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Photo by Edward Freundl
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Anita Mosier (left), leader of Girl Scout Junior Troop 507, is joined by troop members Sarah Rieber, Lauren Hirth, Fallon Mosier and Rachel Hastings, displaying boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Orders for the perennial favorite goodies will be taken until Jan. 27, and in February and March they will be available in booths at local retailers.
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The holidays may be over, but there is a bright spot to look forward to during the dreariness of winter.
It's Girl Scout cookie time.
Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council have been taking orders for cookies since last month, and are making their final push before order-taking ends on Jan. 27.
Anita Mosier, leader of Junior Troop #507, has volunteered her girls, ages 10 and 11, to promote cookie sales in Chelsea and get the word out to the community.
"The more cookie sales our troops make, the greater chance we will have of reaching troop goals of going on trips, helping local charities and doing community service," Mosier said.
The Girl Scout cookie program directly supports services to girls and their troop activities.
Funds help to support Girl Scout programming, field trips, travel, service projects, camping and more.
"What's fun is going on trips," said Mosier's daughter, Fallon, who has been in Scouting for five years and has no trouble speaking up about Girls Scouts or the cookies.
"I take the forms to school and sell them to teachers, and I sell them to my relatives," Fallon said.
"My mom takes it to work and people sign up, and I deliver all the boxes.
Having mom take the order form to work seems to be a pretty popular way of selling among the girls in the troop.
"My mom does the same thing," was the general reply of Sarah Rieber, Rachel Hastings and Lauren Hirth.
Aunts, uncles and other family members are easily persuaded sales targets as well.
Anita Mosier said the national Girl Scouts office no longer encourages girls to sell door-to-door unless they know the neighborhood well.
Hirth said she does it that way, "but only with people I know," and even that's not a guaranteed sale.
"Most people bought them, but one lady slammed the door on me," she said.
Cookie deliveries are set for Feb. 23 through 29.
The cookie sale helps Girl Scout acquire knowledge in money management, marketing, customer service and setting goals, Mosier said, and also makes it possible for low-income girls to have opportunities for camping and other activities.
Through a new endeavor, girls earn valuable experience that builds self-confidence and help them develop their own personal leadership style. The excitement girls feel encourage them to exceed even their own expectations.
"My career in the banking industry is reminiscent of the years I spent as a Troop Leader helping girls to sell Girl Scout cookies, said Bonnie Carre, president of the Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council board of directors, and retired vice president and branch manager of a local bank.
"It is a highly successful program that helps girls learn and practice finance, management and customer service skills while they experience important leadership ability that will last a lifetime," she said.
Every troop gets a portion of the cookie sale money, and girls in that troop decide how to spend it.
Approximately one-third of the $3.50 selling price of a box of Girl Scout cookies goes toward the actual cost of the cookies while the remaining proceeds support council programs and services to benefit girls and volunteers and provide for the maintenance of camps.
After Jan. 27, there will still be plenty of opportunities to get you hands on a box of Girl Scout cookies.
"Our cookie booths will run the end of February through March," Mosier said.
The booths will be set up at County Market and The Mission Marketplace in Chelsea, the Maple Road Kroger supermarket in Ann Arbor, and other local venues from Feb. 24 through March 10.
This year the varieties include Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Shortbread, Caramel delites, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades (shortbread with a lemon icing), Fudge Coated Thanks-A-Lot, or the new Cinna-spins - the first Girl Scout cookie to come in 100-calorie, single-serve packs.
Cookie Share program
All cookies are "zero trans fat," but a novel way to enjoy the cookies without adding to your waistline is the "Cookie Share" program, which allows you to buy a box of cookies and have them delivered to American troops.
Last year, the Girl Scouts of the Huron Valley Council shared 2,400 cases (each containing 12 boxes) of Girl Scout cookies with U.S. servicemen and women in Afghanistan, Iraq and Michigan.
The program was a great success, and this year's goal is 3,000 cases.
The USO of Chicago will ship 2,000 cases to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Michigan Veterans Organizations will distribute 1,000 cases — some for ceremonies at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta; others to homeless veterans at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, and also to military personnel at Veterans Administration hospitals in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek and Detroit.
"You just tell them how many boxes you want to send to the military," Lauren Hirth explained.
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