FORT WRIGHT, Ky. — Girls Scouts of the USA and Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road celebrate female entrepreneurship this weekend as they launched National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend.
It’s a sunny Sunday and Olivia Trenkamp is among some of the girls representing Troop 2328 selling cookies. The group stationed themselves outside of Walmart so that people could buy cookies. She’s noticed a couple boxes tend to be favored more than others.
“Thin mints and caramel delites,” she said are crowd favorites today.
Trenkamp’s mother says this 11-year-old have been a Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten. Trenkamp says it’s in the family.
“I’ve been a Girl Scout for a while and my mom was a troop leader for my sister. I’ve always wanted to sell cookies,” she explained.
The Girl Scouts of Kentucky’s Wilderness Road reports the National Cookie Weekend is March 3 - 5. GSKWR CEO Susan Douglas stated in a press release that, “Kentucky Girl Scouts gain supplemental learning opportunities—money management, goal-setting, decision making, people skills and business ethics—through cookie sales, which contribute to preparedness in their future endeavors.”
Trenkamp says she’s learned a lot just through the art of selling cookies. “We learn how to just get how much they are and what people want,” she explained.
It’s something her mother, Jenny, says allows them to learn real life skills. That’s why she allowed her girls to follow in her footsteps—so they can show the world what they can do. Trenkamp says sales are up this year, too.
“It’s been different. COVID kind of threw us through a wrench, a few of these years. This year’s been really good, we’ve been sleeing a lot of cookies. Weather’s been a little warmer, a little drier than last year so we’ve done very well,” she explained.
GSWKR says all proceeds from cookie sales stay local, with 19% funding camp programs, 19% toward troop proceeds and rewards, and 33% going to membership, volunteer development and program support.
It allows girls like Olivia to go on adventures and walk away with favorite memories. They’re also walking away with skill sets that could last a lifetime. GSKWR says the last day for booth sales is Sunday, March 26 and Girl Scout cookie season officially comes to an end on Monday, March 27.