Girl Scout Cookie Season Kicks Off in Sarasota County

Sarasota County, FL—Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida will launch the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie season this week with a program that serves as a powerful entrepreneurship incubator for the next generation of female leaders.

“Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program®, girls not only discover their inner leadership potential but also use their earnings to power amazing experiences for themselves and their troop,” says Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida CEO Mary Anne Servian. Cookie program proceeds help fund a variety of activities, including travel, outdoor adventure, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming. Many girls also put the money toward impactful community projects right in their own backyards, from supporting animal shelters and food banks to working with local and state legislators to change laws.

The cookie program’s benefits are many. A recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that two out of three girls who participate in the program learn five crucial skills—goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics—while doing incredible things for themselves and their communities. The proceeds stay local, meaning that when consumers purchase the delicious cookies that come from a registered Girl Scout, they’re giving back to their wider community.

At a time when girls’ needs and issues collect fewer than eight cents of every dollar granted by philanthropic foundations in the country, each and every Girl Scout Cookie purchase is key to supporting the change-makers of today and tomorrow. “But Girl Scouting does not survive on cookies alone,” Servian added. “Investing in girls is important year-round, not just during cookie season.”

In Sarasota County, Girl Scout Cookie booths will be open from February 15 through March 17. To find Girl Scouts selling cookies near you, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org or use the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app, free on iOS and Android devices.

About Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc.: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida is chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA and serves 6,000 girls in 10 counties including Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, and Collier. For more information about Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida visit www.gsgcf.org.