Girl Scouts begin 2019 cookie campaign

VW independent/submitted information

LIMA — Girl Scouts of Western Ohio have launched the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie season, celebrating the largest financial investment in girls annually in the United States and a powerful entrepreneurship incubator for the next generation of female leaders. 

At a time when girls’ needs and issues collect fewer than 8 cents of every dollar granted by philanthropic foundations in the country, each and every Girl Scout Cookie purchase is key to supporting the change-makers of today and tomorrow. 

Research shows that female-founded start-ups generate more revenue over time, and per dollar, than male-founded start-ups, but only 17 percent of start-ups are female-founded. Given that over half (53 percent) of female entrepreneurs and business owners are Girl Scout alums, supporting Girl Scouts as they make sales and learn essential business skills is imperative to ensuring our country has a strong workforce and economy.

Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program^®, girls not only discover their inner leadership potential but also use their earnings to power amazing experiences for themselves and their troop, including travel, outdoor adventure, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming. Many girls put the money toward impactful community projects right in their own backyards — from supporting animal shelters and food banks to working with local and state legislators to change laws.

The cookie program’s benefits are many: a recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that two out of three girls who participate in the program learn five crucial skills — goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics — while doing incredible things for themselves and their communities. The proceeds stay local, meaning that when consumers purchase the delicious cookies that come from a registered Girl Scout, they’re giving back to their wider community.

Girl Scouts are doing amazing things made possible by each and every cookie sale.

“Through the cookie sale, Girl Scouts showcase their entrepreneurial spirit as key members of the world’s largest girl-led business, gaining essential life skills and working as a team to accomplish common goals and solve problems, while building the confidence they need to shine as girls, as young women, and as future leaders,” said Roni Luckenbill, chief executive officer for Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. “And in today’s digital world, girls use the online and mobile Digital Cookie platform to propel both their sales and their skills to the next level — all while giving cookie customers more ways to support them and their goals.”

And Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is celebrating a tasty way to support young female entrepreneurs with the return of the gluten-free Toffee-tastic^® cookie to the council’s cookie lineup, joining classics like Thin Mints^®, Samoas^®, and Trefoils^® varieties. Toffee-tastic, offered in select Girl Scout council markets only, features a rich, buttery cookie with sweet, crunchy, golden toffee bits. Like other similar consumer products, it may be priced higher than other Girl Scout Cookies, reflecting the cost of production.

Additionally, Girl Scouts who participate in the cookie program this season will have the opportunity to win the Cookie Entrepreneur Experience of a lifetime featuring the DC Super Hero Girls^™ by entering the Cookie Pro^™ contest.

GSUSA has teamed up with DC Super Hero Girls to inspire Girl Scouts to be smart and courageous as everyday super heroes. The contest will highlight and reward exceptional cookie bosses who take the lead, set high goals for themselves, bring positive change to their communities, and learn valuable entrepreneurial skills. To learn more about the contest and to enter, visit www.girlscouts.org/cookiepro.

To find local Girl Scouts selling cookies, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org or use the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app, free on iOS and Android devices.