Gotta love those girl scouts and cookies!
By Star LaBranche
It’s that time of year and Girl Scout cookies are going on sale. This season Troop 1253 has set a goal for each girl to sell 300 boxes. The troop of Cadets, who hail from three local middle schools and one home school, have been in scouting for several years and already have their game plan in place.
The troop will be participating in booth sales at several local shops including Ukrops, Farm Fresh, Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware and Food Lion. The Scouts will sell their traditional cookies and some new additions. The girls are also vending sugar free chocolate chip cookies, which they assure “taste like normal cookies.”
The money that’s raised will support several causes. First, some of the sales will support the Girl Scout counsel and fund various activities, camps and projects. The girls are also requesting donates for their Gift of Caring. This year the beneficiaries will be the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD.) You can make donations when you place your order.
Also, Troop 1253 has a special trip planned. In 2011 the Girl Scout Troop would like to go to the Cayman Islands. The trip is an ambition endeavor, but the girls are up to the task. In 2008 the girls sold over 3,000 boxes of cookies and are determined to sell even more this year.
Emilie McIntosh, the troop leader, believes that the girls have everything that they need to accomplish their goal. “These girls have organized and run events and planned trips better than some adults do and the place that they are able to do this is in Girl Scouts.”
Troop 1253 are also involved in several other Girl Scout activities. They have taken part in programs at Camp Skimino and are planning on going to Camp Darten. And they work with the MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) organization by babysitting the children. Through their experiences many girls have also earned a certificate in babysitting.
In addition to this the scouts participate in traditional Girl Scout events such as the Boo Bash, a Halloween party, and the yearly Christmas Bizarre, where girls can sell their crafts and other creative projects. The girls add that it’s a great place to do your Christmas shopping. The troop enjoy other ventures include canoeing, cooking, and rock climbing.
McIntosh first became involved with the Girl Scouts when she was kindergarten. Through the years she went from a Tagalong to a Daisy to a Brownie and then to a Junior. She got out of scouts after her family moved but decided to become a troop leader when her daughter reached kindergarten.
Her mother was also a troop leader and inspired her to continue with the organization. She stated, “My mother had been my leader when I was growing up and that experience had been really important to me.” She is now leading two troops, is a facilitator of adult learning, and is also the Camp Director for Camp Skimino. Emilie noted that, “It has been great to see these girls who have been in since Brownies grow and it’s great to see how easily new girls adapt to the group.”
The Girl Scouts is an international organization that strives for empowering girls through leadership, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth. The program was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and there are now 3.7 million Girl Scouts all over the world. For more information go to http://www.girlscouts.org —WLY&ME
