The new year means many things to many different people, but for those with a sweet tooth, it means that it is the start of cookie season for the Girl Scouts.
The local Gateway Council, which covers troops within the Northeast Florida region, unboxed this season’s cookie selections on Jan. 2 and has officially begun selling.
According to the council, the primary goal of the cookie program is to teach girls important life skills and prepare the future generation of entrepreneurs.
Such skills taught during the experience include money management, team building, public speaking and decision making.
This year’s cookie choices will include the full assortment of selections that Girl Scout cookie fans have gotten accustomed to over the years, including Trefoils, Lemon-Ups, Adventurefuls, Girl Scout S’mores, Toffee-tastic, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos, Samoas and the ever-popular Thin Mints, with many of the flavors being Girl Scouts staples for some time now.
Although the Girl Scouts cookie program is a nationwide event, all proceeds from the cookie sales will stay with local councils and troops to help provide Girl Scouts with amazing experiences and opportunities year-round.
Each year the cookie season undertakes a theme, and this year it is “unbox the future,” which aims to remove social barriers that often keep girls boxed in, making it difficult to discover their full potential.
When bold, goal-getting Girl Scouts sell a package of cookies, they’re doing much more than what’s seen at face value. They’re creating a more equitable future for themselves and the world. Every box of cookies sold provides invaluable experiences for Girl Scouts such as service projects, troop travel, and summer camp.
For more than 100 years, the cookie program has gone on thanks to the continued support of the local communities, and nearly 700,000 girls will participate in the Girl Scouts’ Cookie Program nationwide.
As part of the program, Girl Scouts can earn a variety of badges and awards to develop valuable business skills including cookie business badges, financial literacy badges, cookie entrepreneur family pins and entrepreneur badges.
Below are ways to go about purchasing Girl Scout cookies this year: