Gift of Caring

Girl Scout Senior Anne and Girl Scout Cadette Amanda

from Troop 558 display a poster about We Care Marines,

the organization they support through Gift of Caring.

There’s a lot more to Girl Scout Cookies than what’s in the box, and this rings especially true for the girls who are members of Girl Scout Troop 558 in Virginia Beach. Since 2011, In addition to selling cookies to customers throughout the city, the girls have sold nearly 700 extra boxes of Girl Scout Cookies through Gift of Caring, a community service project through which Girl Scouts sell extra cookies and donate them to a local charity.

The members of Girl Scout Troop 558 donate their Gift of Caring cookies to We Care Marines, a memorial fund set up by Wendy Childers of Chesapeake in memory of her son Cody, a Marine who was killed in Afghanistan in August 2010. Through the memorial fund, care packages are sent in Cody’s name to deployed Marines to help keep Cody’s memory alive, as well as thank those who are currently serving overseas. We Care Marines has sent more than 3,100 care packages to Marines filled with Cody’s favorite things, including ear buds, movies and lots of snacks.

Girl Scout Troop 558 decided to support We Care Marines through the Gift of Caring program after reading a story about the organization in the newspaper in February 2011. That year, they donated 206 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to the cause. At their cookie booths, Troop 558 proudly displays a poster about We Care Marines and Lance Corporal Cody Childers to share his story and encourage their cookie customers to buy an extra box of Girl Scout Cookies to bring a smile to the face of a member of the military serving our country.

This year, local Girl Scouts sold over 17,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies that were donated to organizations throughout the area as part of the Gift of Caring program. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nation’s largest girl-led business and the leading financial literacy and entrepreneurial program for girls. Through the cookie program, girls learn skills that will last them a lifetime, including goal setting, decision making, people skills, business ethics and money management.