Friends, family, and Girl Scouts from Troops 242, 10624, and 10730 hiked The Volcanoes Trail at Petroglyph National Monument on Jan. 1, 2023 for the First Day Hike. (Courtesy photo)

 

Last year, Girl Scout Rio Rancho resident Lillie Parrot (10), was the top seller for all of central and northern New Mexico. “I sold 8,389 cookie boxes,” Parrot said.

Her goal was originally 6,000, but she surpassed that with sponsors and booths. This year she lowered her standards to about 1,000 because she wants to give other girls a chance to be the top seller.

While her troop can have individual sales and events, they sometimes get together with other troops to have a cookie rally. The cookie rally allows girls to make snacks, create photo booths and make crafts together. While the focus is generally on cookies, the girls have the opportunity to learn business skills. They learn how to budget, invest, save and spend while still selling cookies.

The cookie season officially kicked off on Jan. 27 and is in motion until through March. They can be purchased by locating a booth or contacting a Girl Scout directly.  The Girl Scouts have a new type of cookie that you put in a wet paper towel and then the microwave to bake it. They are also offering a new flavor called the Raspberry Rally.

But the organization is about more than cookies. One of the areas that Girl Scouts focus on is the outdoors and outdoor skills.

According to Christi Boomer, Parrot’s troop leader,  friends, family and Girl Scouts from Troops 242, 10624 and 10730 hiked The Volcanoes Trail at Petroglyph National Monument on Jan. 1, 2023, for the First Day Hike.

This was the inaugural hike for the Desert Rose Hiking Club (SU152), which supports all Girl Scouts and Troops based in the Rio Rancho area. Parrot’s service unit in New Mexico covers Rio Rancho, Placitas and Bernalillo.

In addition to hikes with the club, Scouts are encouraged to hike with their troops, families and friends. Scouts can log their hikes that are longer than a half mile and earn incremental milestones. The club hopes to offer hikes on a monthly basis this year.

“I like hiking stuff and I like walking with other people and not by myself,” Parrot said.
The organization also looks to give back to the community.
Parrot and other girls sometimes do action projects, which let them help a local cause of their choosing.
“Last time, I created a stick library for dogs at the park. They can grab a stick to play with and return it like a library book,” Parrot said.
This year she is going for the bigger project called the Bronze Award, which is just a larger action project. She says she organized a program to teach fellow Girl Scouts how to take care of their pets properly for this one.