Girl Scout cookie season is well underway, and anyone who hasn't dropped dough on their annual helping of Thin Mints and Caramel deLites (or Samoas, depending on which bakery makes them) has until Feb. 24 to do so.
Behind the scenes, Girl Scouts hopes to teach girls five main business skills during the process: goal setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics. According to Becky Burton, CEO of Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains, troops get a portion of funding and decide how to spend it. Local scout and sixth-grader Isabella Rodriguez says she met her goal of selling 2,000 boxes last year, and her troop recently used the earnings to paint positive quotes in girls" bathrooms at a middle school. This year, her troop is debating between camping in Glen Rose or an educational trip Galveston to learn about marine life and participate in beach cleanups.
"We encourage the girls to be very instrumental in making the decisions," Burton says.
When sales wrap up, this is how the funding breaks down (according to Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains):
22 percent – troop proceeds and girl rewards
27 percent – cookie program and baker costs
51 percent – programs, properties, volunteer support training, financial assistance and council services
Girl Scout cookie locations can be found at gs-top.org.
