Girl Scouts Prepare for 2016 Cookie Sales

For the first time in 13 years, the price of Girl Scout cookies in the Inland Empire will increase when Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio launches its 2016 Girl Scout Cookie Sale on Jan. 24, 2016. The Inland Empire council joins its four sister councils in Southern California, all of whom already raised their prices to $5 a box in the past two years. The move to $5 a box came after a study group with members from the community. Girl Scout volunteers and council staff examined various options to guarantee that the sale of Girl Scout cookies would continue to support the financial stability of San Gorgonio Council, its regions and its troops. Of paramount importance, explains Elizabeth Locke-Thomas, executive vice president of Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio “was ensuring that our Girl Scout troops continued to be able to support their programmatic needs as well as receive generous cumulative rewards – including travel experiences and technology – that many of their families cannot afford to provide.” “Our cookies have been $4 a box for 13 years,” says Locke-Thomas. “During that time, costs for everything have gone up, from the cost of cookies from the baker to facilities and labor costs for the Council.” Cynthia H. Breunig, president and CEO of the Council, explains, “Over the years we tightened our belts to accommodate increased operating costs. For the past several years, when increasing the price for cookies made sound financial sense, we chose to sacrifice in recognition of the sluggish economy. Now is the right time to make the move to $5 a box.” With an aging infrastructure, Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio needs the additional revenue to ensure that its camps and other properties are upgraded, and cared for and maintained to the highest standards. Over the past three years, the Council has implemented an aggressive outreach to girls from low-income families. For outreach to succeed, the Council must ensure that its programs are adequately funded and that funding is available so that every girl who wants to be a Girl Scout will have the chance to become a Girl Scout, regardless of her family’s ability to pay for programming. Long, hard thought went into the $5 a box decision. The study group’s conclusion, adopted by the Board of Directors, was that an increase in price is an investment in our girls and in the continuation of the Girl Scout mission locally. Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio has always enjoyed great support from the people in the communities it serves. From its earliest beginnings in 1917 to its current popularity, selling Girl Scout Cookies has helped girls have fun, develop valuable life skills, and make their communities a better place. The girls love selling Girl Scout cookies and they appreciate the life skills that they acquire: Goal Setting, Decision Making, Money Management, People Skills and Business Ethics. That’s why this past year the girls from the San Gorgonio Council placed first in the nation among 112 councils for number of boxes sold per girl: 357. The girls know that the people in their communities support them and support Girl Scouts, and know that they can count on continued support as they enter the $5 per box era.