“Sisterhood” is a word commonly associated with sororities and friendship, but it is also a mentality many girls learn early on in life, one taught to them by Girl Scouts.
The organization, which has more than 2 million members nationally, aims to empower girls by teaching them the importance of honesty, fairness, confidence, sisterhood and so many other values.
Girl Scouts is an organization many girls grow out of at an early age and one most are no longer a part of by the time they enter college. Kappa Delta has made it their mission to continue to empower young girls and help them grow into strong women.
One way they do this is partnering with Girl Scouts.
The sorority worked closely with the young girls in the organization by selling Girl Scout Cookies. The treats are sold at $4 a box and were sold around campus in February.
This year, Kappa Delta helped the girls raise $3,500, surpassing the girls’ previous records. In 2015 they raised $2,000, and in 2014 they raised $1,500.
Sophomore Genny Tankosich, Kappa Delta’s vice president of community service, said she thinks this year’s successful cookie sales had a lot to do with how long the selling season was in comparison to past years.
“We added an extra week of sales this year, and it ended up working out well because the campus was super receptive to the sales,” she said.
Though Tankosich thinks the extra week contributed greatly to the success, credit is also due elsewhere.
Junior Kelly Reagan, president of Elon’s chapter of Kappa Delta, said the head of public relations, senior Katie Pownall, did a wonderful job promoting the event.
“We also have a really great girl on PR who did a lot of awesome work of promoting the weeks,” Tankosich said.
One other reason Reagan believes they were so successful was because they were able to work with the girls directly, and that students could pay with Phoenix Cash.
“The Girl Scouts do most of the work, though,” she said. “They are great. The Girl Scouts have gotten really good at working the booths at Elon because we have been working with them for a few years now.”
Reagan said she personally has seen them grow more confident and comfortable talking to college-aged students over the years.
For Tankosich, one of the best parts of helping the Girl Scout troops is getting to spend time with the young girls.
“You get to see them grow over time and really get to know them,” she said. “It’s one of the things I really love about working with the organization.”
Not only do they get to see these girls grow, but they also get to help them do so. Kappa Delta has been working with Girl Scouts since 1998 and has become the sorority’s national philanthropy since then.
According to the Girl Scouts website, “Kappa Delta Sorority members serve as volunteers, guiding Girl Scouts across the country through their leadership journeys and mentor girls to help them realize their full potential.”
On top of helping girls sell cookies, Tankosich said Kappa Delta brings the girls onto campus for events. For example, the girls were also on campus for Halloween and other holidays. There will also be a badge day held on campus May 1, where they get to earn badges for their work throughout the year.
“For the Halloween event, we watched movies in the house and wore costumes,” Reagan said. “We also decorated cookies and watched ‘Elf’ during Christmas time. We also support their events such as World Thinking Day and Daisy Days by helping set up and run the events.”
The Girls Scout website also says, “Kappa Delta chapters host confidence-building and anti-bullying events, International Girls Day celebrations and other activities that expose girls to life on campus.”
Some of the ways the girls of Kappa Delta do this is by challenging the chapter members to step out of their comfort zone.
“When I work the Girl Scout booth, I try to promote confidence by encouraging the girls to ask the college students to buy cookies,” Reagan said. “I also ask the girls to teach me how to sell the cookies.”
Working with these girls and teaching them to be strong, confident women is something Kappa Delta girls aim for.
“I love getting to know the girls so I’ll ask them what they do in their free time or what they’re involved in at school,” Reagan said. “One girl told me she was in show choir and I did that in middle school, so I did my song and dance for the girls and they all laughed. I hope they saw that it is okay to be goofy and yourself. I hope they will strive to be comfortable in their own skin.”