Connecticut's Girl Scouts Begin Annual Entrepreneurial Business Drive (Selling Cookies)
/A potential sales force of nearly 12,500 Girl Scouts of Connecticut will be sharing their entrepreneurial energy and the traditional delicious array of cookies once again this year, beginning this month.
Girl Scouts of Connecticut (GSOFCT) has launched its official 2024 Girl Scout Cookie season across the state and the public is now able to order the well-known and well-liked snacks/desserts from individual Girl Scout members – both in-person and online.
“Our cookie season is always met with such excitement among the Connecticut community as it’s truly a time to trade in icicles for icing,” said Diana Mahoney, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “Equally important, girls learn to work as a team to accomplish goals, while building confidence in their individual abilities.”
Mahoney notes that this 100% girl-led entrepreneurship program also teaches the important fundamentals of goal setting, decision making, business ethics, people skills and money management and as such, has helped shape the next generation of female business leaders.
Girl Scouts is available for girls in K thru 12th grades. There are level specific activities, badges, and awards. The six levels of Girl Scouts are: Daisy (grades K-1), Brownie (grades 1-2), Junior (grades 3-4), Cadette (grades 5-8), Senior (grades 9-10) and Ambassador (grades 11-12).
The four pillars of programming include: Life-skills, STEM, Entrepreneur, and Outdoor. Girl Scout are provided with age/level appropriate programming and opportunities for in each of the programming pillars.
Girl Scouts membership in Connecticut has been relatively steady since COVID. The non-profit organization is currently signing up new Daisy Troops (with membership up by more than 150 in just the past week) and spring renewal and extended membership offerings are now being planned.
Officials point out that the longer a girl stays in Girl Scouting, the more leadership skills they develop, the more friends they make, and the more new things they have the opportunity to try.
For this year’s cookie sale, the roster of tasty treats that GSOFCT is offering includes Adventurefuls™, Thin Mints®, Samoas®, Tagalongs®, Do-si-dos®, Trefoils®, Lemon-Ups®, Girl Scout S’mores® and gluten-free Toffee-tastic®. Each variety costs $6 per package. There are several ways to pre-order and purchase Girl Scout Cookies including:
Contacting a registered Girl Scout to find out how she’s selling cookies, either in-person or through her individual Digital Cookie ® online platform.
Visiting www.gsofct.org or contacting GSOFCT’s Customer Care team at (800) 922-2770 to be connected with a Girl Scout in your area.
Girl Scout Cookies will be delivered to Connecticut on March 16, 2024, at which time all pre-orders will be fulfilled to customers, and troops around the state will set up cookie booths in their local communities through the end of April.
Mahoney explains that each troop sets its own financial goals during Cookie Season with some selling the packages for amazing group activities and trips, and others to participate in outdoor adventures at the various Girl Scout camps, including An-Se-Ox in Oxford, Aspetuck in Weston, Clatter Valley in New Milford, Laurel in Lebanon, and Merrie-Wood in Manchester.
Other troops raise funds to earn entrepreneurship badges and rewards or initiate community service projects. Proceeds from the cookie program stay in Connecticut to fund GSOFCT programming, leadership development opportunities, and training for girls and adults throughout the state.
Many Girl Scouts are also participating in GSOFCT’s Gift of Caring Service Project, Cookies for Heroes in which Connecticut customers can purchase packages of cookies, which are then delivered to active military men and women, veterans, and local community heroes. Last year, more than 125,000 packages of cookies were sold for this cause.
“When you buy the delicious cookies you crave directly from a Girl Scout, you’ll enjoy them more knowing that you’re helping her become a true changemaker who’s building a better future for herself and the world,” Mahoney adds.
Visit www.gsofct.org to discover Girl Scout Cookie sales in your Connecticut community.
