking on doors for orders. I called all my relatives and perfected my telemarketing skills. I asked my dad to get his co-workers to buy from me. And he said NO! But he did offer to take me to work so I could ask for the order. I worked hard and sold hundreds of boxes and was sure I’d win the Cookie title.

Well as it turns out, I didn’t. Some little girl named Susie did. She lived down the street from me and I never saw her ask any of our neighbors to buy cookies. I asked her how she did it and she said it was easy-her mom and dad got all the orders for her. I was mad and didn’t think it was fair and complained to my dad about it. He told me life wasn’t fair, never would be, but that I’d really won, and I’d appreciate it some day when I realized that I had gotten much more out of it than Susie had. Not what a 9 year old girl wants to hear. So I’m sure I sulked around for a while, until something else captured my attention.

But now many years later, I get it. My dad was right- I had won! I’d learned how to set a goal, prospect customers, perfect my sales pitch, work on my organizational skills, plan the logistics of delivery, handle money, make change and enjoy quite a few cookies, too!

And that’s why I implore you to only buy cookies from Girl Scouts. I know there are many well intentioned parents that want to help their daughters, and help support the troops so they can put on all the programs they have scheduled; but please help them by letting them sell!

And I still pledge to buy cookies from any girl scout who asks.  The Girl Scout Cookie Program®, helps girls learn the essential skills they need to become effective leaders, manage finances, and gain self-sufficiency and confidence in handling money.

Did you know that every service provided by Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is subsidized for our members? It costs $320 per girl to give her the Girl Scout programmatic experience for just one year. The Girl Scout Cookie Program not only gives girls funds for the troop, but it also supports all of our services to volunteers, Caregivers, and girls. Proceeds from the Cookie Program also helps maintain our camp facilities and properties so they are not only adventurous but safe for our girls. It is important to remember that “council” is all of us. Every penny from the Cookie Program stays within our council after we pay our vendor and program costs.

Now with the Internet and rise of e-commerce, girls scouts are using the power of technology to expand their sales channels. Last year I got email solicitations, skype sales calls and still ran into a few girl scouts in front of stores.

The Digital Cookie® platform helps girls superpower their cookie sales as they go beyond the booth with mobile and online channels. That’s right. The platform is a fun, educational tool that helps girls run and manage their Girl Scout Cookie business online.

That means more ways for her to learn, and more ways for you to buy and support her success. It also means more opportunities to power new, unique, and amazing experiences that help her learn essential life skills, soar in confidence, discover the leader within, and have a ton of fun!

With the Digital Cookie platform, girls can:

  • Gain new essential business and social skills in a fun and engaging way.
  • Invite cookie customers to easily order and pay for cookies online and through their mobile app.
  • Earn funds to power amazing troop activities for her and her troop!

In a recent study by the Girl Scouts Heart of the South, they documented skills the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches, which girls can apply to everyday life:

  • 85% increased their money management skills as they developed budgets, took cookie orders and handled customers’ money.
  • 83% developed business ethics, learning to fulfill promises to customers and considering how best to contribute to their communities with their earnings.
  • 80% set goals and created objectives to reach them.
  • 77% made important decisions, learning to work as a team to develop a business plan, deciding when and where to sell cookies, and determining what to do with the money they earn.
  • 75% developed people skills, learning to talk to, listen to and work with different kinds of people.

Many successful businesswomen and community leaders say they got their start selling Girl Scout Cookies. So when your local Girl Scouts come calling with this year’s best-selling cookies, remember you’re saying hello to tomorrow’s business leaders.

 

Don’t know a Girl Scout? You can still help girls learn essential skills and do amazing things by buying cookies at your local cookie booth. Enter your zip code in the “Find Cookies!” tool for a list of scheduled cookie booths in your community. Click here for more info.

Want to support but don’t want cookies?

Donated cookies purchased will be given to multiple charitable organizations, including those in health care, military and veterans groups and food pantries.
$5.00

Cookies Power Amazing Experiences for Girl Scouts

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And As I do each girl scout cookie season I share this story:


I admit I was a girl scout. And for those of you who know me, it will come as no surprise that I was determined to sell more cookies than any of the other girls. I went up and down my street, knocking on doors for orders. I called all my relatives and perfected my telemarketing skills. I asked my dad to get his co-workers to buy from me. And he said NO! But he did offer to take me to work so I could ask for the order. I worked hard and sold hundreds of boxes and was sure I’d win the Cookie title.

Well as it turns out, I didn’t. Some little girl named Susie did. She lived down the street from me and I never saw her ask any of our neighbors to buy cookies. I assked her how she did it and she said it was easy-her mom and dad got all the orders for her. I was mad and didn’t think it was fair and complained to my dad about it. He told me life wasn’t fair, never would be, but that I’d really won, and I’d appreciate it some day when I realized that I had gotten much more out of it than Susie had. Not what a 9 year old girl wants to hear. So I’m sure

I sulked around for a while, until something else captured my attention.

But now many years later, I get it. My dad was right- I had won! I’d learned how to set a goal, prospect customers, perfect my sales pitch, work on my organizational skills, plan the logistics of delivery, handle money, make change and enjoy quite a few cookies, too!
And that’s why I implore you to only buy cookies from Girl Scouts. I know there are many well intentioned parents that want to help their daughters, and help support the troops so they can put on all the programs they have scheduled; but please help them by letting them sell!

And I still pledge to buy cookies from any girl scout who asks.  The Girl Scout Cookie Program®, helps girls learn the essential skills they need to become effective leaders, manage finances, and gain self-sufficiency and confidence in handling money.

Now with the Internet and rise of e-commerce, girls scouts are using the power of technology to expand their sales channels. Last year I got email solicitations, skype sales calls and still ran into a few girl scouts in front of stores.

The Digital Cookie® platform helps girls superpower their cookie sales as they go beyond the booth with mobile and online channels. That’s right. The platform is a fun, educational tool that helps girls run and manage their Girl Scout Cookie business online.

That means more ways for her to learn, and more ways for you to buy and support her success. It also means more opportunities to power new, unique, and amazing experiences that help her learn essential life skills, soar in confidence, discover the leader within, and have a ton of fun!

With the Digital Cookie platform, girls can:

  • Gain new essential business and social skills in a fun and engaging way.
  • Invite cookie customers to easily order and pay for cookies online and through their mobile app.
  • Earn funds to power amazing troop activities for her and her troop!

So, how does the Digital Cookie platform work?
It’s a lot like buying your cookies at a traditional cookie booth, but with an online twist!

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In true Girl Scout style, the girls initiate the cookie sale, whether online, via email, or in person at the cookie booth with their Digital Cookie mobile app.

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A Girl Scout you know may invite you to visit her personalized cookie website where you can place your order, pay using Visa Checkout or credit cards, have your order shipped or delivered by a Girl Scout,* or even donate cookies to charity.

Some Girl Scouts may take in-person orders using a mobile app that also allows them to securely accept payments using credit cards.

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Select your cookies, place your order, and complete your transaction. Boom, just like that, you’ve got delicious Girl Scout Cookies coming your way!

 

In a recent study by the Girl Scouts Heart of the South, they documented skills the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches, which girls can apply to everyday life:

  • 85% increased their money management skills as they developed budgets, took cookie orders and handled customers’ money.
  • 83% developed business ethics, learning to fulfill promises to customers and considering how best to contribute to their communities with their earnings.
  • 80% set goals and created objectives to reach them.
  • 77% made important decisions, learning to work as a team to develop a business plan, deciding when and where to sell cookies, and determining what to do with the money they earn.
  • 75% developed people skills, learning to talk to, listen to and work with different kinds of people.

Many successful businesswomen and community leaders say they got their start selling Girl Scout Cookies. So when your local Girl Scouts come calling with this year’s best-selling cookies, remember you’re saying hello to tomorrow’s business leaders.

 

Don’t know a Girl Scout? You can still help girls learn essential skills and do amazing things by buying cookies at your local cookie booth. Enter your zip code in the “Find Cookies!” tool for a list of scheduled cookie booths in your community.

 

Shamrock Shakes & Other March Treats We Can’t Live Without! (Made Over)

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March sure rolled in quick this year! Most of us are ready for Spring and seasonal sweet treats remind is it’s finally on the way! Okay so the Shamrock Shakes actually arrived in February but I’ve been trying to ignore that fact because the mere idea of them adds a few inches to my waistline. With more than 6o million served yearly, those tasty shakes draw more buzz than the McRib – that’s whole other article. At close to 400 calories, 14 grams of fat, 63 of the carbs I try to avoid and 11 grams of protein I wondered if there were a healthier makeover option for the Shamrock Shake. Watching my macros, not eating anything with preservatives and staying away from dairy has made life a little sad at times especially when a favorite like this rolls into town. But don’t fret, there’s hope! I dug up some yummy lighter alternatives.

 

Clean & Green Shamrock Shake – Recipe from Hungry Girl

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 oz. (about 6 tbsp.) vanilla protein powder with about 100 calories per serving

1/3 cup spinach leaves

1/8 tsp. peppermint extract

1 1/4 cups crushed ice or 6 – 10 ice cubes

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend at high speed until smooth, stopping and stirring if needed.

Or this version from Cooking Light Magazine!

Or just have the damn thing and hit the treadmill after, whatever works for you!

Another March favorite……Girl Scout Cookies! But I’m partial to Samoas & big surprise Thin Mints. Who isn’t? Not gonna lie, there a few boxes of each in my kitchen right now. I tried to justify the purchase as a way of supporting future female leaders and entrepreneurs which is partly it, but really, COOKIES. Anyway I did happen to dig up a few make over recipes for those too.

Best Low Carb Thin Mints (Gluten Free!) – Recipe by AllDayIDreamAboutFood.com

Ingredients

Cookies

Coating

How to Make Them

Low Carb Samoa Recipe by Your Lighter Side 

And if you’re feeling really ambitious, here’s 9 other Girl Scout Cookie makeover recipes you may love!

Making healthier choices has been a huge adjustment in my life, but the more I research and try new things the closer I get to feeling like making those choices doesn’t have to be such a burden. There is a lot of trial and error and there are days where I just throw in the towel and eat whatever I want. You have to have those moments I think but I always come back to how I feel when I am eating cleaner – and no cookie beats that!

Enjoy these makeovers. More coming soon + summer Grilling season is just around the corner.

Stay happy & healthy!

Shana

Girl Scout Cookie Season Is Here!

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Today is the official start of the 100th season of Girl Scouts selling cookies.  According to Sylvia Acevedo, interim CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. “The Girl Scout Cookie Program has long been the engine that powers Girl Scouts on every level. Each box of delicious Girl Scout Cookies®, and the entrepreneurial skills gained by participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, helps girls fulfill their dreams, follow their passions, take the lead in their lives and communities, and change the world.”

Today, nearly 1 million Girl Scouts participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, generating nearly $800 million in cookie sales during the average season. All of the net revenue raised through the Girl Scout Cookie Program—100 percent of it— stays with the local council and troops. With over 50 million households purchasing cookies every season, the irresistible treats can be found nationwide and will hold a beloved place in Americana for years to come, continuing to help girls take the lead and, ultimately, change the world.

This year there are eight varieties of cookies are offered this year: Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, Savannah Smiles, gluten-free Toffe-tastic, and our brand new Girl Scout S’mores.

Girl Scout Cookies are $4 per box, except the Toffee-tastic and new Girl Scout S’mores cookie varieties which are $5.  Cookie delivery is  Feb 24 – March 2  and booth sales start March 3.

 

Here’s a story I’ve share every year during cookie season:

I admit I was a girl scout. And for those of you who know me, it will come as no surprise that I was determined to sell more cookies than any of the other girls. I went up and down my street, knocking on doors for orders. I called all my relatives and perfected my telemarketing skills. I asked my dad to get his co-workers to buy from me. And he said NO! But he did offer to take me to work so I could ask for the order. I worked hard and sold hundreds of boxes and was sure I’d win the Cookie title.

Well as it turns out, I didn’t. Some little girl named Susie did. She lived down the street from me and I never saw her ask any of our neighbors to buy cookies. I assked her how she did it and she said it was easy-her mom and dad got all the orders for her. I was mad and didn’t think it was fair and complained to my dad about it. He told me life wasn’t fair, never would be, but that I’d really won, and I’d appreciate it some day when I realized that I had gotten much more out of it than Susie had. Not what a 9 year old girl wants to hear. So I’m sure I sulked around for a while, until something else captured my attention.

But now many years later, I get it. My dad was right- I had won! I’d learned how to set a goal, prospect customers, perfect my sales pitch, work on my organizational skills, plan the logistics of delivery, handle money, make change and enjoy quite a few cookies, too!

And that’s why I implore you to only buy cookies from Girl Scouts. I know there are many well intentioned parents that want to help their daughters, and help support the troops so they can put on all the programs they have scheduled; but please help them by letting them sell!

Now with the Internet and rise of ecommerce, girls scouts are using the power of technology to expand their sales channels. Last year I got email solicitations, skype sales calls and still ran into a few girl scouts in front of stores.

And I still pledge to buy cookies from any girl scout who asks.  The Girl Scout Cookie Program®, helps girls learn the essential skills they need to become effective leaders, manage finances, and gain self-sufficiency and confidence in handling money.

In a recent study by the Girl Scouts Heart of the South, they documented skills the Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches, which girls can apply to everyday life:

  • 85% increased their money management skills as they developed budgets, took cookie orders and handled customers’ money.
  • 83% developed business ethics, learning to fulfill promises to customers and considering how best to contribute to their communities with their earnings.
  • 80% set goals and created objectives to reach them.
  • 77% made important decisions, learning to work as a team to develop a business plan, deciding when and where to sell cookies, and determining what to do with the money they earn.
  • 75% developed people skills, learning to talk to, listen to and work with different kinds of people.

Many successful businesswomen and community leaders say they got their start selling Girl Scout Cookies. So when your local Girl Scouts come calling with this year’s best-selling cookies, remember you’re saying hello to tomorrow’s business leaders.