girl scouts of the colonial coast |
| This year, Caitlyn's initial cookie order was 960 boxes! |
As each cookie season passes, Caitlyn learns from her business experiences to improve her selling strategies. Over the years, she has learned how important it is to reach customers first. She never wants to hear from people that they have already ordered their cookies for the year. Caitlyn also likes to remind customers that Girl Scout Cookies last for months in the freezer.
“There’s nothing like a cool Thin Mint in the middle of July,” Caitlyn said.
For Caitlyn and her fellow members of Troop 1377, selling cookies is so important because it is how the girls fund their community service projects and activities for the year. Using last year’s earnings, the girls improved the outdoor courtyard for the residents at Envoy Assisted Living Facility. Caitlyn’s part of the project included building a raised garden bed and outdoor garden boxes so that residents at Envoy could enjoy an outdoor space. Thanks to her hard work, the residents were able to harvest a crop of fruits and vegetables over the summer. For her work with this project, Caitlyn earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, which is the second highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouting.
Troop 1377 is also sure to send a taste of home to military troops overseas through the cookie program. Each year, they sell extra boxes of cookies to donate to the troops.
“There are active military parents in our troop, and we fly cookies directly to them abroad to enjoy and share,” Caitlyn said.
Caitlyn’s drive to help others expands beyond her role as a Girl Scout. She and her mother have taken shifts to ring bells for the Salvation Army at Christmastime since Caitlyn was four years old. When she was in fifth grade, Caitlyn took the lead and started organizing her classmates to take shifts ringing the bell as well.
“For four years, I have been able to schedule classmates to cover eight shifts over two days with two students per shift,” Caitlyn said. “This year I had to fill a Christmas Eve shift. It was tough, but I was able to find volunteers.”
This winter, in addition to taking cookie orders all over Williamsburg, Caitlyn and her troop members will soon be meeting to decide how to spend their cookie earnings this year. The girls will work together to budget their projected funds and choose how they can make the biggest impact in the Williamsburg community. Powered by the Girl Scout Cookie Program, Troop 1377 is making the world a better place.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nation’s leaning financial literacy and entrepreneurial program for girls. Girl Scout Cookies not only help girls earn money for fun, educational activities and community projects, but also play a huge role in teaching girls how to be go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders as they learn essential life and business skills.
Girl Scout Cookie booths will run through March 26. Customers can find a booth near them by entering their zip code into the Cookie Finder at www.girlscoutcookies.org.
