For six weeks each year, Girl Scouts in Arizona participate in the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world: The Girl Scout Cookie Program. This year, the cookie season for the Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC) will take place Jan. 17 to Feb. 27, 2022. As in year’s past, all the Girl Scout Cookies’ proceeds stay local to help girls fund impactful projects to benefit the community; embark on amazing girl-led troop adventures; provide programs in STEM, the outdoors, life skills and entrepreneurship; maintain and improve four camp properties; and provide financial assistance that keeps Girl Scouting available and affordable for all girls.
“As we continue to find our new normal and navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, many girl entrepreneurs will utilize digital sales in the upcoming cookie program. Cookie entrepreneurs are planning on a safe and fun season by opting into in-person and/or digital sales through Digital Cookies, Girl Scout’s e-commerce platform available for each girl to build and manager her own website,” says Mary Mitchell, interim Co-CEO for GSACPC.
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Girls will also provide socially distant and contactless options in-person and apply CDC-recommend precautions like wearing a face mask, advising customers to pay with card, and applying hand sanitizer in between purchases. The goal is to provide a safe experience for Girl Scout Cookie customers, sellers, and create a successful sale for local girl members.
“The Girl Scout Cookie Program is more than a sale. It provides girls the skills they need to become successful women. Girl Scouts learn to invest in themselves, their troops, and their community. Encouraging girls’ interest in entrepreneurship prepares them for any future career pathway,” says Christina Spicer, interim Co-CEO for GSACPC. “The qualities that lead to successful entrepreneurship, like curiosity, confidence, and innovation, are essential for all types of academic and career success. There aren’t many organizations that help girls learn key entrepreneurship skills – Girl Scouting does!”
Bigger and better than ever, here is a snapshot of everything you need to know for the 2022 cookie season, from a NEW cookie, the first-ever family friendly 5K, and the return of the Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge after taking a year off amid COVID-19:
GSACPC Cookie Lineup
• NEW!! Adventurefuls: Brownie-inspired cookie with caramel-flavored crème and a hint of sea salt. $5
• Lemon-Ups: Crispy lemon cookies baked with inspiring messages. $5
• Thin Mints: Mint flavored with a delicious chocolaty coating. Vegan. $5
• Tagalongs: Layers of peanut butter with a rich, chocolaty coating. $5
• Samoas: Caramel and toasted coconut-covered cookies. $5
• Trefoils: Iconic and delicious shortbread cookies. $5
• Do-si-dos: Crisp and crunchy oatmeal outside and creamy peanut butter inside. $5
• Girl Scout S’mores: Crunchy graham sandwich cookies with creamy chocolate and marshmallowy filling. $6
• Toffee-tastics: Buttery (and gluten-free) cookies with sweet, crunchy golden toffee bits. $6
Cookie CEO Fast Pitch – Jan. 22
Valley CEOs are training Girl Scout entrepreneurs at the virtual Cookie CEO Fast Pitch on Jan. 22. During this event, local CEOs/executives will guide Girl Scout Juniors, Seniors, and Ambassadors and help sharpen their communication skills, sales pitches, and give them sound business advice and tips.
“Participating girls will make their cookie sales pitch to one of the local CEOs or corporate executives in attendance. In exchange, they’ll get feedback on their pitch and develop confidence in their one-on-one coaching sessions,” said Spicer. “At the end of the event, girls will apply the strategies they’ve learned and give their best pitch to the mentors. If the CEO was sold on the pitch, they’ll purchase up to $500 worth of cookies.”
Girl Scout Night and Booker Bus Reveal with the Phoenix Suns – Jan. 30
On Jan. 30 leading up to the Phoenix Suns taking on the San Antonio Spurs at 6 p.m., for the first time ever, local Girl Scouts will be selling cookies at four cookie booths outside of the Footprint Center. And the cookie booths are just the beginning. Approximately 400 Girl Scouts will descend on Footprint Center to attend the game, and local Girl Scouts will reveal the mini bus funded by the Devin Booker Starting Five Grant as well.
“The $100,000 grant, which was announced in mid-October, was used to replace the mini-bus used to transports girls to and from educational and character-building activities and experiences,” says Spicer. “Due to vandalism and theft of the vehicle, GSACPC had no way to transport girls to programs and events. The lack of transportation often meant that girls would not have an opportunity to participate in activities.”
The Return of the Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge – Feb. 1 to 28
The Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge is back for its eighth year! After taking a break in February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GSACPC is pleased to present the return of the challenge taking place February 1-28, 2022.
Twenty esteemed chefs from venues throughout central and northern Arizona will participate in this year’s friendly competition to create a winning dessert with one of these Girl Scout Cookies: Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils or Lemon-Ups.
“The participating chefs will use their culinary prowess to re-imagine these classic Girl Scout Cookies into a delicious dessert and feature it on their menus throughout the entire month of February. A portion of the proceeds will support Girl Scouting in Arizona,” says Mitchell.
This year’s returning competitors are:
• Aioli Gourmet Burgers in Phoenix
• Churn in Phoenix
• Lovecraft in Phoenix
• Lumberyard Brewing Company in Flagstaff
• Proof Canteen at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale Troon North
• Rusconi’s American Kitchen
• Serrano’s Mexican Restaurant in Chandler
• ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale
This year’s first-time competitors are:
• Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff
• Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails at Hotel Palomar in Phoenix
• The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen in Scottsdale
• Geordie’s at Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix
• Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery in Flagstaff
• Nook Kitchen in Phoenix
• Oak on Camelback in Phoenix (formerly St. Francis)
• Shift in Flagstaff
• Tarbell’s in Phoenix
• The County Seat in Prescott
• The Italian Daughter in North Scottsdale
• The Mick Brasserie in Scottsdale
Visit www.girlscoutsaz.org/dessertchallenge for a complete list of participating restaurants, desserts and to vote.
NEW! Bring Home the Cookies 5K Run/Walk – Feb. 26
Join GSACPC and State Forty Eight Foundation for the first-ever Bring Home the Cookies 5K Run/Walk on Feb. 26 in Tempe. The family friendly event, open to Girl Scout families, competitive runners and the community at large, will start and finish at Sun Devil Stadium and feature music, food and cookie booths. All registered participants will receive a Girl Scout goodie bag with a State Forty Eight branded 5K shirt, a package of Girl Scout Cookies, a medal, and more!
Visit www.bringhomethecookies5k.com to sign up today!
Contactless and In-Person Cookie Sales
“As our nation continues to adapt to life with COVID-19, girls are still encouraged to expand their efforts to web safely with the options to sell online only or online and in-person,” says Czerina Harvey, Product Program Manager for GSACPC.
This year’s selling options for girls includes:
Digital Cookie: Through this digital selling platform, girls build a custom website so they can invite friends and family to purchase cookies, with the option of having cookies delivered in-person or shipped directly to their home. Girls can also use the Digital Cookie Mobile App to accept credit card payments on the go from customers. Digital Cookie also introduces lessons about online marketing, application use, and eCommerce to Girl Scouts, through building their own cookie website and managing their virtual sales.
Drive-Thru Booths: Local Girl Scout troops have the option to coordinate drive-thru booths, with cashless transactions being strongly requested. The drive-thru booths will be in parking lots that allow for plenty of distancing and space for the girls and their parents. Cars will have the chance to pull to the front of the line, make their orders, and have the contactless or near contactless ability to pick up their cookies as they would from a traditional booth. There will be parents stationed at each of these booths with sanitizing products to help the girls ensure maximum safety and monitor cookie transfer to cars.
Booths: As permitted and with CDC-recommended guidelines in place, including wearing masks and social distancing, girls will be setting up a temporary “shop” in front of local businesses providing socially distanced options for customers to purchase cookies. Booth locations this year include longtime supporters Fry’s Food Stores, Bashas’ Family of Stores, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Sonic and other retailers and small businesses.
“Over the years, community partners like Basha’s and Fry’s have been game changers for us and our local Girl Scouts,” says Harvey. “We are incredibly thankful for all of our retail partners small and large, who help our girls in their sale by simply sharing their space and support. We’d also like to acknowledge that because of partners like Bashas, our girls on the Navajo Nation and Hopi Lands also get the opportunity to reach cookie customers safely in more rural areas of our jurisdiction.”
Visit girlscoutsaz.org/cookiefinder and use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder to find a cookie booth near you. It’s simple – just enter your zip code and choose from a list of locations nearby. If you want cookie finder access on-the-go download the free Girl Scout Cookie Finder app onto your iOS or Android mobile device from Google Play or the Apple store.
