From Thin Mints® to Learning Woodworking
Ever wondered what happens after you buy a box of Girl Scout Cookies? Each Girl Scout council splits up the proceeds a little differently, but a percentage always goes right back to the troop you purchased your Thin Mints® and Shortbreads from. Then those cookie entrepreneurs decide what they do with their funds.
Troop 06675 from Culver City, California has their process for using cookie sale funds down pat. It gets divided into three categories: donate to local causes, as chosen by the troop members; save for future troop trips around the state and to nearby national parks; and spend as a reward for their hard work.
That last category might be the most fun because Troop 06675 likes to seek out unique activities to enjoy together.
“Our recent all-day workshop at Allied Woodshop in Downtown Los Angeles was funded by cookie earnings,” said troop leader Jennifer Winther. “The Girl Scouts earned their Woodworker badge at a professionally-led youth stool-building workshop that included power tools, manual labor, skilled technical work, and artistry.”
It’s pretty cool to think that by buying a box of Girl Scout Cookies, you may have just unlocked a new passion for a Girl Scout to discover. Each box sold allows for troop members to come together and celebrate their cookie season wins, whether they had big online sales numbers or focused on face-to-face connections with customers. On top of that, by supporting your local Girl Scout troop, you’re also supporting their efforts to give back to their community.
“During the first year of the pandemic, when teachers were still showing up on campus, my troop sold extra boxes and even called in their Girl Scout sisters in other local troops to make sure that every teacher and staff member at the middle school got a Girl Scout Cookie gift for Teacher Appreciation Week,” said Jennifer. “Last year, we donated cases and cases to a local food bank and also to a local hospital to show our gratitude for healthcare workers.”
In addition to learning new skills and making their community a little brighter, Jennifer says she has watched Troop 06675 develop vital skills they will continue to use throughout their lives. “With each year, [they] learn more and more about time management, inventory management, accounting, and entrepreneurship with less and less parent involvement. It's very empowering for them to step into their own strengths.”
Those skills are helping Troop 06675 work toward their next adventure this cookie season: “We’re working on a plan for a week-long visit to national parks in the Southwest or Pacific Northwest,” said Jennifer.
