Everyone loves Girl Scout cookies, but not everyone knows all the cookies do for the Scouts who sell them.
Selling cookies provides a myriad of benefits that last a lifetime, giving the girls self-confidence, business acumen and entrepreneurial skills, as well as teaching them how to take "no" for an answer and how to budget their money, said Elizabeth Kramer, vice president of philanthropy for Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians.
To promote the cookie program and what it does for the girls, as well as to raise funds for Chattanooga-area Girl Scouts, the council is holding Cookie Creations, a fundraising event at the Tennessee Aquarium, Friday, March 1 from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
The event begins with heavy hors d'oeuvres from Events with Taste that were inspired by Girl Scout cookies, with sweet and savory options such as Tagalong pork mole tacos with chili lime cabbage and queso fresco, and Samoa bang bang shrimp with Sriracha aioli. As guests enjoy their "cookie creations," former Scout Nicole Hughes will speak about her partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics to promote water safety, as well as how Scouting impacted her life in positive ways.
Attendees will then have the opportunity to explore the River Journey portion of the aquarium, where cookie and beer pairing stations will be set up throughout. Local craft brews will be paired with Girl Scout cookies, such as Trefoils with Hutton & Smith's Promenade, and Savannah Smiles with Tennessee Brew Works' Southern Wit.
Money raised through the event will go to Girl Scouts in the Chattanooga area, covering costs including staffing, summer camp, scholarships for individual Scouts, software the Scouts use to learn about badges, and a new outreach program introduced in July. Girl Scout staff now leads programs at three local schools - Hillcrest, Orchard Knob and Woodmore elementaries - where parents were unable to serve as troop leaders.
"We don't want any girls to ever be denied the experience for lack of money," Kramer said.
Tickets are $75 per person, and must be purchased in advance through the council's website at girlscoutcsa.org/en/donate/cookiecreations.html.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.