New Cookie to Join 2019 Lineup for the Girl Scout Cookie Program, Proven to Develop Essential Life and Business Skills for Girls

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) announced that a new cookie, Caramel Chocolate Chip, will join the 2019 Girl Scout Cookie^® season lineup, as a gluten-free offering with limited availability in select areas. With the returning gluten-free Toffee-tastic^® cookie, also available in select areas, consumers in all markets will be able to enjoy a gluten-free offering along with the rest of the lineup during the 2019 cookie season. More than just delicious cookies, the Girl Scout Cookie Program fuels girls' development of entrepreneurial and essential life skills, and the cookie earnings power amazing experiences for girl members.

The largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world, the Girl Scout Cookie Program is proven to help the majority of girl participants develop five essential life and business skills, fostering the next generation of women who are entrepreneurs and business leaders. A recent Girl Scout Research Institute study found that 85 percent of girls surveyed learned how to set goals and meet deadlines, 88 percent became effective decision-makers, 88 percent learned to manage money, 85 percent gained people skills, and 94 percent learned business ethics—all through the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Two out of three girls surveyed (66 percent) developed all five skills while doing amazing things for themselves and their communities.

"The Girl Scout Cookie Program plays a powerful role in developing financially savvy girl leaders," said GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. "Girl entrepreneurs learn valuable interpersonal and business skills via the cookie program that help them become successful in their future careers, no matter what path they choose. My experience selling Girl Scout Cookies taught me to be creative, enterprising, and persistent, and helped me build self-confidence and resilience. When you buy Girl Scout Cookies you are not only helping girls become business trailblazers, you're also helping them power their Girl Scout adventures and ensuring they have access to the cutting-edge leadership experiences and opportunities that only Girl Scouts can offer."

Girl Scouts across the United States will offer their customers one of the two specialty gluten-free cookie varieties, which join classics like the Thin Mints^®, Caramel deLites^®/Samoas^®, and Trefoils^®/Shortbread varieties. The new Caramel Chocolate Chip cookie features rich caramel, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt in a chewy cookie. Toffee-tastic, introduced in 2015, is a rich, buttery cookie with sweet, crunchy, golden toffee bits. Both gluten-free varieties are offered only in select Girl Scout council markets for as long as supplies last, and they can only be purchased from a registered Girl Scout. Not all varieties are available in every market, so contact your local council to inquire about the cookies they will offer this season. Like similar consumer products, gluten-free cookies may be priced higher than other Girl Scout Cookies, reflecting the cost of production.

This July, GSUSA also announced 30 new badges now available exclusively for Girl Scouts ages 5–18 that not only enhance the one-of-a-kind Girl Scout experience, but also address some of society's most pressing needs, such as cybersecurity, environmental advocacy, mechanical engineering, robotics, computer science, and space exploration. In a safe all-girl space, Girl Scouts develop important soft skills, including confidence and perseverance, as well as hard skills, setting them up for success and preparing them to take action for a better world.

To learn more about the Girl Scout Cookie Program and find out when Girl Scouts will be selling cookies near you, visit www.girlscoutcookies.org. For more information about Girl Scouts, including how to join or volunteer, visit www.girlscouts.org/join.

We're Girl Scouts of the USA

We're 2.6 million strong—1.8 million girls and 800,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)^™ to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, we've honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We're the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit www.girlscouts.org.

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SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA