Starting this January, thousands of local girls will gain valuable knowledge while providing the community with a special treat - Girl Scout Cookies®.

The Girl Scout Cookie Activity, an integral part of Girl Scouting's Business and Economic Literacy initiative for girls ages 6-18, provides finance, marketing and public speaking skills, along with valuable experiences that build girls' self-confidence and help them develop their own personal leadership style. In fact, many successful women have credited their business skills to this program, making it the premier business and economic literacy training program for girls in the United States.

"The Girl Scout Cookie Activity is a valuable part of the Girl Scout experience," said Jean C. Jones, president and CEO of Girl Scouts - Mile Hi Council. "It is always exciting to see girls developing skills that will help them in the future."

Just like most successful businesswomen, Girl Scouts have been listening to their customers and, this year, have several exciting new cookie offerings. First off, all cookie varieties will have zero grams of trans fat per serving. There's also a new chocolate brownie cookie that's sugar-free and great with a glass of milk - Little Brownies.

Girls will be taking door-to-door orders from Saturday, Jan. 13 to Friday, Jan. 26. They will also be conducting additional door-to-door sales and selling cookies at retail locations from Friday, Feb. 16 to Sunday, March 4. Customers can select from eight delicious cookie varieties this year: All Abouts, Café Cookies, Do-si-Dos, Little Brownies, Samoas, Tagalongs, Thin Mints and Trefoils. All Girl Scout Cookies cost $3.25 per box, and all money raised supports girls in the Mile Hi Council, with 55 cents going directly to the Girl Scout troop.

Making the world a better place is central to the Girl Scout mission. So during the cookie activity, Girl Scouts will continue to honor the non-profit organizations, armed forces and uniformed personnel who are so important to our community through Mile Hi Council's Gift of Caring/Hometown Heroes Program. Through this program, customers have the opportunity to purchase a box of cookies to donate to Girl Scouts' Hometown Heroes - a perfect solution for those who pass on the tempting treats! All Gift of Caring/Hometown Heroes purchases are tax deductible and benefit both the troop and the heroes. Last year's program netted more than 60,000 boxes for more than 500 different community organizations.

Since 1917, the Girl Scout Cookie Activity has become a famous annual event that has helped girls develop important leadership skills they will use throughout their lives. Whether they are dreaming of becoming a doctor, teacher, businesswoman, president of the PTA or superstar athlete, this program gives them the self-esteem they need to reach for the stars.

Through the Girl Scout Cookie Activity, girls manage inventory, set goals, learn money management and develop marketing skills. Essentially, the girls run their own businesses. The entire troop sets a goal and follows a plan leading toward that goal. Girls in each troop decide on how to use funds from the cookie activity, often paying for service projects or exciting trips. In Mile Hi Council last year, troops earned $1.22 million for these activities. Proceeds from the cookie activity also go to support programs for girls and training for volunteers across the council.

Please call Girl Scouts - Mile Hi Council at 303-778-8774, ext. 331, or go to www.girlscoutsmilehi.org for more information about ordering cookies. For more information on being part of the fun and friendship of Girl Scouting, call 303-778-8774 or visit the council Web site at www.girlscoutsmilehi.org and click on "Join Us."

Girl Scouts - Mile Hi Council is where girls in Denver and 13 surrounding counties gain courage, confidence and character alongside a group of girls who will be their friends for life. It's a safe place for girls to explore their world, develop an understanding and empathy for others, and take action to make the world a better place. Girls are guided by committed, caring adults who make learning fun. No other activity helps each girl achieve her personal leadership pathway like Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts has been the nation's leading expert on girls for nearly 100 years.