Powegians featured in Girl Scout Cookie sale campaign

Poway Cadette Girl Scouts Katie and Ellie O’Connell are among 60 members of the San Diego council featured in this year’s international Girl Scout Cookie sale marketing materials.

The century-old annual tradition begins Sunday with area Girl Scouts going door-to-door selling cookies to raise money for troop activities, projects and endeavors. Booth sales outside stores will begin Feb. 9. The sale will conclude on March 11.

This is the first time the San Diego council was selected by its supplier — Little Brownie Bakers — for the annual marketing campaign. The company produces cookies for 76 councils across the U.S. plus Puerto Rico and military families in Europe.

“Each year, Little Brownie Bakers selects a Girl Scout council — or sometimes more than one — to partner with,” said Mary Doyle, director of communications for Girl Scouts San Diego. “The goal is to showcase outstanding programs. It was a longtime dream for us to see San Diego girls representing Girl Scouts nationally.

“The timing was perfect,” she said. “When the photo shoot was held last January, we had just launched our celebration of 100 years of Girl Scouting in San Diego.”

Doyle said 60 Girl Scouts and four leaders were selected from around the council’s 23,000 girl and 12,000 adult members by council staff to pose for photos and videos taken at six locations in 21 different set-ups that yielded more than 1,800 still images. Videos also include local female entrepreneurs and business owners who described how the skills and experience they developed selling Girl Scout Cookies still benefits them today. Among those featured were Mary Jean Anderson of Anderson Plumbing, AMN Healthcare CEO Susan Salka and attorney Claudia Silva.

The O’Connell sisters — Katie, 14, and Ellie, 12 — are members of Poway Troop 8157. They joined nine years ago as Daisy Girl Scouts and their mother, Lisa Suzuki-O’Connell, is their troop leader.

Doyle said council staff selected the girls based on their past involvement with the organization. The sisters are in the council’s A-Troop program, which means they represent Girl Scouts at special events. In addition to their troop’s wind ensemble, they are among four girls selected a couple years ago councilwide to perform in the Girl Scouts San Diego String Quartet.

Their appearances have included playing before San Diego Symphony concerts and they have custom-made gowns that incorporate their Girl Scout vests, their mother said. The quartet plays chamber and classical music, with Katie playing the viola and Ellie second violin.

“We don’t know of any other (Girl Scout string quartets) in the country,” Suzuki-O’Connell said. “Their goal is to play in New York or at the White House. That is their dream.”

Doyle said the marketing campaign is designed “to illustrate the many aspects of Girl Scouting and what girls can achieve by participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.” Some photos are on the 1.25 million cookie advanced order forms used by councils.

The O’Connell sisters said they were “really excited” to participate. While at a house in Point Loma they posed together and with other girls for photos. In videos they were filmed using Girl Scout cookies to make cupcakes, Katie played guitar while girls sang Girl Scout songs like “Make New Friends,” and Ellie was given lines to say during a training video designed to teach girls how to encourage purchases by the case instead of box.

“It helped me learn a lot about sales,” Ellie said.

“I’ve never done anything like this,” Katie said. “It was a really cool experience. I like trying new things.”

The girls said they have seen one of the videos and their photos in a sales booklet and cookie magazine. “I’ve seen girls (in those before) and thought it would be really cool to do,” Katie said.

“It was a huge honor that they were asked to do this,” Suzuki-O’Connell said. “We’ve gotten calls from a ton of people who recognized them.”

“What I like best about selling cookies is how it is going to help me in the future, (learning) sales, work ethics and business skills,” said Ellie, who said Thin Mints are her favorite cookie.

Katie said she has learned people and business skills. “When I was younger, I was very shy, but having to talk to people to buy cookies and promote the product took me out of my shell,” she said. “It made me more outspoken, less shy and confident.” Her favorite cookie variety is Samoas.

The San Diego council is offering eight flavors. The “core varieties” of Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos and Savannah Smiles are $5 per box, while specialty cookies (Girl Scout S’mores and gluten-free Toffee-tastic) are $6 since they are “more expensive to produce due to specialty equipment and methods,” Doyle said.

email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com