Girl Scouts kick off cookie sales with party

More than 300 girls enjoyed a party Thursday at the Cape Girardeau Elks Lodge to kick off Friday's start of Girl Scout cookie sales. The Scouts tested the cookies, played games, cheered to promote spirit and made scrapbook pages to celebrate this year's theme, "Make Forever Memories."

The Girl Scout Cookie Program aims to fortify character building, teamwork, leadership skills and business ethics. The sale is held Jan. 14 to 31, followed by delivery in late February and early March.

Girl Scouts and cookies share a history that goes back more than 80 years. In the 1920s, Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low began helping the first Girl Scouts raise money to achieve special goals for their troops through the sales. Since then, the cookie sale has grown into a highly successful program.

The first documented council-wide cookie sale of commercially baked Girl Scout Cookies was in Philadelphia in 1934; the first nationally franchised cookie sale was in 1936.

The Girl Scout Cookie Sale and other council product sales fund group programs and support more than half of the council's annual budget. All profits remain in the council and a local volunteer board of directors makes decisions on how they are allocated. A portion of the money raised is distributed directly to groups, where the Scouts decide how it is spent.

On the council level, the cookie profit is used to continue providing services such as operating three camps that are open to troops free of charge, financial assistance for girls, providing books and training for adult volunteers, and the necessary staff support.

The girls receive recognition for their individual sales.

For information about this year's Girl Scout Cookie Sale, contact Girl Scouts of Otahki Council, 1432 Kurre Lane, Cape Girardeau or call 334-7741; for more information, e-mail otahki @girlscoutsotahki.org.

cutline for submitted photo slugged Girls at scrapbooking jpg

Cape Girardeau Brownies enjoyed a scrapbooking party held at the Elks Lodge, Cape Girardeau Thursday to kickoff Girl Scout cookie sales which began Jan. 14 and will end Jan. 31. Pictured from left are Maris Parker, Emily Fogus, Christen Siebert, and Maddie Baumgart, all of Cape Girardeau Brownie Troop 86. The theme of this year's cookie sale, "Make Forever Memories," was celebrated with each girl making a scrapbook page.