Parsons, W.Va.—Sales in Tucker County are down significantly for a traditionally hot commodity this time of year—Girl Scout cookies.
Down 32% from this time last year, local troops are losing $198.00 which goes towards their travel, programs, community service projects, and a whole lot more!
According to Beth Casey, chief executive director of the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond—the regional council for much of West Virginia—pre-sales of cookies have totaled 8,186 cases this year; well below the more than 13,000 cases totaled last year. There are 12 boxes of cookies to a case, and the loss equates to roughly $30,000 in revenue for the council’s troops.
“We think it’s to do with the amount of snow we received and the water crisis, because our kids…were in school for [only a few] days in January,” she said. “January is when girls take orders from people they know, so that’s when girls are taking their order cards to school and asking their teachers, taking them to church, to basketball games, and to whatever their after-school activities are, and so much of that didn’t happen in January.”
Booth sales of the cookies will begin soon, and scouts will hit the streets to sell cookies in-hand to the general public. According to Casey, the cookies sales aren’t primarily about earning money for the troops, but are meant to teach responsibility and foster skills that will be useful for the girls later in life.
“The big thing about this program is that it is so much more than just the cookies,” she said. “The girls are really learning important life skills by participating in the program; the entrepreneurial part of the program is the most important aspect of it for the girls.
“They’re learning business skills, they practice financial responsibility, money management, sales and marketing, public speaking, goal setting, and most importantly, business ethics. Part of our Girl Scout Law is to be responsible for what you say and do, and when you learn about that and put it into practice from that business standpoint it really hits home.”
Be sure to stop by a booth sale to support your girls (you can find one here: http://cookielocator.littlebrownie.com/). If you don’t want the cookies for yourself— imagine our shock!—you can donate an order to local food pantries. Feel free to contact Erin May at (304) 983-2429 ext. 1202 or erin.may@bdgsc.org to place an order and get it paired with a troop.
Working in partnership with about 4,000 volunteers, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council serves nearly 15,000 girls in 61 counties in West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. Girl Scouts is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, with 3.7 million girl and adult members worldwide. Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.
For more information on how to join, volunteer, or donate to Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council, call 1.800.756.7616 or visit the council’s Web site at www.bdgsc.org