Between earning awards and serving their communities, area Girl Scouts had a busy 2014. This year will be just as busy as the girls set their goals for the annual cookie sale — which is available online for the first time ever — and continue pursuing service projects within their communities.

Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways, which serves the 23,000 girls and adults that make up the Girl Scout community of Upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, saw a higher-than-usual number of Scouts earning awards last year:

✓ more than 500 girls earned the Bronze Award for Juniors (fourth- and fifth-graders)

✓ 270 girls received the Silver award for Cadettes (sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders)

✓ 31 Seniors (ninth- and 10th-graders) and Ambassadors (11th- and 12th-graders) earned the Gold Award, which is comparable to the Boy Scouts of America’s Eagle Scout award

Judi Knowlton, community development manager for NYPENN Pathways, said recipients of the Gold Award are eligible for scholarships and can earn a higher rank if they choose to enlist in the military.

“I think girls are seeing the difference it can make,” Knowlton said.

Helping others

For many Central New York Girl Scouts, making a difference is why they joined a troop in the first place. While many people associate scouting with cookies, crafts and camping, area troops spend much of their time doing community service projects.

Jenna Fields, a Senior Girl Scout from Skaneateles Troop 10003, said her 2014 service projects included serving meals to the homeless and volunteering in a shelter for disabled cats.

“It’s good for the community. It makes the world a better place,” said Fields, who has been a Scout for 10 years. “I just love it: being with other girls, meeting with new people, service unit projects.”

Jenna’s mother and troop leader, Lynn Fields, said Girl Scouts prepares children for the adult world and encourages them to help others.

“Once we introduce this stuff, we encourage them to reach out individually,” Lynn Fields said. “This is a journey. We’re getting them ready for life skills.”

Troops all over Central New York embrace the Scouts’ service projects, including Baldwinsville Troop 10043. To qualify for their Junior Bronze Award last year, the girls organized a “family fun day” at the CNY Family Sports Centre.

“It was a carnival for lower-income families. We collected food so they could take some home,” said Alicia Baldwin, whose mother, Treyonne Baldwin, is the troop leader.

Troop 10043’s family fun day included handmade games, raffle prizes, refreshments, a caricature artist and a DJ.

Ainsley Saraceni said the idea came from visiting the Baldwinsville Christmas Bureau.

“[I said], ‘If they don’t really have enough money to buy food, we should give them a fun day they can remember,’” Saraceni recalled.

The B’ville girls also volunteered at a Parents of Special Children event and made gifts for Meals on Wheels volunteers. At Christmas, the troop “adopted” a family and bought and wrapped gifts for them, including toys from the hit Disney movie “Frozen” for a little girl in the family. Coming off their busy 2014, the girls are brainstorming service ideas for the new year.

“We were thinking of doing a food drive at Easter,” Saraceni said. “During Christmastime, people are so generous and helpful, but they forget [that people need food at other times of the year].”

When asked why they joined Girl Scouts, the B’ville troop had some very grown-up answers.

“I joined … so I could have a fun, lasting, learning experience,” said Madison Jordan. “We just wanted to serve our community.”

“I knew that Girl Scouts would give me the opportunity to help people that are less fortunate than me,” Alicia Baldwin said.

Cookie season goes online

While serving the community is a hallmark of membership in the Girl Scouts, it’s not necessarily their best-known feature. What is? Cookies, of course.

This year marks several new beginnings in the ages-old cookie season. Girl Scouts have introduced three new flavors: Rah-Rah Raisin (an oatmeal-raisin cookie with morsels of Greek yogurt) and two gluten-free options that are available in limited quantities, Toffee-Tastic and peanut butter-oatmeal Trios.

And for the first time ever, troops are allowed to sell cookies online through customized websites, inviting their customers to join and purchase cookies. This allows credit cards as a payment option as well.

“We need to emphasize that girls are only contacting people they already know,” Knowlton said of the Internet safety concerns of online sales.

Sales begin Feb. 7, with an expected delivery date in mid-March.

Skaneateles Girl Scouts shared their goals and wisdom at their Jan. 10 “cookie rally,” a kickoff event that introduced the new flavors and helped girls strengthen their sales skills.

Jenna Fields said her troop saved several years of cookie money to organize a trip to Maine. She doesn’t have a specific goal for how many boxes she wants to sell this year, but she hopes to begin saving for a future trip or to donate to a local charity.

The Brownies of Troop 10443 have already set their sales goals. Tobi DiRubbo and Carolina McGraw, both second-graders, each said they aim to sell 100 boxes this year. (Fellow Brownie Molly Palmer’s goal of “two million cookies” is a bit more ambitious.)

Sophia Cattalani, a Cadette from Skaneateles, said each girl’s personal sales goal tends to vary between 20 and 500 boxes. Cattalani said her troop has sold cookie “sponsorships” in the past: a buyer donates their cookies to soldiers serving overseas or a local charity.

Lynn Fields said selling cookies teaches Girl Scouts public speaking and how to interact with adults. The Skaneateles Scouts listed money management, responsibility and goal-setting as other skills they’ve learned.

“It helps us get to know the community better,” said Elsa Landon, a Cadette.

The majority of girls surveyed in B’ville and Skaneateles said their favorite cookie is the Thin Mint.

Joining the cause

Knowlton said while scouting is strong in Central New York, volunteers are always needed.

“It’s frustrating. People ask, ‘When are the meetings?’” Knowlton said. “Without the leaders, there are no meetings.”

Knowlton said many troop leaders start out simply as parents who volunteer to do something small for their daughters’ troops, but you don’t have to be a parent to help out.

“We want someone who’s going to have the girls’ best interest at heart,” she said.

Prospective volunteers fill out an application, undergo a background check and have an interview with NYPENN Pathways.

Many people join for networking opportunities or to beef up their resumes.

“They get the strong feeling of self and helping girls to succeed,” Knowlton said. “It’s a way to meet new people and hopefully form some strong, new friendships.”

To learn more about Girl Scouts in your area and how to volunteer, visit gsnypenn.org.