It was a rainy, dreary afternoon, but the members of Girl Scout Troop 20253 charmed the crowd Friday, serving up megawatt smiles and steaming pans of baked ziti at Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen.
They baked the pasta, tossed the salad and made the garlic bread themselves, but at the end of the meal, they had a special dessert for their lunch guests — boxes and boxes of Girl Scout cookies.
The 11-member, home-schooled troop sold a staggering 11,500 boxes of cookies this season, including 288 boxes which were charity donations to Loaves and Fishes and Palmer Home for Children.
Natalie Runyon sold more than 2,000 boxes. She attributes her salesmanship to smiling and being friendly, even when people didn’t respond in kind. Along the way, she lost her fear of handling money and started to have fun. She said selling the cookies is one of her favorite activities as a Scout, but she enjoys helping others even more.
Like many of the girls, who range in age from sixth to 10th grade, she volunteered at Loaves and Fishes previously with her church.
“I just love people,” she said. “It’s somewhat humbling to serve others. I like to think I’m doing something for people, making a difference in their lives. That’s nice.”
And, shyly, she smiles and admits she’s become swift at making change for purchases.
That doesn’t surprise troop volunteer Diane Isler, who has noticed the same confidence in her two daughters, troop members Erin Isler, 15, and Emily Isler, 11.
She’s noticed a particularly marked change in Erin, who used to prefer keeping to herself rather than interacting with others. During the cookie sale, she was right there with her friends, brightly asking everyone she met, if they would like to buy cookies or donate a box to charity.
The confidence has carried over into the rest of her life, but Diane Isler really noticed it this week when she watched her normally shy daughter interacting with strangers, while working as a hostess during the Columbus Spring Pilgrimage.
Through the annual cookie sales, the girls learn business, math and communication skills, along with the pleasure of hard work and seeing a goal to completion. But they all admitted being a little surprised at how successful this year’s sale was.
“I think none of us had any idea we could sell as many as we sold,” Diane Isler said. “They gave up other activities they wanted to do to meet their selling goals.”
Sonia Seguin, daughter of Columbus Air Force Base Col. Barre Seguin and Girl Scout Troop Leader Nancy Seguin, sold more than 2,000 boxes as well, noting the best part was being with her friends, sharing the organization they love.
And this love led Nancy Seguin to form the troop. When she and her family arrived in Columbus in July 2010, she was disappointed to learn there was no troop for home-schooled girls, so she did what she has always done — she formed one.
She was a Girl Scout herself, and she said her daughters, Sonia, 11, and Marie, 14, are equally as passionate about the organization, so every time they move to a new city, she starts a troop.
Nancy Seguin was particularly proud of the Scouts Friday, not just for the amount of cookies they sold, but also because they wanted to use some of their profits to serve the families at Loaves and Fishes. They will take a trip to see Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low’s home in Savannah, Ga. and visit nearby Tybee Island, Ga. as a treat.
“I’m really proud of them, because although they have this wonderful, exciting trip planned, serving others was still the highest priority,” Seguin said.
In December, they made more than 5,000 gift bags to be distributed to children during the Celebration of Hope holiday outreach campaign.
The girls served lunch to more than 100 people Friday. The soup kitchen serves hot meals to the hungry and homeless on Mondays and Fridays, with area churches providing the food and service organizations helping serve it.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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