East Windsor Brownie Sold Over 1,000 Boxes of Cookies

Girl Scout Cookie season is here! The 2013 theme from the Girl Scout Cookie Program reminds girls they have the power to do anything with the lifetime of skills and confidence they gain through Girl Scouting.

From train stations to grocery stores, Girl Scouts will be setting up cookie booths for their annual Cookie Program, the largest girl led business in the nation. Girls will be selling cookies in central and southern New Jersey from Jan. 17 through late Feb. for $4 a box.

The program teaches girls 5 essential business skills including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics. The purchase of a box of Thin Mints, Shortbreads, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades, Thanks-A-Lots, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and the new Mango Crèmes with Nutrafusion will help girls reach their goals including travel opportunities, camping and more.

Girl Scout Brownie Jordan Batista of East Windsor sold over 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies last year. This year Jordan has continued to set her sights high. Her goal is to sell 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies or more - not an easy feat considering Jordan is 10-years-old. 

Girl Scouts like Jordan learn important skills like goal setting, through the cookie program. Jordan plans to use her cookie proceeds to fund activities with her troop as well as pay for troop trips, uniform pieces and as a way to fund the troops community service activities.

In Girl Scouts, girls decided how to spend troop funds with some guidance from adult advisors. Through the cookie program girls are able to make decisions about how they use the money they earn. They learn to budget, manage inventory and market a product.

Jordan attributes the secret to her success in selling cookies to walking through her neighborhood, pulling a wagon full of cookies and asking neighbors and friends if they would like to buy Girl Scout cookies.

“I made sure I was at a lot of booths throughout the cookie season and I asked everyone who passed by if they were interested in buying cookies,” said Jordan. “I promoted cookie recipes that could be made with the Girl Scout cookies.”

For the first time since 1999, all boxes of Girl Scout Cookies have a new look and a new purpose: to elevate the significance of the Girl Scout Cookie Program. The iconic Girl Scout Cookie package showcases the five financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills and encourages alumnae to share their success stories.

In addition to the new packaging, customers will be able to enjoy the new Mango Crèmes, a tangy, refreshing tropical treat packed with great taste AND vitamins! Crunchy vanilla and coconut cookies feature a mango-flavored crème filling with all the nutrient benefits of eating cranberries, pomegranates, oranges, grapes, and strawberries.

Another important part of the cookie program is that Girl Scouts gain confidence from learning to interact with customers.

“My favorite part of the cookie program was being out in the community selling cookies and telling customers all about the different types of cookies we have available,” Jordan said.

“From our Cookie College program where girls set their goals and make their plans to cookie booths where they gain confidence, our Cookie Program is a great opportunity for girls to learn basic life skills as well as what it truly means to run a business,” CEO Mary E. Connell said. “From our youngest Daisies to our experienced Ambassadors, our girls challenge themselves in news ways and develop skills that will help them for the rest of their lives.”

Girls Scouts will also be sponsoring the Taste of Home Program a service project for sending Girl Scout Cookies to US soldiers serving overseas and Share in the Community Program, where a girl identifies an organization like a senior center, VA hospital or food bank that she would like to be the recipient of donated Girl Scout Cookies.

To find cookies near you, please visit our cookie booth locator at www.girlscoutcookies.org or download the free mobile app available for Android and Apple devices.