Girl Scout troops succeed during pandemic

While COVID-19 halted activities for a few months for Trumansburg Girl Scout troops last year, they’re now back in the swing of things, and cookies are selling quickly. This year, instead of going door to door, area troops have concentrated on selling to friends and family and setting up cookie sales tables at T-burg Shur-Save.

For those still looking for the beloved treats, the next pop-up is scheduled at Shur-Save for March 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Troop co-leader Angie Gemignani said that her troop of juniors (second- to fourth-grade girls) has sold 1,900 boxes so far, and at their last pop-up, they sold out by 1:30 p.m.

“Cookie sales have been great,” Gemignani said. “It was a little harder this year because cookie sales were moved to December, and I think before Christmas time, everybody is out of money and they don’t want to buy sweets. But we’re getting a real rush of sales now from a combination of online sales and our booth. I think we’re one of the only troops selling inside.”

Shannon McCarrick is the co-leader for the local daisies troop, made up of first- and second-graders, who also set up at Shur-Save this year and sold out before the day was over. The troop set up outside the building and wore snowsuits, and McCarrick said the girls enjoyed it.

“Cookie sales are a big deal for daisies because they’re just learning to count money,” McCarrick said. “It’s a good lesson for them to greet people and learn how to answer questions. We had great luck. People are happy to see Girl Scout cookies. It feels normal.”

Both troops have had to change the way they sell cookies as well as the way they gather in 2020 and 2021. Girl Scout sponsored events have been canceled, including the yearly camping trips, and most large troops have been scheduling activities that are outdoors. The scouts work toward badges throughout the year, and luckily, outdoor activities fit well for many of them.

“There was the option to get a Zoom account for the troop, but our girls are just done with technology,” Gemignani said. “We found things to do outside like snow tubing at Greek Peak, hiking, learning about animal habitats at Taughannock, geocaching at Camp Comstock.”

The Girl Scouts Council created a virtual troop option for anyone who couldn’t participate in in-person events. So far, no Trumansburg scouts have joined, but there are attendees from Newfield, Ithaca and Bath.

The daisy troop formed in 2019, and when the pandemic hit, McCarrick said they were just settling into a routine. They stopped meeting for a few months, but in the fall, the girls expressed interest in picking it up again.

“We just met outdoors and bounced around to Taughannock, Cayuga Nature Center. We tapped maple trees,” McCarrick said. “Daisies earn petals, and there are other patches they can get. We’re getting the outdoors one this year, and to them, it’s a really big deal to put stuff on your vest. When you’re 6, that’s really exciting.”

For older scouts, things have been less about cookie sales and outdoor activities and more about going after their goals. Sarah Brainard is a troop co-leader for a group of ambassadors, girls in 11th grade, and she has three scouts working toward a “gold award.” This is the highest honor given in Girl Scouts.

Each girl must find a community leader to work with, develop a project, propose it and then implement it. They have to log 80 hours on the project over two years and gather a team of adults and peers to help support it. Brainard’s girls are working on plans about cookbooks, cooking classes and mutual aid boxes, and she said that they’ve adapted their ideas well to the current state of things.

“It’s been interesting. When we proposed projects, we thought that COVID would be done,” Brainard said. “It has been really great as a leader to see my girls rethink it, like ‘What can I do now?’ It’s been a challenge, and yet, I think it’s a blessing because they’re stepping up to it. They’re accepting it and making it happen.”

The ambassadors are a group of 12, and most of them have been in the troop together since they were daisies. Brainard has been their troop leader for eight years, moving up each year with them. She said the group feels like a family, and she’s painfully aware of how their journey is coming to its end.

“It’s been an amazing time to watch them grow,” Brainard said. “There’s a bit of sadness in the sense of what COVID has taken away, but it’s also made us stronger because we’ve had to think outside of the box and do things that we wouldn’t have before. I’m always amazed at their resiliency.”

All the troop leaders agreed that keeping the girls engaged in scout activities was important for their mental health. McCarrick said that for most of her girls, it’s been the only activity they’ve been able to attend during the pandemic.

“It’s been the one consistent thing outside of school that’s given them some time to socialize with kids their age in a group setting,” McCarrick said. “I think they really wanted to stick with girl scouts because it gives them something to look forward to.”

As things open up more and more, local troop leaders are hopeful that things will get back to normal for their troops. They are looking forward to hopefully camping later this year and getting together with other troops.

In Brief:

I’ll Pray For You

On March 13 from 10 a.m. to noon at Calvary Baptist Church in Trumansburg, author Donna Wayles will be sharing from her recently published book, “I’ll Pray for You: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Surviving Domestic Violence.” Wayles’ story is about how after years of abuse by her Christian husband, she escaped to find God gives happier-ever-afters. This event is open to the public. Find more info at www.authordwayles.org