It’s an annual initiative that many look forward to all year; it’s the largest girl-led business in the world: the sale of the popular Girl Scout cookie.

The program isn’t just about selling an array of delicious cookies to the masses. The young ladies in Girl Scouts learn valuable life skills through the effort, according to Kimberly Boyd, leader of Troop 1016, a Girl Scout troop based in Chocowinity.

Girl Scouts of North Carolina Coastal Pines kicked off its 2016 Girl Scout Cookie Sale program last weekend and began setting up thousands of cookie booths throughout central and eastern North Carolina.

Not only does the launch of the program mean Girl Scouts are working to raise money for the many activities, trips and programming in which they participate, but it also facilitates a sense of responsibility and use of life skills, according to Boyd.

“It actually teaches them these life skills they can use down the road,” Boyd said. “We really want to emphasize that the program is more than just a fundraiser.”

Boyd said the girls learn how to deal with money and count change back to customers, a component of money management. It also teaches them people skills and business ethics in the form of dealing with customers of different attitudes and from all walks of life. Marketing the products to appeal to customers, making decisions on where to set up booths to get the highest volume of traffic and face-to-face dealings make for good lessons in business, Boyd said.

“Most of the time when you walk up to a cookie booth, you will see the girls doing all the work while the adult volunteers are there to supervise and offer guidance as needed,” Boyd said. “Most of our customers seem to really appreciate this.”

Another vital component of the campaign is goal setting, according to Boyd. Based on the number of boxes sold by each girl, incentives are offered in prizes, from pencils to movie and museum tickets. The incentive program allows the girls to shoot for a certain personal achievement based on their desired goal, Boyd said.

“Girl Scouts help girls learn skills to help us in our future adult lives,” said Elizabeth Williams, a 14-year-old member of Troop 3028 of Washington. “It helps prepare us for adulthood through learning how to communicate and work as a team. We learn how to set goals and take little steps to achieve a bigger goal. We learn how to manage our money and spend it wisely, and we learn how to treat our customers in a polite and respectful way.”

For the Girl Scouts, the fundraiser is the primary stream of income used to set up programming, take trips and participate in activities. Once the money is raised, decision-making, another important life skill, comes into play.

“The girls get to decide how they want to spend the money they earn from the sale,” Boyd said. “Funds are used for meeting supplies, activities, field trips, camping, community service projects and other things.”

Fourteen Girl Scout troops in Beaufort County, with girls ranging from Kindergarten-age to high school seniors, will be hosting sales through March 6 and have booths set up on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information on the cookie sale visit www.nccoastalpines.org. While you are there enter your zip code in the find cookies box that appears on the home page to find out where a cookie booth is near you. One can also download the Girl Scouts “Cookie Finder” app or contact Area Cookie Manager Maria Dickinson at 252-944-5020 or by email at mea_dickinson@yahoo.com.