Robert Blechl
BURBANK -- Sweet toothes beware. It's that time of year again.
Scores of Girl Scouts from Burbank readied themselves for the
organization's annual cookie sale Saturday at the Los Angeles Zoo. The 11
Burbank troops joined thousands of other Scouts from the San Fernando
Valley in a kickoff event for the annual fund-raising drive.
Jennifer Yarbrough, spokesperson for the San Fernando Valley Girl
Scouts Council, said the kick off is a pep rally for the sale and
includes games and activities as well as practical concerns, such as
discussions on safety.
"This is the first year of selling for many Scouts," Yarbrough said.
"The LAPD came out to teach them safety tips while selling and things to
be aware of."
Yarbrough said representatives from Bank of America were also present
to show the girls how to manage the money they raise.
While inside the zoo, Scouts boosted their sales confidence with
rallies, cheers, face painting and a cookie toss.
The kick off "teaches the girls about the kinds of cookies there are,
the flavors and the ways they can describe the flavors to the people they
sell to," said Janet Diel, leader of Burbank troops 1435 and 1535. "It
shows them how to approach people and how to be extremely gracious. They
are learning sales techniques as well as manners. But they are not just
selling a product, they are representing the Girl Scouts."
Orders on cookies begin Feb. 29. In addition to door-to-door selling,
booth and mall sites will be set up beginning March 3. The sale ends
March 26.
The eight flavors consist of thin mint, samoa, trefoil (traditional
shortbread), tagalong (a peanut butter pattie), do-si-do, lemon drop,
chocolate chip pecan and apple cinnamon. Each box costs $3.
Yarbrough said more than 150,000 Girl Scouts from Southern California
will participate in the sale.
