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The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania is celebrating a major – and delicious – milestone ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary this year.
The Philadelphia Historic District’s “52 Weeks of Firsts” celebration next weekend will highlight the first public Girl Scout cookie sale that featured commercially baked cookies, in 1933.
“We partnered with Philadelphia Gas and Electric Company, which is now known as PECO, who helped us to sell out of their windows on North Broad Street, right by City Hall,” said Kim Fraites-Dow, the CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania.
The first cookie sold was the “Trefoil,” a shortbread cookie.
Other Girl Scout chapters heard about the sales and adopted a similar strategy, Fraites-Dow said.
“Four years later, because it was so wildly successful, our national organization, Girl Scouts of the USA, adopted it as a national opportunity for girls across the country,” she said.
History
The Girl Scouts are more than 100 years old, with the first Girl Scouts chapter forming in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. Philadelphia was the fifth national Girl Scouts council in the country, Fraites-Dow said.
The organization, which was created before women secured the right to vote, has grown to empower women throughout generations.
“Our organization has been diverse since its inception,” she said. “There are a lot of wonderful opportunities for girls from every community to participate, which I think is amazing.”
The organization has expanded over time to include more girls, Fraites-Dow said.
“So when I was growing up, there was really only Brownies and up,” she said. “Now there’s Daisies and up, so that’s kindergarten through first grade. So there are now opportunities for girls starting in kindergarten, which is great.”
Girl Scouts now have six levels of programming, which correspond to grade levels:
- Daisies (Kindergarten-1st grade)
- Brownies (2nd-3rd grades)
- Juniors (4th-5th grades)
- Cadettes (6th-8th grades)
- Seniors (9th-10th grades)
- Ambassadors (11th-12th grades)
Today, Fraites-Dow said, the organization provides more STEM programming, produces award-winning Scout members, and allows girls to be active participants in their communities.
The celebration is a point of pride for all involved with Girls Scouts locally, said Amanda Harrity, the director of product program at Girl Scouts of Eastern PA.
“It’s the largest girl-led entrepreneur program in the world,” she said. “So to be able to call on Philly for really starting a foundation of talking to our Girl Scouts that build their key skills, like their money management or their paper skills, and find that [the cookie sales] started here is amazing.”
“More than just a cookie”
Each “Firstival” involves the creation of a sculpture. Carol Cannon-Nesco, a native Northeast Philadelphian, artist and gardener, created the Girl Scouts’ milestone.
It’s an attempt to gather the essence of the different Girl Scout qualities, she said.
“There is lots of color,” she said. “And there are all the different Girl Scout cookies. And then the other side has all the badges for our new Girl Scouts.”
The back of the sculpture includes the name of each cookie.
Cannon-Nesco comes with a connection. When she was younger, she was the top cookie seller in her Girl Scout troop. She said the organization offers lots of life lessons for younger girls.
“I think every girl should have the experience of being a Girl Scout,” she said. “Because it’s meeting people, it’s going places, it’s entrepreneurship and selling things, and it’s creative things you do. It’s just a wonderful program.”
Fraites-Dow echoes that.
“There’s a lot of girls who come to Girl Scouts who are extremely shy and nervous about talking to new people through the cookie program,” she said. “But, they are working together, preparing a script on what to say, and engaging with folks and then really building a lot of confidence in their ability to sell a product that is really important to them, so that they can earn money to do amazing things.”
These sales also give girls the opportunity to learn more about managing money, she said.
“For many girls who participate in Girl Scouts, they may not have a lot of discretionary income in their household,” she said. “However, through this program, if they set big goals and they work together as a team, they can save up money and pay for their own experiences.”
Harrity said the sales impact local programming.
“75% of the proceeds stay right here, going back to our troops to fund what they’re working on, like their service projects, their trips, and maybe even troops going to Europe,” she said. “It also then comes back to eastern Pennsylvania to make sure that our camps stay open.”
Future
Girl Scout cookie sales will continue through March 22. The season was recently extended to account for inclement weather in the region.
A special facet of this year’s sale is the addition of a new cookie – the Exploremores, Fraites-Dow said.
“The new cookie is a really fun way to celebrate how girls are discovering a strong sense of self, because they’re exploring so many different things,” she said. “It’s a sandwich cookie. So a lot of folks love a good sandwich cookie. It’s crunchy on the outside and it has a cream inside, kind of like an Oreo. It’s all chocolate, and it’s inspired by the ice cream flavor Rocky Road.”
Friates-Dow said next weekend’s “Firstival” will be hosted, in a tie-in to the first cookie sale, at the PECO headquarters on 23rd and Market streets.
“PECO has been one of our stalwart supporters for decades,” she said. “They’ve really been investing in girls and ensuring that girls, especially in Philadelphia, have every opportunity accessible to them to succeed.”
You can attend the Girl Scouts’ “Firstival” celebration on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
