Girl Scout cookies - they are hard to resist! Two local scouts are especially good at selling these boxes of deliciousness, and as a result they received special recognition from the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P) region.

Thirteen-year-old Abby Smith of Kings Mountain and 8-year-old Sophia Rametta of Shelby were two of the top ten cookie sellers for the 2021 Girl Scout Cookie Program. Abby is a rising 8th grader at Kings Mountain Middle School, and Sophia is a rising 3rd grader at Washington Elementary in Shelby.

Both girls report that selling during a pandemic was a bit more challenging - scouts had limited time at the best locations - but they both persevered.

"Sophia would beg to go out and sell cookies every day after school and on weekends - even if it was raining, snowing, freezing cold out," says mom Amy Easler. "She would layer up in thermals and a snowsuit and beg to go sell cookies."

"Abby's favorite place to sell is in front of Walmart," says her mom, Amy Smith. "But we also loved selling at Eastridge Mall because it is warm and out of the elements - which is important since the selling season is January through March."

"The commitment these girls had to the cookie program during a pandemic was remarkable," says Gayle Rose, chief operating officer of GSCP2P. "They worked hard to find new and innovative ways to get cookies to their customers, and their dedication to reaching their cookie goals paid off."

Scouts in the region who sold more than 500 packages of cookies earned an entry into a scholarship lottery. Abby won a $1,000 scholarship and Sophia won a $500 scholarship. The money will be held for them until they go to an institution of higher learning, which is still a few years down the road for both girls.

In addition to the scholarship lottery, all girls in the region who sold more than 500 packages of cookies were also recognized as a GEO (Girl Empowering Opportunity) and were awarded with a day at Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, NC, on June 12, 2021. This year, GSCP2P recognized 809 girls as GEOs. In addition to sharing top honors in cookie sales, both girls also have moms with the name of Amy - who both became scout leaders when their daughters first became interested in scouting.

"Abby wanted to be a scout, but there were no troops in Kings Mountain, so I volunteered to start and lead a troop," says Smith. Troop #1868 meets at St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Kings Mountain and now boasts 31 members.

Likewise, Sophia and her mom went to a parent meeting but were disappointed to learn that all local troops were full.

"We were given the option to go to a location farther away from our home or we could start our own troop," says Easler. "So, I volunteered to be a troop leader and start a troop." She leads Troop 13159, which has 13 members and meets at the Waco Community Center.

For more information about Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont and local Girl Scouting opportunities, contact info@girlscoutsp2p.org or visit www.girlscoutsp2p.org. Abby Smith Sophia Rametta Abby Smith selling cookies at Walmart in Shelby. Sophia Rametta (right) selling cookies at Lowes in Shelby with her best friend Serena Smith (left). The pair sold cookies together the entire season. Top cookie sellers in the region were treated to a day at Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, NC.