Initially reluctant to take on one more thing, Jenifer Starr of Lycoming County found a home with Girl Scouts.
Her daughter, Brylea Starr, has grown into a dynamic Girl Scout Cookie sales Ambassador, prompting Jenifer to take an active role in the Girl Scout organization.
When Brylea began Girl Scouts in seventh grade, Jenifer said she had no idea selling the organization’s signature cookies would become a passion and a practical way to earn money to participate in Girl Scout events, camps, and activities.
As a single parent, Jenifer was not interested in taking on more activities, but after Brylea’s friend Riley introduced her daughter to Girl Scouts, and her mom Pam provided the much-needed ride, she was “hooked.”
“At first, Girl Scouts was an outlet only for Brylea and [allowed] me to have a little bit of time to myself,” Jenifer explained, but after Girl Scouts became a meaningful outlet for Brylea and a way to use her talents, Jenifer began volunteering more, too.
When a chance to become co-leader opened, Jenifer was ready to take the plunge. It was during this time Brylea became a “super seller” with a lifetime cookie sales tally of more than 13,000 packages.
Brylea spoke at the 2022 Girl Scout National Product Program Conference in Hershey about her cookie-selling experience and what that success has meant to her. Brylea originally set high sales goals to pay her own way to camp. This was important to her because she knew money was tight at home. She later saw a trip to Kalahari Resorts was a prize and set a new goal. “She wanted to earn that prize so she could pay for a vacation for our family,” Jenifer recalled.
Even during the Coronavirus pandemic years, Brylea could not be stopped.
“She got creative and turned to social media” to keep pace with her cookie sales goals, Jenifer said. These efforts landed her an interview with WNEP’s Ryan Leckey for one of their “Reasons to Smile” segments.
Since hitting her first 3K sales year, “it’s been crazy ever since. Her troop mates love to watch her sell but think she is a little nutty,” Jenifer explained. As you can imagine, Brylea’s sales are part of what landed Jenifer in her position as TCC or Troop Cookie Chair.
Brylea has also been fundraising to begin the Gold Awards process with her troop.
“I have always had a knack for fundraising, and my daughter definitely picked up that passion from me,” Jenifer said. Jenifer does not take credit for her cookie “STARR-DOM” as they call it. Instead, she stated, “Brylea has worked hard and taught herself a lot of what she knows now and enjoys sharing her passion with younger girls.”
Jenifer encourages her girls to use their talents and interests, something she credits with helping them get along while keeping the troop diverse and involved.
Along with her current troop of Ambassadors, Jenifer co-leads a Daisy troop.
Working alongside other troops during cookie season has been a helpful and educational experience, she said.
“Partnering older girls and younger girls together really is the magic formula for selling lots of cookies! It also teaches each of the girls so much,” Jenifer explained.
Jenifer enjoys handling the details – from the paperwork to banking tasks.
“I am Type A (personality) for sure, and I love connecting small businesses with non-profits and organizations to help them work together. My daughter has forced me into this love for Girl Scouts, so watching it all come together is very rewarding,” Jenifer said.
Last year’s Camporee was Jenifer’s first, and it was an experience she’ll never forget. Tasked with filling in as one of the head planners when a family emergency created a leadership shortage, Jenifer rose to the occasion – and she’s glad she did.
“Seeing the joy on the girls’ faces when they are having fun and learning once the events happen, is the best part,” Jenifer shared. “That and the spreadsheets. … Anyone that knows me knows I love a good spreadsheet.”