Well, it’s official. Girl Scouts has gone Hollywood — in the best way possible. During the Oscars Sunday night, host Chris Rock, in a show of support for his two daughters — who are both Girl Scouts — asked the Hollywood elite in attendance to dig deep in their tuxedoed pockets and bejeweled evening clutches, and purchase some Girl Scout cookies. As a perfect coda to the end of what was National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, a Girl Scout troop from the Los Angeles area then emerged from the stage and filtered out into the audience, where attendees waved cash in the air for the nearest Girl Scout to sell them our iconic cookies.
While this made for a truly entertaining, engaging and heartwarming moment during a very prestigious and high-profile event, we are honored that a celebrity of Chris Rock’s stature — and the Academy Awards’ producers – demonstrated their profound goodwill by supporting our girls and the Cookie Program. This star-studded platform served as a compelling reminder to a captive viewing public of just what our Girl Scout Cookies represent. Each celebrity that purchased Girl Scout Cookies Sunday night was not just scoring a much-needed snack, they were actually investing in a girl’s future, as well as their respective communities. The stakes for the future vibrancy and evolution of our nation are too great to neglect investment in one of our most promising resources: young girls.
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In fact, 100%of the net revenue raised through Girl Scout Cookie sales stays within local councils, where girls decide how to spend their troop cookie money, often funding projects that impact their communities. In a powerful demonstration of this point, the Girl Scout troop featured during Sundays Oscars ceremony used their funds from the evening’s earnings for a school-supply drive for foster kids in need, as well as the chance to expand their horizons through participation in fun activities like a painting class and educational field trips.
I believe the most significant and impactful effect of the Girl Scouts program is often hidden under the radar: that is, for years, the cookie program has served as the springboard for some of our nation’s most accomplished women in business and beyond. You may not realize it, but when you buy a box of Girl Scout cookies, you are participating in the largest youth entrepreneurial program in the world — a program that teaches girls elemental business acumen and interpersonal skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Specifically, girls learn the intricacies of goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics — all vital tools for leadership in an increasingly competitive global economy.
So, in light of the tremendous spotlight, generous reception and groundswell of awareness, Girl Scouts would like to offer our sincerest thanks to Chris Rock, the Academy and all the celebrities who supported us Sunday last night by purchasing our cookies. Not only was our organization granted a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a part of history, we were presented with an opportunity to express something far more substantive: reinforcing the narrative of a beloved American tradition empowering the next generation of CEOs, educators, STEM trailblazers, mothers and leaders to revolutionize our world.
Anna Maria Chavez is the CEO of Girl Scouts.
