Who here has not run the Girl Scout cookie gauntlet? Sacrificed beer money for 12 coconut encrusted, calorie -laden morsels that cost twice as much as the generic supermarket brand, because you fear eternal damnation for saying no to a Girl Scout? Or how about being pinned in your office by a co-worker with her daughter’s order form? Or your boss? Let’s not forget the pressure of family and friends with daughters competing for selling the most in their troop – do you want to be responsible for them not winning?

Argh!

I’m not sure how these cookies have come to be considered as obligatory as taxes, but I’d rather stare down the IRS then turn down an adorable little Girl Scout.  So I have managed to avoid them with the deftness of an Olympic athlete, because I can’t say yes to just one and my bank does not accept “girl scout cookie purchase” as an excuse for missing a car payment.

Don’t get me wrong – I do love those Samoa cookies

But as a single mom of four teenage boys, I operate on a calculated feeding plan with a triage system for snacks. Do I spend $20.00 on girl scout cookies that make as big a dent in teenage appetites as one small sip of coffee makes in my morning, or do I spend that twenty bucks on heartier snacks, like beef jerky? Do I donate less to my established charities to accommodate the American tradition of Girl Scout cookie sales? Yes- but grudgingly – until…

Mike Rowe shared one Girl Scout’s sales pitch that changed everything.

Mike Rowe is one of those people that is easy to envy but impossible to dislike. He has established himself as a top talent in sales, tv, writing and has even made a mark in opera. Yep- he not only climbed into disgusting places to perform vile tasks on Dirty Jobs, he rocks a tuxedo and manages to make opera appealing. He shows an endearing love for his parents, has a little dog adored by his fans, and now, most recently, he took the time to shine the spotlight on an extraordinary girl whose tenacity and talent are also worthy of an award or two.

Thanks to the video posted on MikeRowe.com.  Charlotte McCourt is a Girl Scout whose father Sean works on a podcast with Mike Rowe, who you may best know from Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs.”

Charlotte’s goal of selling 300 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies was not just accomplished – it was crushed. This Girl Scout’s commitment to her cause, coupled with her insane writing skills and uncanny understanding of the value of the truth, earned her the hilarious shout-out from Mike Rowe on his Facebook Page.

Charlotte’s descriptions of the cookies had Mike cracking up.

With phrases like “gluten-free wasteland” and “flavorless as dirt” I’d wager a bet most if not all of the 7.3 million views it got resulted in cackles, snorts, and belly laughs of varying decibels. But perhaps most impressive of all was Charlotte’s delivery of a special request for our troops.

As my husband lost his life in Iraq, anyone who advocates for our troops has my thanks. And Charlotte did so in a manner that many non-profit CEOs would be well-served in emulating.

You can support Charlotte and her Girl Scout Cookie mission here:
https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/charlotte3699

Hey, Charlotte, when you’re done selling cookies, American Snippets would love to talk to you. We’d be happy to give you a platform to share more of your wisdom and inspiration.

Hey Mike, we love everything you do to help people find their way in the workforce via your Mike Works foundation.  We’re fans of The Way I Heard It, and now we are even bigger fans since you spotlighted Charlotte.

We’d go on, but we have to go order some cookies!

A quick update from Mike Rowe…

Many of you are wondering about the number of Girl Scout Cookie Boxes sold as a result of Charlotte’s letter. I suspect this is because many of you are involved in some sort of on-line wager. While gambling is probably not an approved Girl Scout activity, I’m happy to provide the stats as they become available, as well as the shifting odds on the 10,000 Box Over/Under.

Here then, is the latest update from Charlotte, who has – if my math is correct – exceeded her sales goal for the 2017 fiscal year by 2,400%.