“One of the interesting things about Girl Scouts is that the girls are the ones that get to decide who and what groups they support with their fund raising. As leaders, we can offer suggestions but the girls have to make the final call. ;) Not some yahoos in New York or wherever.”
That’s good that the girls get to decide where their share of thw money goes. But it sidesteps the real issue; the bulk of the revenues from cookie sales go right back to the central organization. The troops organize and sell the cookies and do the bulk of the work. And for that the troops receive a pittance. It’s the “yahoos in New York or wherever” who are profiting from this arrangement.
I can't stress the importance of getting involved with your (general you) child's activities and getting to know the people influencing your child whether it be Girl Scouts, dance or sports. I just hate to see a good organization summarily dismissed based on what some are doing. We can find examples of people holding ideals we disagree with in just about any group or activity whether it be Little League, dance or whatever. I choose not to let my child play sports in leagues where the coach stresses winning at any cost. I don't allow my daughters to dress like hoochiemamams for dance programs, and I certainly won't allow an organization to promote abortion or sex to them. The worst thing I've seen in all the years I've been involved is they have apparently jumped on the Green Bandwagon. My Junior was reading from her book yesterday and comparing the energy consumption between the US vs. Bolivia, some African countries, India, China, etc. What kind of GS leader would I be if I didn't tell her to go look up the some other facts about those same countries like average life span, access to education, employment not to mention electricity and running water! ;)