It’s that time of the year again, when America’s leading entrepreneurial, educational program for girls – the Girl Scout cookie sale – gets off to a delicious start.    Local Girl Scouts are kicking off the annual sale today with a giant celebration at Camp Meridale in Meridian, from 10 a.m._noon.  

     During the two-hour event, young cookie entrepreneurs from Girl Scout troops in Lauderdale, Clarke, Newton, Neshoba and Scott counties will engage in activities designed to help them polish their sales pitch, teach them some creative marketing techniques, and ensure that they know the safety rules of the cookie sale.

    Girl Scouts throughout the area will be knocking on doors and taking orders throughout the month. The eight cookie varieties this year include the traditional favorites of Samoas, Trefoils, Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos and Tagalongs, as well as the newer Dulce de Leche, Lemon Chalet Cremes and Thank U Berry Munch. This year’s Girl Scout Cookie varieties will again contain 0 grams of trans fat per serving. The Dulce de Leche, Lemon Chalet Crème, Trefoil and Thank U Berry Munch varieties contain no hydrogenated oil, and new this year, four of the cookies – Trefoils, Samoas, Thin Mints and Thank U Berry Munch – are nut-free. The price of the cookies remains at $3.25 per box.

    Deliveries will begin the second week of February, and Girls Scout troops will host Girl Scout Cookie booths at local merchants from Feb. 19-mid-March.

    According to Linda Lauderdale, Membership and Community Development manager

for the Meridian Service Center, Girl Scouts participating in the annual cookie program are part of the largest girl-led business in the country, generating more than $700 million for girls and communities nationwide, making it the premier business and economic literacy training program for girls in the United States. All cookie proceeds stay in the local communities, helping to support program activities, maintain camp facilities, provide training opportunities for local volunteers and fund camp scholarships for girls. Plus, a portion of the sale of every box of cookies goes directly to the local troops.

    The cookie sale is more than a yearly money-earner for troops. It is a unique and valuable way for girls to learn business skills, people skills, teamwork, money smarts, business ethics and financial goal setting. Many of today’s most successful women have credited their early business skills to the Girl Scout Cookie program.

     “Since its inception more than 90 years ago, the Girl Scout Cookie Program has empowered generations of girls by teaching them skills for life and business and by growing their self-confidence and independence,” said Lauderdale. “The Girl Scout Cookie Program may only last a few months of the year, but through it the girls learn skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.”

     The girls set individual sales goals and earn recognition items such as Girl Scout Cookie Credit, which they can use to help pay for Girl Scout summer camp, program events, uniforms and more. Each Girl Scout troop also sets goals and earns proceeds, which they use to fund learning activities, field trips and service projects.

    In addition to securing funds for their troops and the local council, the Girl Scout Cookie Program also encourages girls to give back to their communities. Many Girl Scout troops participate in the Gift of Caring program. Through this program, strong-willed dieters and others who may want to support the Girl Scouts but may not want to take their cookies home can purchase cookies which will be donated to local military, emergency services and charitable organizations adopted by Girl Scout troops.

     In addition, troops are encouraged to designate some of their cookie proceeds to fund a community service project to be planned and carried out by the girls.