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“Cookie Lady” Celebrates 45 Years of Sweet Memories
Cathy French is known as the “cookie lady” in Poquoson, especially among the 25 troops that are part of the York/Poquoson service unit, one of 23 geographic areas that are part of Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Council. This year will be her 45th year in Girl Scouts, with 36 of those years as a volunteer living in Poquoson.
As a girl, she spent three years in Girl Scouts while attending elementary school in North Dakota, and she says selling Girl Scout Cookies was part of that experience. But when her dad, a Sergeant in the US Air Force, received a reassignment to Alaska, somehow Girl Scouting didn’t make it on the family’s schedule.
It would be years later as a mom of a young six-year-old that she got back into Girl Scouting. That was in 1983 in Ruston, Louisiana when her husband, who was also in the Air Force, was stationed there. She would eventually have two more daughters, and they, too, would become Girl Scouts.
“Our family has always had Girl Scouting in our lives,” Cathy said. “We have great memories from each place we’ve been. While stationed in Europe, our troop camped in Belgium! Our troop meeting was like celebrating World Thinking Day every day. We had members from at least seven different countries.”
In the beginning, as a troop leader, she supported the troop cookie chair role. After getting involved at the service team level, an administrative role, she became involved coordinating the Cookie Program for her service unit, now a unit that encompasses York County and Poquoson. She’s been managing both the Fall Product Program, where girls sell nuts and candies to help with troop start-up funds, and the Cookie Program for the service unit for the last 25 years.
“My house was built around 1979,” she said. “Back then, they made garages larger, so my two-car garage can easily fit 3,000 boxes of cookies. Cookie time is like a holiday. You know in advance you need some time to prepare — get things ready — and there’s excitement in the air!”
Cathy always seems to have a smile and is quick to laugh. She puts volunteers, families, and the girls at ease. She’s very approachable. Some of that may come from her background as an educator. She spent 15 years working at the Virginia Air & Space Science Center as an educator. She says she landed the job after volunteering to lead a Girl Scout camp there for a few seasons.
“They were impressed with the Girl Scout program and saw how I delivered it and when a job opened, they reached out to me.”
Now retired, she says being a Girl Scout volunteer and grandparent keeps her busy. She takes extra time to ensure questions are answered and everyone is trained.
“I let volunteers know that there is no question that can’t be asked,” she said. “I encourage them to ask and schedule time to be tutored, if necessary, on the Cookie Program digital platform or how to manage a cookie booth. I know young families are busy.”
Even when she was challenged with breast cancer and going through treatment in 2003, Cathy volunteered and opened her home as a cupboard.
“I do it for the girls, because they’re worth it,” she said. “I am available most days. I let volunteers know how to schedule appointments for cookie pick up in advance, and I’ve never had any real issues. Like me, they’re in it for the girls, so we work together to make it happen.”
Cathy has been recognized for her dedication with Girl Scouts’ highest award for an adult, the Thanks Badge. She says she appreciated the recognition, but it’s not why she remains volunteering. She’s also served as a trainer and helped new volunteers learn the ropes — figuratively and literally!
“Girl Scouting is very special and something that girls today continue to need,” she said. “They still need that all-girl space to support one another and to build up self-confidence. I had a fabulous time with my daughters in Girl Scouts. One year, our troop used our cookie money to travel to one of Girl Scouts’ World Centers, PAX Lodge in London. There’s just so many memories to hold onto, and I’m still making memories. I have so many friends that I’ve made and I continue to make more. I want to help more girls — other families — make memories and have opportunities to grow through Girl Scouts.”
