SAN ANTONIO – A group of San Antonio Girl Scouts is getting ready to trade cookie booths for Broadway and historic landmarks after spending years working toward a shared goal.
Eleven girls from Girl Scout Troop 702 will travel to New York City from August 5-8, a trip they funded largely through Girl Scout cookie sales.
The troop has spent the past three years working toward the experience, selling about 8,000 boxes of cookies each year.
“We had our goal and we reached our goal, and now we get to go to New York,” said Bella Lozano, who is entering sixth grade at St. Matthew’s Catholic School and has been a Girl Scout for seven years.
For many of the girls, it will be their first visit to New York City. Lozano said she’s most excited to see a Broadway show and learn more about American history.
“We all have our history lessons, so the history that happened in New York was, I think, really eye-catching to us,” she said.
The itinerary also includes visits to the Statue of Liberty and the National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum.
“I’m most looking forward to the Statue of Liberty because I think it’s a key monument for our country,” Ava Barrera said.
Julianna Reyes said visiting the 9/11 Memorial will be especially meaningful.
“It’s a way to honor all the people who helped get people to safety and to remember everyone who sadly died,” she said.
Along the way, the girls say selling cookies has taught them lessons that extend far beyond business.
“I’ve learned how much it means to be a leader and how it means to work as a group,” Maeve Tynan said.
The scouts also credited patience, a positive attitude and confidence for helping them meet their fundraising goal.
“Anything is possible,” Barrera said. “We never gave up.”
Read also: