Girl Scout Elizabeth Popovich is determined to keep COVID-19 from crumbling her final Cookies 4 Troops campaign, which focuses on getting donations of Girl Scout cookies for U.S. military personnel.
Popovich, 18, has reached scouting's top designation, the ambassador level. She’s also a top state cookie salesperson.
Although COVID-19 and related restrictions have changed many of her expectations about her senior year of high school, she wants to make her final year of scouting her best, particularly with her Cookies 4 Troops campaign. Although she sells Girl Scout cookies to the general public, her passion lies with promoting purchases of Girl Scout cookies for troops. This is the 11th year Popovich has conducted the Cookies 4 Troops campaign.
Popovich is planning an in-person cookie sales campaign for Cookies 4 Troops Feb. 19, 20 and 21 at Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace on Hall Road, west of Romeo Plank Road, in Clinton Township.
“The few in-person events I have attended, I am socially distanced, wearing a mask, and following all health and safety guidelines provided by the state and federal government,” Popovich said.
Aware that she must minimize in-person events for the 2020-21 December to April cookie season, however, Popovich has been focusing on mail and online pitches.
“As of this point this season, I have collected $11,117, which is about 2,779 boxes of cookies,” Popovich said on Jan. 30.
These numbers might sound impressive to many Girl Scouts, but for Popovich, it’s just a start.
“In a normal year, I average about 8,000 to 10,000 total boxes of cookies sold. Of those, about 8,000 are for donations, and 2,000 are cookies sold to the general public and cookie booths,” Popovich said. “These numbers of cookies sold has made me the top cookie seller in Michigan for the last seven years, which has never happened before. Since donated cookies for the military count as sales, this has really contributed to achieving that top seller status.”
Macomb Township resident Popovich is a member of Girl Scout Troop 75924 and a hybrid learning student at Dakota High School. Popovich has been involved in scouting since Kindergarten in 2008. She credits the Cookies 4 Troops campaign as one of the main reasons she has continued with Girl Scouts up through high school.
Popovich quickly learned that cookie sales season from December to early April meant plenty of rejections, until she discovered the section of the cookie form that offered an opportunity for the public to donate cookies to troops.
“I started to notice how good the program was when it first started in 2010 when I was in the second grade. I realized some people would rather just donate to sending cookies to the military. It was easy to concentrate on that instead of selling cookies, but in the end, I ended up doing both,” Popovich said. “I really started the reach to the community outside of booths the following year when I went to a few businesses my family knew, and ever since then, it snowballed from there.”
Over time, Popovich built up hundreds of local business contacts. Through the 10 prior years, Popovich has sold over $194,684 worth of cookies, or 48,671 boxes, through Cookies 4 Troops campaigns. Last year, however, cookie season started in mid-December but came to a screeching halt in March due to COVID-19.
“Many of my sales for both donations and general public come from in-person events, therefore, when COVID-19 hit, I really couldn't do anything else. Last year I was still able to donate 6,000 boxes to the military and sell about 2,000 boxes to the general public, so about 8,000 boxes overall,” Popovich said.
Money earned through the cookie sales for donations to the U.S. military helps to fund Girl Scouts, the same as a standard cookie purchase. Cookies are sent to the military from the Girl Scouts organization through the Soldier’s Angels nonprofit. Using a nonprofit means that cookies are distributed at no cost to Girl Scouts, so 100 percent of donations go to the cookie purchase. Cost of a box of cookies is in general $4 and cost of a case containing 12 boxes is $48.
“By far the most popular cookie with the troops are the Thin Mints and Tag-A-Longs, but they love every type they get. The Girl Scouts works with the non-profit to send an assortment, and sometimes it depends where the cookies are going and if they can be refrigerated,” Popovich said.
Popovich has received letters and social media messages from troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, Alaska and Selfridge Air National Guard Base thanking her for the cookies.
“I have gotten letters back from not only active duty military members, but veterans and family members of those who are currently serving,” Popovich said. “I also receive a lot of letters from people sending in a donation, because they have family members currently deployed, or that they once were deployed and got cookies or a care package, to patriotic people that support our troops irregardless of whether or not they support the reason. The troops love the cookies and are thankful that people at home are thinking about them and the people are grateful that they have a means to send them something.”
To donate to Cookies 4 Troops or make a standard cookie purchase, visit digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/elizabeth9592 or mail a check made out to Girl Scout Troop #75924, c/o Elizabeth Popovich, P.O. Box #437, 51194 Romeo Plank Road, Macomb, MI 48042.
The Link LonkFebruary 08, 2021 at 04:00PM
https://ift.tt/36TONKH
Girl Scout seeks to continue Cookies 4 Troops despite COVID-19 - The Macomb Daily
https://ift.tt/2CmfU4u
Cookies
No comments:
Post a Comment