Alexis volunteers with GSNI Troop 1942. Her troop is excited to participate in GSNI’s 2022 Gift of Caring opportunity. She tells us the troop’s 19 Gift of Caring cases will be going to some very meaningful places this year. She says, “A Girl Scout Junior’s mom battled brain cancer last year, and cookies will be distributed to the rehabilitation hospital that helped her. Another Junior is distributing cookies to her local school board and teachers for the concern and love shown during the pandemic. Yet another Junior plans to give cookies to Anderson Animal Shelter!”
She also shares this special story about her own Girl Scout’s Gift of Caring experience:
This is my daughter’s second year being a Cookie Fairy—an idea she crafted and executed all on her own—to boost pandemic cookie sales and help her community. She had an idea to mimic the ‘pay it forward’ concept of coffee shop drive-thrus where people pay for coffee for those in line behind them. She thought if everyone she knows donated just one package, she could surprise strangers with cookies!
We went to doctor’s offices, hospitals, a homeless shelter, pharmacies, and grocery stores. She gave cookies to a correctional officer, hair stylist, fast food workers, teachers, coaches, sanitation workers, the Amazon delivery person, the Starbucks staff, and more! As parents, we are proud she is choosing to use the Girl Scout Cookie Program as a community project. Claire is at her best when she’s spreading kindness!
Claire collected almost 75 cookie package donations! This year, people asked her to be their runner to deliver to specific places, including a pet shelter, domestic violence support organization, and veteran’s home. Her understanding of the community and who needs support has been expanded. She now has a list of groups she would still like to visit and gift with cookies, including the library, the oncology unit that treated her Pa, the hospital that helped her sister who was born with a pelvic kidney, and essential workers including police officers, fire fighters, teachers, and postal workers.
We are so proud of you, Claire!
GSNI would like to thank Alexis for sharing this special Girl Scout Cookie Program story with us! If you have a Girl Scout Cookie Program experience to share, please let us know at stories@girlscoutsni.org.
