The Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf are hosting the Girl Scout Cookie Challenge from January 29 through February 23 to help girl scouts 11 and older gain essential life skills.
The Cookie Challenge looks to help girls learn about goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. Girl Scouts learn these skills through the 5 challenges they must accomplish:
- Post on your social media pages that you are a part of the Girl Scout Cookie Champion Challenge with the hashtag #GSLPGcookiechamp (remember to tag @GSLPG!).
- Build a "Street Team" of family and friends to promote your cookie sale in your community.
- Visit a minimum of 3 local business and gain permission to post a flyer promoting the Girl Scout cookie sale.
- Pitch a Girl Scout cookie story to a local newspaper or magazine.
- Create a Shark Tank-style pitch video explaining why YOU should be named the 2018 Girl Scout Cookie Champion.
Mahati Sreedhara, a first-year Cadette of Girl Scout Troop #83 is working hard to fulfill these challenges. She began by having her family, friends, and school post on their social media accounts. Sreedhara then built a "Street Team" consisting of her family and River Oaks School. For step 3, she contacted Tiger Rock Martial Arts, the Tiger Market, and River Oaks about having fliers and sales posted at the various locations. Sreedhara contacted KEDM Public Radio to pitch her story on air and raise awareness about the Cookie Challenge. She is working on creating her pitch video similar to the one she and her sister produced earlier in the year to promote cookie pre-sales.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px92lhzo5hQ&feature=youtu.be
"All the money from the cookie sales stays in the community," says Sreedhara. "It helps the troops buy supplies, do activities, and go on trips." Sreedhara is competing in the Cookie Challenge to help raise money for an upcoming troop trip to Savannah, Georgia, where the Girl Scouts organization was originally founded. The money also helps the troops do community projects, such as the Black Bayou book nook, which Sreedhara received the Bronze Award for building and donating to the refuge with her troop.
The grand prize for the Girl Scout Cookie Challenge is the addition of 10 cases of cookies to a business owner and $100 donation to the winner's troop. Sreedhara says if she wins, this money will go towards the troop trip.
Cookie Booth Sales are from February 23 to March 11. For more information on the Girl Scout Cookie Challenge, visit the Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf website.