Media Contacts

Sarah Shipe, Director of Communications

503-977-6861, Office | 503-930-5275, Mobile | After Hours 800-626-6543 | sshipe@girlscoutsosw.org

Maureen A. Kenney, Public Relations and Advocacy Manager

503 977-6817, Office | mkenney@girlscoutsosw.org

Thousands of Girl Scout Cookie Booths Open February 14 -- NEW Girl Scout Lemon-Ups™ cookies make their debut!

PORTLAND, OR. – February 12, 2020 – Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington (GSOSW) is about to launch the 2020 Girl Scout Cookie booth season. Lemon-Ups™, crispy lemon cookies baked with messages inspired by Girl Scout entrepreneurs such as “I am a go-getter” and “I am an innovator”, will make their official debut! Cookies can be purchased from more than 30,000 Girl Scout Cookie booths from Friday, February 14 through Sunday, March 8, 2020.

“The Girl Scout Cookie Program is so much more than meets the eye. It teaches valuable life skills and helps girls build that entrepreneurial mindset,” says Director of Communications, Sarah Shipe. “As they run their cookie booth—essentially their own cookie business—girls are building confidence, curiosity and an eye for innovation. These skills lead to academic success and workforce readiness in all kinds of careers—especially those where women are underrepresented.”

COOKIE FINDER

Signature Girl Scout Cookies, including Thin Mints®, Samoas®, Trefoils® and new Lemon-Ups™ will be offered among the eight Girl Scout Cookie varieties at all booths throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Girl Scout S’mores™ cookies and gluten free Toffee-tastic™ specialty cookies are available at select cookie booths while supplies last. Customers can find a Girl Scout Cookie booth near their location with the Cookie Finder at girlscoutsosw.org/cookies or use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app available for iPhone or Android.

THE POWER BEHIND THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIE PROGRAM

The Girl Scout Cookie Program teaches girls the skills they need to become effective leaders, manage finances and gain confidence in handling money—skills that will stay with them for a lifetime. Each box of Girl Scout Cookies sold powers real-life experiences for thousands of local girls.

KEEPING IT LOCAL

100 percent of the net revenue earned from cookie sales remains within the local region. Every purchase of Girl Scout Cookies helps provide for new and unique opportunities for local girls including valuable educational experiences that offer lifelong impact. Girl Scout campers in Oregon and Southwest Washington use cookie program proceeds to fund their own camp and travel adventures. And, nearly every Girl Scout troop uses some portion of their cookie proceeds to give back to their local communities.

COOKIE BOOTH SALES AND COOKIE FINDER

Girl Scouts will sell cookies at booths in front of local retailers throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington from February 14 through March 8, 2020. Customers can find a Girl Scout Cookie booth near their location with the Cookie Finder at girlscoutsosw.org or use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app available for iPhone or Android.

ABOUT THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIE PROGRAM

A little more than a century ago, girls began participating in what would evolve into the largest entrepreneurial training program for girls in the world: the Girl Scout Cookie Program. To learn more about the history of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, please visit girlscoutcookies.org.

ABOUT GIRL SCOUTS OF OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON

In partnership with more than 8,000 adult members, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington prepares 14,500 girls in grades K-12 for a lifetime of leadership, adventure and success. GSOSW’s programs in civic engagement, financial literacy, the outdoors and STEM serve girls in 35 counties in Oregon, and Clark, Klickitat and Skamania counties in Southwest Washington. The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. For more information, please visit girlscoutsosw.org.

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You’ve heard of vegetarian, vegan and maybe even pescatarian. How about flexitarian?

Yep. The flexitarian diet is gaining popularity around tables today. If you’re curious to know more, there’s an upcoming online class that will answer what it is, whether it works and how to start adopting it.

PeaceHealth is presenting the free webinar “How a Flexitarian Diet Could Work for You,” from noon to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 18. Jessy Richards, a PeaceHealth registered dietitian, will be the featured presenter. She will offer insight on:

• What a flexitarian diet is and how it works.
• Pros and cons of a flexitarian diet.
• Easy ways to start adopting a flexitarian diet.

“You might guess from the name that this eating style is a flexible vegetarian diet,” Richards said. “I hope the information in the webinar will inspire people to try more fun, healthy plant-based meals.”

Studies show eating a plant-based diet can make a dramatic difference in our health. In fact, flexitarian and similar eating styles are associated with:

• Improved hypertension.
• Better management of diabetes.
• Lower body weight.
• Decreased risk for heart disease and cancers.
• Reduced need for medications.

“One question I’m often asked is ‘where do you get protein on a plant-based diet?’,” noted Richards. “You might be surprised by how many plants have all the protein you need. I’ll cover all of those sources in this session.”

She also likes to point out that this diet isn’t about what you can’t have. “Flexitarians love focusing on what to add instead of what to take away. You can still have some of your favorite meat-based meals. Just flex them up with lots more plants. Get creative. The sky’s the limit.”

Ready to learn more? Register for the free online webinar at peacehealth.org/flexitarian-diet.

For questions, email healthy-you@peacehealth.org.

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 1,200 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.