Anniversary lemon cookie has a great big Brownie smile

Girl Scout cookie lovers should be aware that the Scouts are extending their 100th anniversary celebration to their annual cookie sale.

This year they are offering a special anniversary cookie, “Savannah Smile,” named after the birthplace (Savannah, Ga.) of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low. It is a lemon wedge cookie in the shape of a “Brownie Smile,” as referenced in a favorite song known to millions of girls and women nationwide.

These cookies, as well as the perennial favorites, will be available for immediate purchase during booth sales in March and April. Find your local booth sale locations at girlscoutcookie.org.

Customers have eight varieties from which to choose: The new Savannah Smiles, Thank U Berry Munch, Samoas, Thin Mints, Trefoils, Tagalongs, Do-si-dos and Dulce de Leche.

A Good Morning America/SodaHead.com poll conducted the first week of January revealed that Thin Mints are the country's most popular Girl Scout cookie, winning with 49 percent of the vote. They were followed by Samoas with 28 percent, Tagalongs with 11 percent, and Do-Si-Dos and Trefoils tied with 6 percent. The poll had more than 28,000 responses.

This annual rite of winter/spring started in 1917 as a simple way for a group of Girl Scouts in Oklahoma to finance their local activities. More than 90 years later, hundreds of thousands of girls ages 5-17 participate in the cookie sale which fosters in them a sense of personal and collective empowerment. It gives girls of all ages the opportunity to practice basic skills they will use throughout their lives, including money management and goal-setting, according to Maria Wynne, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

“It never ceases to impress me the number of women I meet who are Girl Scout alumnae, and can vividly recall their experiences with the Girl Scout Cookie Program,” Wynne said. “These successful business leaders directly link their Girl Scout experiences to their professional growth and development. This is by far an experience that makes a lasting impression,” she added.

Profits from the sale of each $4 box of cookies help the council recruit and train new volunteers; update experienced volunteers; offer council-wide program events and outdoor experiences; maintain council properties; pay for printed materials and postage; provide support for nearly 86,000 girls; and offer financial assistance to girls from economically disadvantages areas.