On a recent Saturday, a trio of Point Loma Girl Scout “sister troops” from Warren-Walker School hosted cookie booths at Hodad’s in Ocean Beach, the Liberty Station Vons, and Jensen’s Foods.
“It was a busy day — coordinating three troops and three booth locations,” said “cookie dad” volunteer Doug Bowman, who was in charge of cookie activities that weekend. He and his wife Cam Bowman, leader of Brownie Troop 4999 and Junior Troop 4920, have two Girl Scout daughters, Addison and Emma. In addition, Doug and Cam volunteer for Daisy Troop 4856, led by Cam’s mother, Girl Scout alum Judie Clayton. Judie also serves as the cookie booth coordinator for Girl Scouts San Diego’s Point Loma Service Unit.  
The Hodad’s location proved a smart choice, noted Bowman. Many diners stopped by for cookies before or after lunch, inspired by the girls’ pitches to people standing in line to get a table. Plus, the surrounding area had its share of passersby. “Newport Avenue gets a ton of foot traffic, with people walking along the storefronts and heading toward the beach or pier,” he said. Last year, the three troops combined sold 8,200 packages of cookies. So far this year they are 7,300 boxes — on track to meet their shared goal of 15,000 packages. As they have in the past, the troops will invest a third of their collective earnings in charitable causes (including supporting literacy organizations and making care packages for Veterans Village and the Humane Society), a third for troop basics like uniforms and badges, and the rest for adventures like troop camping trips and going to Girl Scout summer camp. “Many of the girls went camping for the first time last year, and they can’t wait to reunite with friends they met there,” stated Cam Bowman. She added that she loves how Girl Scouting takes girls out of their neighborhoods to explore the world around them and that it provides unique programming not offered at schools.
The older girls have additional exciting plans coming up. “Our Juniors are raising money for their San Francisco ‘bridging’ trip this spring,” said Doug Bowman, referring to a ceremony commemorating the girls’ progression to Cadettes (grades 6-8), the next Girl Scout program level. They will take part in a special event at the Golden Gate Bridge attended by girls from throughout the state.
The Point Loma troops are supporters of Operation Thin Mint (OTM), a local service project through which cookie customers can support the U.S. military with “a taste of home and a note to show we care.” Since OTM’s inception in 2002, the public has donated more than three million packages of cookies and countless handwritten notes to deployed military troops and local veterans. They look forward to celebrating the success of the program at Girl Scouts San Diego’s OTM Sendoff Family Festival 6-10 p.m. on Friday, April 3. The free community event, which takes place aboard the USS Midway Museum, will feature music, child-friendly activities, photo opportunities, a patriotic pep rally, and museum tours. For details, visit sdgirlscouts.org/otm.
By participating in the cookie program, Girl Scouts practice goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics, and prepare for their futures as the next generation of female leaders.           When the 2020 Girl Scout Cookie Program began on Jan. 26, Girl Scouts rolled out a brand new cookie: Lemon-Ups. Each zesty, crispy cookie will include a message of leadership (like “I am an innovator” or “I am strong”) to inspire girls and cookie customers. For the sixth consecutive year, Thin Mints, Samoas, Do-si-dos, Trefoils, and Tagalongs are $5 per package, as are the new Lemon-Ups. Two specialty products — Girl Scout S’mores and gluten-free Toffee-tactic cookie — are $6 each because of higher production costs. All net cookie revenue stays local to fund programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), outdoors, life skills, and entrepreneurship. Cookie proceeds also support the financial assistance that keeps Girl Scouting available and affordable for all. Girl Scouts is the best place for girls (#BestPlace4girls), preparing them for a lifetime of leadership. All girls in grades K-12 and adult volunteers are welcome to join Girl Scouts at any time during the year; camp registration is now underway. Girl Scouts San Diego has more than 34,500 girl and adult members in San Diego and Imperial counties. Headquartered in Balboa Park, Girl Scouts San Diego maintains two camps in the Cuyamaca Mountains, a program center in Escondido and a service center in Carlsbad. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, join or learn more, visit SDGirlScouts.org and Instagram (@sdgirlscouts).