Sunday, March 8, 2009

Cookies Inspire the Perfect Ingredients: Courage, Confidence and Character


As the fragrance of Spring arrives, so do the legions of energetic Girl Scouts with boxes of Samoas, Shortbreads and Thin Mints in tow to sell for their annual cookie program. It was a welcome surprise to be greeted by the jingle of some very happy (and may I also note, ambitious) young girls at the Crystal City Metro over the weekend, reminding me of my own Girl Scouts memories. 

Although it’s been over 15 years, I can still distinctively remember the fond times that I had with my Girl Scout’s Troup Leader, Mrs. Burton, and a cluster of giggling “brownies”. Whether learning about global cultures at the Toledo International Institute, attending Camp Libbey, or simply baking new foods in the church kitchen where we gathered in friendship to learn, serve and collect our sew-on badges for our vests, my experience as a Girl Scout was a formidable part of my youth. 

I am encouraged by the continuing strength of the Girl Scouts program nationwide, and strongly believe that the skills that participants acquire in relationship building, peer mediation, and social consciousness are invaluable in fostering civic engagement and leadership. In fact, a post-election survey by the Girl Scout Research Institute shows that over 71% of 13-17 year-old girls surveyed said that they intend to register to vote when they are eligible. What is even more impressive is the fact that 55% of Girl Scouts think they have a chance at becoming President. You can review full survey details at http://www.girlscouts.org/news/news_releases/2009/elections_impact.asp.

The next time you see a Girl Scout standing at your local shopping center or METRO Stop, I hope you will buy a box or two of cookies and congratulate these young entrepreneurs for continuing to be confident with who they are.

Quick Facts from the Girl Scouts of the USA web page:
• The Mission of Girl Scouts is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. 
•The first Girl Scout Troop was founded on March 12, 1912 in Savannah, Georgia by Juliette Gordon Low. 
•Girl Scouts of the USA was chartered by the U.S. Congress on March 16, 1950. 
•Today, there are 3.7 million Girl Scouts—2.7 million girl members and 928,000 adult members working as volunteers. 
• An estimated 50 million women enjoyed Girl Scouts as girls.

To learn more about the Girl Scouts Cookie Program, and to find out where you can purchase cookies, click here: http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/.

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