MEADVILLE — There is a lot of preparation that goes into the annual Girl Scout Cookie Rally hosted by Crawford Central School District’s service unit.

And Senior scout Brittany McCartney is one of the many volunteers who work endlessly to see that it’s an enjoyable and educational night for everyone involved.

But even just minutes before scouts from the unit’s 13 troops were set to arrive at Neason Hill Elementary on Thursday night, McCartney found herself a bit preoccupied.

After all, lofty goals oftentimes require strategic planning. And with the Meadville freshman not set to return home from school on Friday until much later than the fellow scouts in her neighborhood, she needed to devise a plan, a very good plan.

Friday marked the opening day of the Girl Scouts Cookie Program, which is one of the most recognizable fundraisers in the country. It is also that one day a year that McCartney and three other scouts embark on a friendly competition to see who can sell the most boxes of cookies in their neighborhood of roughly 30 houses.

“We race when we get home to see who gets them first,” McCartney said. “But they will all be home first. So I need to think of something. ... It’s fun. It’s a mini competition.”

That competition could go a long way in helping the 15-year-old McCartney reach her goal of selling more than 500 boxes of cookies before booth sales begin on Feb. 24. McCartney said with Girl Scouts celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, she wants to do something extraordinary.

“I decided I’m going to go all out this year,” McCartney said. “I’m going to make it the best cookie selling year I’ve ever had.”

According to Cory Begg, public relations and advertising manager for Girls Scouts Western Pennsylvania, the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led business in the country. She said it generates more than $750 million for girls and communities nationwide.

Last year, 3,118,248 boxes of cookies were sold in western Pennsylvania. Of those sales, 46,000 were sold in Crawford County.

The program serves as a literacy program for girls and teaches them to set goals, make decisions, learn people skills, money management, business ethics and much more.

“It’s a good thing for the girls,” said Sara McCartney, service unit manager for the Crawford Central attendance area. “It gets them out in the public. It gives them confidence.”



Really big year

This year’s program is kicking off a big year for Girl Scouts, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. To help celebrate, Girl Scouts is introducing a new cookie, Savannah Smiles — bite-sized lemon wedges dusted in powered sugar that when held the right way look like the famous Brownie Smile.

“We’re so excited to have Savannah Smiles to introduce this year,” Begg said. “They are assisting us in kicking off our 100-year anniversary. It gives customers a chance to help us celebrate.”

Begg said this year will be filled with celebrations. Several service units have small celebrations planned. A grand celebration weekend is planned in August when thousands of Girl Scouts are expected to converge on Pittsburgh for a parade and several other events.

“We want everyone to know that Girl Scouts are here and relevant and we’re celebrating,” Begg said.

When a Girl Scout moves up in rank from Daisies to Brownies to Juniors and so on, it is called bridge. So another event the Girl Scouts are hoping to do this year is to conduct bridging over real bridges.

“We’re working with PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) on how we can shut down a few bridges so we can do the bridging over actual bridges,” Begg said.

Also, Girl Scouts Forever Green is the 100th anniversary Take Action Project. It’s a national effort of girls leading their families, schools and communities in improving the environment and protecting natural resources.

Brittany McCartney, a member of Troop 30026 and leader for the Junior Troop 30628, said she’s excited to be part of the celebration for a service group that has involved several members of her family over the years. Her mother, Sara, and grandmothers, Linda Jennings and Kay McCartney, were all Girl Scouts. Her cousin Jaime Larson, 6, just joined last year, and she said her sister, Sierra McCartney, 5, will hopefully be joining next year.



Try the cookie app

Begg said one thing that has been interesting to see is how far scouting has moved forward over 100 years. And the cookies are a prime example.

“We now have an app for smartphones,” Begg said.

The Girl Scout Cookie Locator application helps you find cookies on sale in your neighborhood and uses the phone’s GPS location to find cookies nearby.

“And Samoas on Facebook have 100 likes,” Begg said.

“We’re honoring 100 years of history while moving forward,” she added.

Cookies are $4 this year — an increase of 50 cents from a year ago. Eight varieties are available, including the Savannah Smiles, the traditional Thin Mints, Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, Samoas and Tagalongs. Also back are Dulce de Leche and Lemon Chalet Creams.

With the increase in price, troops will now receive an additional 10 cents per box for a minimum total of 70 cents per box.

“All of the proceeds from the cookie program stay in western Pennsylvania to serve thousands of girls and adult volunteers, helping make Girl Scouts one of the most affordable yet personally enriching activities a girl can choose,” Begg said.



Lisa Byers can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at lbyers@meadvilletribune.com.



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The Girl Scout Cookie Program began Friday, with delivery planned for mid-February. Booth sales will begin Feb. 24. Cookies are $4 per box. Eight varieties are available, including the traditional Thin Mints, Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, Samoas and Tagalongs. Also back are Dulce de Leche and Lemon Chalet Creams, and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting, Savannah Smiles — bite-sized lemon wedges dusted in powdered sugar — have been added to the 2012 lineup.

-More information: Visit gswpa.org.