BY K. MCSTAY

HERALD DEMOCRAT

It's safe to break out that box of Thin Mints you've been hoarding in your fridge: Girl Scout cookie pre-orders begin Friday, and booth sales kickoff in mid-February. The cookies, however, are more than just a delicious treat. Money from cookie sales help finance the activities of Girl Scout troops across Texoma, whether it be helping out charities or sending the girls to camps.

"This year, our girls have opted to go to I.P. College," said Sondra Hash, the Cookie Chair for Grayson County. She currently works with a troop of Cadets, girls from the sixth to the ninth grade. This year, the cookie proceeds will fund, among other activities, a trip to the Interest Project College, a place where the girls can stay on the college campus, go to classes and earn patches. "They get college life experience," Hash said.

"It's a great opportunity to see what college will be like before we get there," said Isabelle Hutchinson, a 14-year-old who has been in Girl Scouts for nine years and has been selling cookies since she was 6 years old. The I.P. College is a new activity for the troop, she said, which is part of the appeal.

The money from the cookies, however, benefits the Troop in other ways. "They're self-funding," Hash said. "They use their funds to go to events throughout the year, and they're exposed to all kinds of activities, workshops and learning experiences."

Cookies are also donated to different services organizations. Troop to Troop is a program that sends cookies to members of the military overseas. Locally, the Cadet Troop also supports the Bonham Veteran's Hospital in Bonham and the Sherman Meals on Wheels program. The girls donate boxes of cookies to both organizations.

"We have some relatives in the military, so that was a given," Hash said. The troop also looked through other local charities, and discovered that Meals on Wheels was frequently in need. "We wanted to donate at least cookies, and then dessert would be filled for a month or so."

Hutchinson said that the donations to local charities are especially important. "We need to make sure we stay in tune to our roots," she said. Giving to the VA Hospital was particularly special, because of the reactions the cookies brought. "They were so happy," she said.

Selling the cookies teaches girls more than just how to market something, Hash said. "For many girls, its their first exposure to entrepreneurship," she said. "They have to figure out how they want to handle the profits." Hutchinson adds that girls learn to interact with others. "I've learned how to deal with people that I wouldn't normally deal with," she said. "You have to learn how to get yourself out there and be a sales person."

That interaction, she said, is her favorite part of the job. "I enjoy getting out into the community," she said. "The people who buy the cookies have got some really great stories about how long they've been buying them."