Girl Scouts of Gateway Council's Cookie Program Results in Nearly $1 Million Local Economic Impact

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - May 15, 2019 - PRLog -- Girl Scouts of Gateway Council (GSGC) successfully completed the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie program season, setting a new record for Girl Scout cookie sales in the Northeast and North Central Florida region.

In 2019, Gateway Council Girl Scouts sold 1,290,964 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. The result is nearly a $1 Million economic impact in North and Central Florida communities with 100 hundred percent of the proceeds girls raise through cookie sales funding programs for girls, community service projects and the local Girl Scout council.

"We are grateful for our customers who purchased cookies through the Girl Scout Cookie Program and made an important investment in their community," said Gateway Council CEO Mary Anne Jacobs. "The Girl Scout Cookie Program represents the largest annual financial investment in girls. It supports fun and formative leadership experiences, emphasizing responsibility, goal-setting, decision-making, money management, people skills, and business ethics – skills for success now and in the future."

The popular Thin Mint cookies were Gateway Council's best seller. By the numbers, Gateway Council Girl Scouts operated 5,064 cookie booths and created 1,947 digital cookie sites for online sales. Cookie sales averaged 328 boxes per girl.

The number one cookie entrepreneur, Girl Scout Cadette Jane Hershiser, age 12, sold 6,807 boxes of cookies this year. This is Jane's third year as the top seller in Gateway Council. Over the past five years, she has sold more than 18,000 boxes of cookies.

"Participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program has helped me gain courage when making face-to-face sales, set bigger goals, make smart decisions on where to sell and carefully manage money through countless sales," said Jane. "Most of all, I learned never to quit. Girl Scouts has helped me become a leader and I hope to one day use the skills I've learned to make the world a better place."

Gateway Council donated 28,068 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to the Greater Jacksonville USO. For the fourth year, the USO's active-duty and retired military members and their families received boxes of Girl Scout Cookies through Gateway Council's Gift of Caring program. Through the program, customers order and purchase cookies to donate to the USO from Girl Scouts in person, at booths and online. The cookies are delivered to the USO and distributed to military personnel and their families.

"We are proud to partner with the USO and help provide men and women in uniform a connection to their families back home," said Jacobs. "A donation of a box of Girl Scout cookies supports not only our soldiers at home and abroad, but also leadership development of girls in our local communities."

Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts of Gateway Council serves the Northeast and North Central Florida region where Girl Scouts are encouraged to unleash their inner G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker and Leader)™ while striving to make the world a better place. To find out more about how your girl can get involved with Girl Scouts, to volunteer or donate, visit www.girlscouts-gateway.org or contact TriciaRae Stancato at tstancato@girlscouts-gateway.org or (904) 421-3484.