It's Girl Scout Cookie time!
Each year Kansas Heartland Girl Scouts learn critical leadership and life skills through the Girl Scout Cookie Program. This year, Kansas girls will kick-off a new century of entrepreneurship from Feb. 10 to Mar. 18 by powering their experiences with cookies and sparking their future careers through this valuable program.
In 1917, girls began participating in what would evolve into the largest entrepreneurial training program for girls in the world – the Girl Scout Cookie Program – through which they gain tools to become effective leaders, manage finances, and gain self-sufficiency and confidence in handling money. This year marks the beginning of a new century of Girl Scout entrepreneurs. During Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland’s Cookie Sale, these young go-getters are learning essential life skills – goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics – that stay with them forever.
Participating Girl Scouts show their inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-Taker, Leader) as they sell delicious cookies and develop strong business practices that are imperative to leadership and future success. When someone buys a box of cookies, they’re not just receiving a sweet deal. Revenue from every cookie purchase powers enriching experiences for girls year-round, such as outdoor adventures, world traveling, and actionable projects that benefit the local community.
These funds power amazing Girl Scout experiences that might not have been possible otherwise. Goddard Troop 40633 members traveled to Savannah, Georgia, birthplace of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low. There they cultivated a new appreciation for how Girl Scouts began, giving them unique insight into why their organization came to be. Venturing across the country to Washington, D.C., Hutchinson Troop 50230 explored our nation’s capital, learning about our history and reminding themselves of the importance of civic action and duty.
This cookie season will see familiar treats returning to the 2018 Cookie Lineup. Last year, Girl Scouts released the S’mores cookie to celebrate our centennial year. The treat became an instant classic debuting as the highest selling new cookie release in our history. The S’mores will be returning this year along with our famous Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Shortbreads, Thanks-A-Lots, and the gluten-free Trios and remain priced at the same $4 per package.
The Girl Scouts’ commitment to giving back continues each year, as girls not only invest their cookie earnings into service projects across Kansas, they also give customers the option of sharing cookies with service men and women, their families, and local charities like the Kansas Food Bank. Through Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland’s Cookie Share Program, Cookie Sale customers can simply purchase a package of cookies and donate it. Since the Cookie Share Program began in 2010, Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland has distributed more than 139,650 packages of cookies to members of the military and local charities, including 22,000 “Cookie Shares” in 2017. This year, girls across Kansas have set a new goal to reach – 150,000 packages.
Make plans today to invest in local girls and your community by supporting the Girl Scout Cookie Sale. Looking for a local Girl Scout, aka Cookie Boss? To find cookies, just enter your zip code at kansasgirlscouts.org, call the Cookie Hotline at 888-686-MINT, or download the free, official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app for iOS and Android mobile devices. Go to kansasgirlscouts.org to learn more.
About Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland
Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland serves more than 14,500 girls and adults in 80 Kansas counties through its operational headquarters in Wichita, Kan., and regional offices in Salina, Hays, Emporia and Garden City. Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls’ healthy development and is the pre-eminent leadership development organization for girls. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.