As one can imagine, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the 2020 and 2021 Girl Scout Cookie sales drives. So this year, the organization created a socially-distanced porch drop-off option in collaboration with GrubHub.
However, even though it’s been tough for the Girl Scouts to get out there and do in-person sales, one member in San Bernardino, California managed to break a sales record.
San Bernardino’s Lilly Bumpus, 8, sold more than 32,000 boxes of cookies over the past three months, beating the previous record of 26,000. The international organization states it doesn’t keep official records, but local councils are free to do so.
A spokesperson for the Girl Scouts of America told CNN that it applauds “Lilly’s entrepreneurial efforts, awesome sales goal, and donations!”
8-year-old cancer survivor breaks record for sold Girl Scout Cookies
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The achievement is even more impressive given Lilly’s long history of health issues. She was born with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Doctors told her family that she’d probably never make it through the treatment, let alone the disease.
She underwent 14 rounds of adult-strength chemotherapy and had a portion of her chest wall removed all before her first birthday.
She recently celebrated her seventh year of being cancer-free.
“Because of the opening in her chest wall that leaves her heart exposed, she isn’t allowed to do any type of physical activities or sports,” her mother, Trish Bauer told Today.
“Lilly tried cheer, dance, and swim lessons and all of it put her in the hospital,” she added. “So last resort, me being desperate to find anything for my daughter to do with other kids to simply feel included and to be a kid, I signed her up for Girl Scouts.”
It looks like the Girl Scouts have been a good fit.
Of the 32,000 boxes Lilly sold, 5,200 will be donated to “fellow childhood cancer warriors in the hospitals,” the homeless, and to deployed troops. Lilly and her troop will donate $20,000 worth of the cookie proceeds to two charitable missions they’ll announce at a later date.
Lilly sold some cookies from a stand she put on her front lawn, but also made them available online. Over the years, the family has created a community online through her Facebook page and the Team Lilly Foundation.
Over the years, Lilly has used it to support children with cancer through surprise birthday parties and cancer-free celebrations. She’s also raised money for funerals for children who’ve lost the battle with the disease.
Lilly leveraged the support of this community by posting a letter on Facebook. “My letter explains that when someone donates a $5 box through my cookie sales that it will go to a kid fighting cancer feeling really alone or to someone that is homeless,” she said.
Then, the sales started rolling in.
Lilly’s story is a wonderful example of finding where you can help and giving it your all. Her health made it hard for her to participate in a lot of activities, but she found what worked for her, gave it her all, and it made a big difference in a lot of people’s lives.