Did you know that the Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world? Not only is the cookie program fun, but it also helps Girl Scouts learn life and leadership skills. Each cookie season, girls set goals for themselves and their troops and for Girl Scout Daisy Abigail P., this year’s cookie season goal was extra special. Her goal: to donate as many boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to sailors building the future USS Cleveland as possible! (NOTE: The ship is under construction, and it is technically known as PCU Cleveland or the future USS Cleveland.)
Abigail grew up around ships and the U.S. Navy. She learned from her father, an officer in the Navy Reserve, that the U.S. Navy would commission the fourth ship in U.S. history to be named for the city of Cleveland. The ship is currently being built in Wisconsin while its 84 crew members are awaiting the ship’s arrival in Florida. As she was setting up her Digital Cookie site, Abigail had the idea to donate to these Navy crew members.
Determined to sell enough packages for the crew, Abigail explained her goal to her customers and asked if they’d like a portion of their cookie purchase to be donated to the crew members. Out of her 414 packages sold, Abigail hand delivered more than 60 packages to the Florida crew members.
To ensure each crew member would receive at least one box of Girl Scout Cookies, Abigail created a spreadsheet to track her donations. She was intentional with each cookie box, personalizing each package so each crew member would feel special.
For her birthday this year, Abigail traveled to Florida to personally distribute the cookies to the crew with her dad. To get the cookies to Florida, Abigail’s parents tasked her with finding out how best to transfer them—and they all fit in her suitcase!
Through Girl Scouts, Abigail has already learned so many important life skills, which she translates to her Cookie Program. She’s learned about thinking of others and thinking ahead to plan, both of which are implemented in her donation to the crew members.
This isn’t Abigail’s first good deed she’s done through what she’s learned in Girl Scouts. After one troop meeting where she and her troop learned about gratitude, she decided to extend her appreciation to those helping her and her family travel over the holidays. She personally introduced herself and thanked each person who helped them travel—from TSA Agents to the pilots to the desk attendants, Abigail showed her appreciation for their assistance. She even let them choose a piece of chocolate or a candy cane as a token of thanks!
When there’s space for girls’ imaginations to grow, there’s no stopping where they’ll go.
LCS 31, The future USS Cleveland
The future USS Cleveland is currently being built in Wisconsin and will be christened on April 15. This unique ceremony features the ship sponsor, Robyn Modly, smashing a bottle of champagne on the bow. The ship then slides and splashes into the water. From there, it’ll take 14-16 months for the crew to take over for sea and acceptance trials. In the summer of 2024, the ship will arrive in Cleveland for commissioning week. The commissioning ceremony will be held on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland. After the commissioning ceremony, the ship will officially be USS Cleveland and operate out of Naval Station Mayport Florida. Once the ship has completed its service life, the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation plans to bring the ship back to Cleveland where it will serve as a museum and memorial by the Great Lakes Science Center.
