‘One Smart Cookie’ gives Girl Scouts a taste of entrepreneurial success.

Submitted

It’s the sweetest time of the year as the 2022 Girl Scout Cookie season kicks off in Connecticut!

The girl-led entrepreneurship program that develops the next generation of female business leaders launched on Jan. 8. Be the first to enjoy Adventurefuls, this year’s new decadent brownie-inspired cookie with caramel-flavored crème and a hint of sea salt. Adventurefuls joins iconic favorites such as Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Trefoils, Lemon-Ups, Girl Scout S’mores, and gluten-free Toffee-tastic.

Also debuting this year are new Cookie Business badges that girls can earn by gaining important online and offline business skills that set them up for success in life. The five fundamentals of the cookie program are goal setting, decision making, business ethics, people skills and money management. Girls learn to work as a team to accomplish goals while building confidence in their individual abilities.

“It’s not surprising that 80% of female entrepreneurs were once Girl Scouts.” said Diana Mahoney, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Connecticut (GSOFCT). “Having the opportunity to run their very own cookie business gives them essential tools to achieve their dreams today and in the future.”

Mahoney notes that some troops sell cookies to raise funds for amazing troop activities and trips or enjoy an outdoor adventure at state Girl Scout camps – An-Se-Ox in Oxford, Aspetuck in Weston, Clatter Valley in New Milford, Laurel in Lebanon and Merrie-Wood in Manchester.

Other girls want to earn badges and rewards or launch community service projects. Most importantly, every Girl Scout is looking to have fun! Plus, ALL proceeds from the cookie program stay in Connecticut to fund GSOFCT programming, leadership development opportunities, and trainings for girls and adults throughout the state.

Don’t want to indulge in cookies but still want to support Girl Scouts? Many troops and booths offer customers the opportunity to support Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s Gift of Caring program, Cookies for Heroes. Cookies are a wonderful way to say “thank you” to our service women and men who serve overseas and at home.

This season, Girl Scouts are again selling cookies in creative, socially distant, and contact-free ways to keep themselves and their customers safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

To purchase Girl Scout Cookies this season:

• If you know a registered Girl Scout, reach out to her to find out how she’s selling cookies in ways that meet local, state, and CDC safety protocols, including via the Digital Cookie online platform.
• If you don’t know a Girl Scout, visit gsofct.org or contact Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s Customer Care Team to find cookies in your area at (800) 922-2770.

Through Girls Scouts, girls of all ages can explore what interests them, discover their passions, and take action on issues they care about. Whether they’re using their STEM skills to solve a problem, changing a law to help their community, having a courageous outdoor experience, or starting an innovative nonprofit. Girl Scouts are true changemakers who build a better future for themselves and the world.

“When you buy the delicious cookies you crave directly from a Girl Scout, you’ll enjoy them more knowing you’re helping her gain the business smarts and confidence to take on the world, one cookie at a time,” concludes Mahoney.

Visit gsofct.org to discover Girl Scout Cookie sales in your community.

We Are Girl Scouts of Connecticut

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit gsofct.org.

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