Cookie Monster
08-26-2006, 03:55 PM
Girl Scouts suing deadbeat parents for cookie money
Cleveland, Ohio - Deadbeat Girl Scout moms and dads who kept the cash from their Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs sales had better fork over the dough.
Girl Scout councils are taking them to court.
It's not just about the money. The Girl Scouts pursue bad debt for principle, too. After all, the Girl Scout Law begins, "I will do my best to be honest and fair."
"Our whole organization is based on values," said Marty Kelly, director of Girl Scouts of Erie Shores, which includes Lorain County. "We have an obligation to the girls and the public to not allow it to happen."
Some groups file police reports to get the deadbeats charged with theft. Others sue. Kelly and other officials say they turn to the law after months of unanswered calls, letters and e-mails seeking payment.
"We don't want the girls to think that we don't collect bad debt," said Kate Donahue, communications officer for Girl Scouts of Lake Erie Council, which covers Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.
"It's all part of the education. We are a business."
Each council handles its own cookie sales, deciding what cookies to sell and when to sell them, usually between October and April, said Marion Swan, spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Cookies sell for $3 a box in Northeast Ohio. Girls take orders and collect the money when they deliver the cookies. The troop gets 45 cents to 55 cents per box. The baker gets about 90 cents. The rest goes to the council, after expenses.
Kelly said her organization has filed claims in municipal courts.
"You have to remind people that it is serious," she said. "This is stealing from girls. This is theft. We have an obligation to the girls, the public and our members to not allow this to happen."
Cleveland, Ohio - Deadbeat Girl Scout moms and dads who kept the cash from their Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs sales had better fork over the dough.
Girl Scout councils are taking them to court.
It's not just about the money. The Girl Scouts pursue bad debt for principle, too. After all, the Girl Scout Law begins, "I will do my best to be honest and fair."
"Our whole organization is based on values," said Marty Kelly, director of Girl Scouts of Erie Shores, which includes Lorain County. "We have an obligation to the girls and the public to not allow it to happen."
Some groups file police reports to get the deadbeats charged with theft. Others sue. Kelly and other officials say they turn to the law after months of unanswered calls, letters and e-mails seeking payment.
"We don't want the girls to think that we don't collect bad debt," said Kate Donahue, communications officer for Girl Scouts of Lake Erie Council, which covers Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.
"It's all part of the education. We are a business."
Each council handles its own cookie sales, deciding what cookies to sell and when to sell them, usually between October and April, said Marion Swan, spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Cookies sell for $3 a box in Northeast Ohio. Girls take orders and collect the money when they deliver the cookies. The troop gets 45 cents to 55 cents per box. The baker gets about 90 cents. The rest goes to the council, after expenses.
Kelly said her organization has filed claims in municipal courts.
"You have to remind people that it is serious," she said. "This is stealing from girls. This is theft. We have an obligation to the girls, the public and our members to not allow this to happen."