Schlueter’s mother agreed. That’s why the troop leader had both her daughters participate every year.
“Mom would send all of us out,” Schlueter said. “It was just a great early experience to have.”
Girl Scout cookies have stuck with Schlueter, who is a recent recipe contest winner who regularly enters contests across the country and for magazine, for whom she is also a volunteer field editor. When last year held its first Girls Scout Cookies recipe contest, Schlueter said she couldn’t resist.
“I thought `Oh my gosh, I definitely want to enter that,’” she said. The result was her German chocolate ice cream cookie torte, which she summed up in one word: “Decadent.”
But listening to Schlueter reflect on being a Girl Scout and selling cookies, it’s clear the influences go beyond the culinary kind.
“When I was a kid I was really, really shy, and I think Girl Scouts, especially through the cookie sales, helped me be more social and feel more comfortable talking to people,” she said. “I can’t say that Girl Scouts was a factor in my joining (the Navy), but it did give me an empowered experience that made me feel like I was strong and capable, much like the way serving in our military made me feel.”
In addition to door-to-door sales and booths at retail centers, Girl Scout Cookies can now also be purchased online and by using the “Cookie Locator” app. Visit www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org to find out more.