At the corner of Main and Front streets, there is a natural, ordered slow down for traffic at the busy intersection because of an upcoming four-way stop.
Proverbially, Girl Scout Troop 30123 leader Shequite Johnson wanted everyone to pause and take note of the lifelong benefits of scouting using this signature event. “Most people associate selling of Girl Scout cookies with the organization overall,” she said. “It’s fair to do so but selling of cookies teaching our young ladies about customer service, mental math, business, finance and organizing campaigns.”
Each time the Girl Scouts sold $5 boxes of Lemon Ups, Toffee-Tastic, Smores or any other sweet favorite, they had to multiply the number of boxes and subtract the difference to return customers their proper change.
Each sale ended with neatly bagging products and “Thank you and have a nice days in unison.
The troop ranged in ages K-12. “The first person that I tried to sell a box of cookies to was my brother,” said second-grader Maliah Patton. “I like being in Girl Scouts because you get to do a lot of fun stuff and be with your friends.”
Eboni Willis, a fifth-grader talked about the values that scouting and selling cookies have impressed upon her. “I’ve been a Girl Scout since last year,” Willis said. “And one lesson that I’ve learned is to speak more with your heart and less with your mouth.”
Johnson started Troop 30123 in 2016 to provide something positive and proactive for her own daughter. Now that daughter is a senior in high school as has been the recipient of the prestigious Gold Award. This is the highest honor a Girl Scout can receive and it positions them nicely for college scholarships. One of the original troop members, Myiesha Smith, now a 20-year-old college student was on hand to assist with the cookie sales on Saturday. Smith also lauded the value that the organization has added to her life as she pursues a degree in mass communication. Her father Steve bought a few boxes on Saturday and has always been a satisfied customer.
“I’ve got to support Girl Scouts because they helped my baby so much,” Smith said.
