Some of you have already heard that the for the season. Many of us don’t know what happens to those cookies or whom the cookie drives benefit.
The two Healdsburg Patch Whiz Kids for this week have been active Girl Scouts for most of their lives.
Emerald O’Brien, 12, and Ryleigh Norgrove, 11, joined Girl Scouts when they were 7 years old. Together, with several other Healdsburg girls, they have created many memories and adventures and have grown up with confidence and independence.
These girls were very determined to work to pay for all of their uniform and Girl Scout costs that they jumped into each seasonal sales event. The money raised from cookie and autumn treats covered the girls’ badges, vests and overnight experiences.
Over the years, Emerald and Ryleigh and the rest of their troop began to meet and surpass each sales goal and decided to give back to their community.
Last year, through their love of animals, they donated more than $250 to . Emerald and Ryleigh also mentor younger Girl Scouts by running booths for Girl Scout events and will be leaders at the camps this summer.
“I really like all the cool things in Girl Scouts," Ryleigh said. "I get to take cool classes and we have an awesome troop leader (Donna O’Brien].
"Everyone has a positive attitude,” she added.
Emerald and Ryleigh are also very active in the rest of the Healdsburg community, apart from Girl Scouts.
Emerald takes hip hop, jazz and ballet lessons and is a Safe School Ambassador at her middle school. Ryleigh takes ballet and jazz lessons and is also an athlete and plays both soccer and basketball. She also contributes to her school’s newspaper.
These two bubbly girls bring a contagious energy to each person they meet during their cookie sale. People can’t help but smile at the girl dressed like a Samoa cookie and the sweet but not too pushy sales pitch that Ryleigh delivers flawlessly.
“This is the best sales pitch I’ve ever heard,” says Healdsburg resident Mark Walsh, “They are very prepared and very professional. It was an easy sell.”
For Emerald and Ryleigh, it’s not just about selling cookies. It’s about impacting their community with warmth, positivity,and a little bit of sugar.
If you are interested in buying cookies from Emerald and Ryleigh’s troop, Troop Number 10481, you can find them this weekend on Friday, Feb. 25 at Exchange Bank the on the square from 3-6 p.m. or on Saturday, Feb. 26 at from 1-6 p.m.
If you miss both those times, they will also be on the Plaza March 4-6. Watch for girls dressed up like cookies -- they're hard to miss!
