SYRACUSE — Local Girl Scouts will have a chance to flex their cookie-selling muscles next month at the inaugural Cookie Convention.
More than 1,100 people have registered for the one-day event, which will be held Jan. 9 at Le Moyne College, said Kim Dunne, media manager for Girl Scouts NYPENN Pathways, the regional Girl Scout council.
“It’s going to be huge,” Dunne said of the convention. “We wanted to do something really big to kick off the cookie program this year.”
Girls attending the Cookie Convention will be sharpening their skills just in time for the first day of 2016 cookie sales on Jan. 15. The convention will feature activities for every age group of Scouts. Daisies and Brownies will learn how to approach customers at a mock “house,” while Juniors and Cadettes can “bling” out their booths with decorations. The oldest tiers, Seniors and Ambassadors, will work on their business badges and will help create a video during the convention.
“The girls learn five important skills that they’re going to take with them throughout life: goal setting, decision-making, money management, people skills and business ethics,” Dunne said.
Above all, Dunne said the organization emphasizes safety during the selling season. This past year, the Girl Scouts introduced online cookie sales and the Cookie Finder app. Troops can customize their “Digital Cookie” sales websites and invite their local customers to join and pay with a credit card.
“We need to emphasize that girls are only contacting people they already know,” NYPENN Pathways’ Community Recruitment Manager Judi Knowlton told Eagle News earlier this year of the Internet safety concerns of online sales.
With the advent of online sales, the tradition of selling Girl Scout cookies continues to evolve. The Cookie Convention will welcome Little Brownie Bakers, the region’s official cookie supplier. Little Brownie Bakers (LBB) will host fun activities for Scouts at the convention and will let girls vote on sales incentives for 2017, which marks the 100th anniversary of the cookie program.
continued — “Girls who participate will receive a special gift from LBB just for sharing their wisdom!” reads a release about the convention.
Not all of the activities are geared toward the little ones, however: parents and volunteers who need a breather at the Cookie Convention can visit the Volunteer VIP Lounge.
Since NYPENN Pathways covers 24 counties in New York state and two counties in Pennsylvania, the convention will be a hike for some Scouts. In order to make the journey a little easier and promote camaraderie among the girls, the regional council is hosting two overnight events after the convention.
More than 100 Girl Scouts have signed up for the overnight at WonderWorks in Destiny USA. The event includes unlimited laser tag and a late night snack. Dunne said 15 to 20 girls signed up for the after-party at Camp Hoover in Tully, which features games, movies, a sleepover bash and continental breakfast the following morning.
“We wanted to make sure anyone could attend, so we offered some overnights,” Dunne said. “[It’d be] nice to not have to drive back that day.”
While the deadline to register for the Cookie Convention was Dec. 9, NYPENN Pathways is still in need of registered Girl Scouts volunteers for the event. To volunteer, contact [email protected].
