Girl Scouts in 4S Ranch, Rancho Bernardo and Poway will start ringing doorbells on Sunday as their annual cookie sale kicks off.
Girl Scouts San Diego’s cookie sale, which begins with door-to-door sales, will expand to booth sales on Feb. 6 and conclude on March 8.
The eight members of Cadette Troop 2714 in 4S Ranch are among those who are finalizing their strategy to raise a lot of money for their long-term goal — a trip to Chicago next year.
Cadettes Clare Boesch, Juliana Brown, Naomi Gallegos, Indira Jayanti, Leela Ranganathan, Athira Ravikumar, Asha Sheth and Quinn Swalnick are in seventh or eighth grade, with most attending Oak Valley Middle School. Their leaders are Kerry Boesch and Neela Sheth.
The members of Cadette Girl Scout Troop 2714 in 4S Ranch are putting their cookie sale proceeds towards a trip to Chicago next year. They are front row: Athira Ravikumar and Clare Boesch. Second row: Asha Sheth and Quinn Swalnick. Third row: Indira Jayanti and Naomi Gallegos. Back row: Leela Ranganathan and Juliana Brown. (Kerry Boesch)
“I have never been there and (Chicago) has been on my bucket list since I was a kid, so I am excited to go on a trip with my favorite people,” said Quinn Swalnick, 12.
Quinn said she hopes to sell 350 to 400 packages of cookies to help her troop earn the trip money. One method will be through her Digital Cookie website so family and friends who live far away can support her efforts. Cookies can be ordered online and shipped to them.
Cadette Clare Boesch, 13, said one reason the troop selected Chicago is that many members plan to go on Oak Valley’s eighth grade trip to the East Coast, which will include New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. — other destinations they considered.
Troop leader Kerry Boesch, Clare’s mother, said the girls are in the process of figuring out how much money they need to raise this year and next through cookie sales and other fundraisers for the Chicago trip.
They accomplished big goals before. Last spring they paid for a weekend at Disneyland through fundraising, Boesch said.
The troop got an early start to their cookie sale efforts when they hosted a San Diego Blood Bank blood drive outside the Ralphs in 4S Commons Town Center on Jan. 3. The blood bank has promised to buy cookies from local troops that organize blood drives this winter.
Cadette Girl Scouts Leela Ranganathan, Asha Sheth and Clare Boesch at the Jan. 2 San Diego Blood Bank blood drive their troop held outside Ralphs in 4S Ranch. SDBB will buy cookies from the troop because at least 25 units of blood were collected at the event. (Kerry Boesch)
San Diego Blood Bank will be giving Thin Mints to anyone who donates blood in February, said Robyn Murray, the council’s public relations and communications manager.
“They had to collect at least 25 units of blood (to qualify),” Boesch said. “We had 34 people show up, but some had to be turned away because they were not eligible. So we had 26 who donated.”
“I enjoyed the blood drive,” Quinn said. “My dad never gave blood before because of his fear of needles, but he gave blood because we convinced him.”
Troops keep 21% of cookie sale proceeds, while 50% is invested in the local program to provide financial assistance, member support and programs. The remaining 29% covers cookie program materials, Digital Cookie fees (the online sales component) and baker costs, according to council officials.
But the cookie sale is about more than fundraising. It is also about teaching the girls skills.
“We are so proud of these innovative entrepreneurs and look forward to seeing how they support each other, grow in leadership skills, explore future career fields, and make the world a better place,” said Sandra Appling, director of Product Programs and Customer Experience for Girl Scouts San Diego.
The five essential life and business skills girls learn through selling cookies are goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics, council officials said. They also grow in confidence and leadership.
Boesch described her daughter as “super shy,” but said she has seen Clare overcome her shyness over the years when selling cookies. Clare has sold over 1,000 packages annually the last couple years.
“She is comfortable asking customers when out in front of a store and when going door-to-door with a friend or I go with her,” Boesch said. “She knows her sales pitch and is very confident answering questions.
“They have all grown a ton,” said Boesch who has led the troop for six years. Most of the girls joined as Daisies in kindergarten or first grade at Stone Ranch Elementary. “(Clare) loves selling cookies … this is her thing.”
Cadette Juliana Brown, 12, said she has learned not only team work, but how to modify her sales approach when talking with strangers and has become more confident over the years. Her goal is to sell 100 packages.
Clare said she has learned to count money and market items. Her father assists her in making door hangers with a QR code that directs people to her Digital Cookie website. When visiting homes, if someone does not answer, she leaves the door hanger and that has led to many sales, she said.
Those who sell at least 1,000 packages can earn a free week at Girl Scout camp. Clare said she has achieved that twice and wants to go again because “I like hanging with my friends and the fun activities like archery, different crafts and the high ropes course.”
A new cookie is offered this year, the Exploremores. It is a rocky road ice cream-inspired sandwich cookie with the flavors of chocolate, marshmallow and toasted almond crème that the girls in Troop 2714 said they have tried and liked.
“It was pretty good,” Juliana said. “I have never tried rocky road ice cream, but this was a good (favorite cookie) contender.”
Returning are Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Trefoils, Lemonades, Adventurefuls and the certified gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip.
All varieties are $6 per package except for the gluten-free cookie which is $7.
Those looking for Samoas, Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos need not fret. Last year, Girl Scouts San Diego switched from Little Brownie Bakers — who offered cookies by those names — to ABC Bakers. This means these three varieties go by different names. Samoas are Caramel deLites, Tagalongs are Peanut Butter Patties and Do-Si-Dos are Peanut Butter Sandwich.
The Operation Thin Mint program, where customers can purchase boxes of cookies for deployed service members is also returning. The San Diego council will celebrate the success of that program and send off the cookies for overseas delivery aboard the USS Midway on May 16.