Girl Scouts kick off annual cookie sale

[February 04, 2010]  The wait is over! Girl Scouts of Central Illinois kicks off its annual Girl Scout Cookie Activity on Jan. 15. Girl Scouts throughout the region will take orders from family, friends and neighbors through Jan. 31, with deliveries beginning March 2.

Every year, thousands of girls gain valuable knowledge while providing the community with a special treat. The Girl Scout Cookie Activity is an integral part of Girl Scouting's Business and Economic Literacy initiative for all girls ages 5 to 17. The activity provides finance, marketing and public speaking skills, along with valuable experiences that build a girl's self-confidence to help her develop her own personal leadership style. Girls develop essential skills such as goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics.

Operation Cookie Share -- new this year!

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois is pleased to introduce a new component to the Girl Scout Cookie Activity. Operation Cookie Share allows customers to not only support their local Girl Scouts, but also show their support for our military. When customers are asked if they would like to purchase cookies, they will also have the option to purchase additional boxes for military troops. Operation Cookie Share will run from pre-sales ordering throughout Cookie Booth season. Operation Cookie Share is in partnership with the Adopt-a-Soldier program sponsored by State Farm's military affinity group, an employee resource group that supports the military and their families.

The Girl Scout Cookie Activity has become a famous annual event that helps girls develop important leadership skills they will use throughout their lives. Whether a girl dreams of becoming a doctor, teacher, businesswoman or superstar athlete, the Girl Scout Cookie Activity gives her the self-esteem to reach for the stars.

"Many successful businesswomen today say they got their start selling Girl Scout cookies," said Pam Kovacevich, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Illinois. "Girls practice useful life skills like planning, decision-making and customer service. It's always exciting to see girls developing skills they might not realize they are developing while it's happening."

Proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Activity remain local. This revenue is used to directly benefit girls by supporting troop activities and allowing the council to provide year-round programming on topics of community service, outdoor education, financial literacy, science and the arts. Proceeds also provide support for training adult volunteers and financial assistance to make Girl Scouting available to all girls.

For more information about Girl Scouts of Central Illinois or the Girl Scout Cookie Activity, go to www.girslcouts-gsci.org.

[Text from file received from Girl Scouts of Central Illinois]