Cookies on way to doors

Girl Scout cookies are back, and some young entrepreneurs might soon be headed for your front door.

The 2006 cookie ordering period began Saturday with young girls hoping to finance troop trips and service projects going door to door taking orders. Scouts also will begin filling orders and selling at booths outside area stores Feb. 23 through March 21, said Susan Simmons, a spokeswoman with the Girl Scouts' Central Savannah River Council.

Jennifer Crow and Kim Edmonds, co-leaders of Brownie Troop 144 and Junior Troop 161, trained their scouts through role playing and emphasized manners to help the girls reach the council goal of 238 boxes per girl.

"(When selling cookies) use your manners," said Carly Crow, 10, a junior Girl Scout. "When you go to the door you ... introduce yourself, tell them you are selling and (even) if they don't want cookies say thank you. If they do want cookies, tell them what they are and say thank you for buying Girl Scout cookies."

"I like to use the Thin Mint suit," said Kelsey Edmonds, 7, a Brownie. Kelsey and Emily Crow, 7, both said they like to dress as the popular cookie when selling at the booths and like selling because it's fun.

Kelsey said Samoas are her favorite because they are, "Chewy, richy and coconutty."

Samoas also are the favorite Girl Scout cookie of choice in Columbia County and throughout the Augusta area, according to the council, which bucks the national trend of Thin Mints being tops.

"Girl Scout cookies really sell themselves," said Kim Edmonds, who in addition to her role as co-leader is the "cookie mom," in charge of organizing sales and delivery.

"I paint my Suburban with chalk paint with things like, 'Got cookies?'" Jennifer Crow said. "And my husband can't drive it for about six weeks because (people) come running to him with money yelling, 'Do you have any Samoas?' "

The boxes cost $3.50 each, and this year the Girl Scouts are unveiling a cinnamon and gingersnaplike variety called Cafe Cookie.

"The cookie sale isn't about the money or cookies, it's about the girls," Simmons said. "We really believe this is the No. 1 youth entrepreneurial program in the country.''

Proceeds from the cookie sales remain within the council and fund trips to camps and service learning projects, Simmons said. Individually, girls receive patches and can receive credit to purchase uniforms and pay for troop activities if they achieve high sales goal, Simmons said.

Troop 747 from the Lakeside Service Unit is hoping to fund a trip to a Girl Scout World Center chalet in Switzerland, Simmons said.

Girl Scout cookies originated in 1917 when Scouts baked sugar cookies to raise money, according to a Scout news release. Today, the brand is the most popular in the United States, representing 5 percent of cookie sales nationwide, despite the fact they are only sold during the first quarter of the year, according to the council.