New phone application helps you satisfy a sweet tooth
- Article
- Comments (0)
- Photos (1)
|
|
Girl Scout cookie lovers will soon be able to use their smart phones to find the nearest cookie booths. Courtesy of Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois |
Daily Herald report
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois recently announced that the Girl Scout Cookie Program is going mobile as part of a national pilot program.
Cookie lovers will soon be able to use their smart phones to find the nearest cookie booths and a list of dates and times when those booths will be open. No more driving to the grocery store only to find that the cookie booth is located at a different store on that day.
Girl Scout cookie booths are the final phase of the cookie program and allow people to buy Girl Scout cookies through direct sales to the public. All booth locations accept cash and checks payable to Girl Scouts. All eight varieties of Girl Scout Cookies will be on sale for $4 a box. Girls will be selling cookies at various times on weekends at cookie booths inside area locations from Feb. 25-March 20.
The Cookie Locator App can be downloaded for free by simply calling **GSCookies (**472665437) from your mobile phone or by searching for “Cookie Locator” in the iPhone App Store or Android Marketplace.
“People often underestimate the number of Girl Scout cookies they want to order and end up wishing they’d ordered more. Or they don’t know a Girl Scout who can help them,” said Madelon Koerner, director of product sales for GSNI. “Now customers can download an app on their smart phone and find their favorite treats fast.”
The application, which is available for iPhone and Android devices, uses either GPS or manually entered ZIP codes, cities or states to find cookie booths near the customer. The app will conveniently map those locations and add the sale information to the calendar. In addition to locating the booths, customers can learn about their favorite cookies, including nutritional value and ingredients. Cookie lovers can take a fun, interactive quiz to learn their “cookie personalities.”
Users will also be able to share sale locations, cookie information, and their cookie personalities with friends on Facebook, Twitter, and via e-mail.
“The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches girls business and leadership skills. And this new method of reaching customers teaches them about the benefits of using relevant technology to achieve their goals,” said Vicki Wright, CEO of GSNI. “Girl Scouts also learn to serve their communities, so the purchase of cookies supports girls and benefits our whole community in many direct and indirect ways.”
Other councils piloting the mobile Cookie Locator include: Colorado, Greater Atlanta, Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Kentuckiana, Louisiana East, Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf, Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys, the Nation’s Capital, Northeast Ohio, Northeast Texas, Northern California, Northern New Jersey, Ohio’s Heartland, Oregon and Southwest Washington, San Diego-Imperial, Southwest Texas, West Central Florida, Western Ohio, and Western Oklahoma.
Cookie Locator was developed by Little Brownie Bakers. Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois began an exclusive partnership with Little Brownie Bakers of Louisville, Ky. in 2011. There are two bakers licensed to make Girl Scout cookies: ABC/Interbake and Little Brownie Bakers. In 2010, GSNI worked with both bakers, since the council had recently merged from four councils into one and therefore honored existing contracts with each baker. However, in order to streamline service to girls, volunteers, and customers Little Brownie Bakers was ultimately selected as GSNI’s baker for 2011-2013/
If you’re not approached by a Girl Scout, you can e-mail cookies4you@girlscoutsni.org, and your cookie order will be passed on to a local Girl Scout. Customers can also visit www.girlscoutsni.org and use the cookie locator on the homepage.
Proceeds from the Girl Scout Cookie Program directly benefit girls in northern Illinois, supporting Girl Scout programs, camp scholarships, volunteer training, membership assistance, and outreach programs. Each troop receives a portion of the proceeds as discretionary funds for troop activities. In fact, the Girl Scout Cookie Program is one of the few youth-oriented programs in the country providing its participants the ability to decide how to direct the proceeds generated through their business activity.
Through Girl Scouting, girls become leaders in their daily lives and prepare for their futures. To millions of girls, Girl Scout Cookies provide an opportunity to travel, explore science and math, and learn about a career. Girls have the opportunity to give back to their community through the Girl Scout Cookie Program with the Gift of Caring: Cookies for Soldiers or the Community Gift of Caring. Girls can choose from offering customers the chance to purchase cookies for soldiers, or purchase cookies for a community organization designated by the troop.
For more information on the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and the Girl Scout Cookie Program, visit www.girlscoutsni.org.
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois serves over 20,000 girls in 16 counties across northern Illinois, including Boone, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Winnebago, and Whiteside counties. Visit www.girlscoutsni.org.
