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'Scouts has 100% changed her whole world': Girl Scout determined to top cookie sales goal despite daily challenges

A Westmoreland County Girl Scout set a goal to sell 4,040 boxes of cookies despite struggles with autism and OCD.

'Scouts has 100% changed her whole world': Girl Scout determined to top cookie sales goal despite daily challenges

A Westmoreland County Girl Scout set a goal to sell 4,040 boxes of cookies despite struggles with autism and OCD.

HUNDRED OF THESE DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME, EACH OF THEM HOLDING 12 BOXES OF GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH ONE LOCAL SCOUT, WHO HAD A GOAL OF SELLING MORE THAN 4,000 BOXES OF THESE COOKIES. MEET SEVEN-YEAR-OLD STELLA VANWHY. STELLA: IT’S NOT THAT HEAVY. REPORTER STELLA IS ONE BUSY GIRL : SCOUT. STELLA: TAGALONGS. GOOD. REPORTER: THESE BOXES OF GIRL SCOUT COOKIES ARE JUST A FRACTION OF WHAT SHE’S SOLD. STELLA: I SELL 3,022 BOXES. REPORTER: MORE THAN 3,000 BOXES OF TAGALONGS, SAMOAS, THIN MINTS, YOU NAME IT. BUT HER GOAL, 4,000. ALICIA: THAT NUMBER WAS A THEORETICAL NUMBER UNTIL WE PICKED UP FOUR PICKUP TRUCKS OF COOKIES YESTERDAY. NOW IT’S UNREAL. MY HOUSE IS A HALLWAY WITH COOKIES. IT’S UNREAL. REPORTER: STELLA’S MOM, ALICIA PHILLIPS, SAID THE DUO SPENT HOURS EVERY DAY GOING DOOR TO DOOR. STELLA: I DIDN’T REALLY LIKE THE COLD. I WAS SO MAD ABOUT THE COLD. REPORTER: ONLINE SALES TOOK OFF AND WERE COMING IN FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AFTER STELLA WAS PROFILED IN A NATIONAL PUBLICATION, "WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW." YOU SEE, STELLA IS AUTISTIC AND OCD. BUT HER MOM SAID SCOUTS CHANGED EVERYTHING. ALICIA: THE FIRST HUNDRED HOUSES WERE REALLY, REALLY HARD. SHE HAD TO TALK TO PEOPLE, LOOK THEM IN THE EYE, BUT YOU PRACTICE IT 3,000 TIMES, AND IT GETS A LITTLE BIT EASIER. REPORTER: HER SALES EARNED HER TROOP A TRIP TO THE CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER, AND STELLA WILL GET TO GO TO A "HARRY POTTER"-THEMED CAMP THIS SUMMER. SCOUTS, OPENING HER UP AND CHANGING HER WORLD. ALICIA: TO SEE HER THRIVE IN AREAS WHERE SHE HAS STRUGGLED SEVERELY, BEEN HOSPITALIZED FOR, IS JUST AMAZING. THERE ARE NOT WORDS. IT FEELS MY HEART, AND IT FEELS HER HEART, AND WE ARE GRATEFUL. STELLA: I ALWAYS WANT TO EAT THEM. IT MAKES MY HEART FEEL LOVED. AND HAPPY. REPORTER: YOU CAN HELP STELLA REACH HER GOAL BECAUSE ONLINE SALES ARE STILL GOING ON. TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN ORDE
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'Scouts has 100% changed her whole world': Girl Scout determined to top cookie sales goal despite daily challenges

A Westmoreland County Girl Scout set a goal to sell 4,040 boxes of cookies despite struggles with autism and OCD.

A Westmoreland County Girl Scout who set a goal of selling more than 4,000 boxes of cookies is about to hit her mark.Stella Vanwhy, 7, has sold more than 3,000 boxes of cookies with three weeks left to go to sell. Her mother, Alicia Phillips, said the top sales tier goal on the cookie form was 2,020 boxes, and that's what Stella wanted to do."In her mind, why would Girl Scouts give you a goal if it wasn't reasonable? So, she was going to sell 2,020 cookies," Phillips said. "The co-leader tried to talk to her and explain that you have to sell this many cookies per day, and who would you sell to, and is this reasonable? And it just made Stella madder and madder and madder, and she doubled her goal to 4,040 cookies."As of Monday, Stella had just about reached her goal."I sell 3,022 boxes," she said."That number was a theoretical number until we picked up four pickup trucks of cookies yesterday," Phillips said. "It's unreal. My house is a hallway with cookies."Phillips said the duo spent hours every day going door-to-door throughout New Kensington and Arnold, selling more than 1,700 boxes of cookies."I didn't really like the cold," Stella said. "I was so mad about the cold!""It was cold, and it was exhausting, and I would have quit if she would have let me, but she didn't want to," Phillips said. "Two hours a day Monday through Friday, and four hours Saturday and Sunday -- rain, snow or shine."Online cookie sales took off and were coming in from across the country after Stella was profiled in a national publication, Women You Should Know."We have letters from people who can't afford cookies or eat cookies, just telling her, 'You're doing great, keep going,' and she has a wall of fan mail," Phillips said.Phillips said her daughter is autistic and OCD, but joining Girl Scouts changed everything."The first hundred houses were really, really hard," Phillips said. "She had to talk to people. Look them in the eye, but you practice it 3,000 times and it gets a little bit easier."Stella's sales have already earned her troop a trip to the Carnegie Science Center, and Stella will get to go to a Harry Potter-themed camp this summer.Her mother said Girl Scouts not only opened her up, but changed her world."Stella does a lot of amazing things," Phillips said. "She's really smart, and she's really kind, but to see her thrive in areas where she has really struggled -- severely been hospitalized for -- is just amazing. There aren't words. It fills my heart and fills her heart, and we're grateful.""I always want to eat them," said Vanwhy. "It makes my heart feel loved. And happy.""She feels like she's a part of a community, whereas before, because of some of her autism and OCD behaviors, she was excluded from the community," Phillips said. "Loud places make her melt down and make her upset, so it's hard to be a part of a community when you can't be around large groups of people."You can help Stella reach her goal because online sales are still going on. Click here to check out her online store.

A Westmoreland County Girl Scout who set a goal of selling more than 4,000 boxes of cookies is about to hit her mark.

Stella Vanwhy, 7, has sold more than 3,000 boxes of cookies with three weeks left to go to sell. Her mother, Alicia Phillips, said the top sales tier goal on the cookie form was 2,020 boxes, and that's what Stella wanted to do.

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"In her mind, why would Girl Scouts give you a goal if it wasn't reasonable? So, she was going to sell 2,020 cookies," Phillips said. "The co-leader tried to talk to her and explain that you have to sell this many cookies per day, and who would you sell to, and is this reasonable? And it just made Stella madder and madder and madder, and she doubled her goal to 4,040 cookies."

As of Monday, Stella had just about reached her goal.

"I sell 3,022 boxes," she said.

"That number was a theoretical number until we picked up four pickup trucks of cookies yesterday," Phillips said. "It's unreal. My house is a hallway with cookies."

Phillips said the duo spent hours every day going door-to-door throughout New Kensington and Arnold, selling more than 1,700 boxes of cookies.

"I didn't really like the cold," Stella said. "I was so mad about the cold!"

"It was cold, and it was exhausting, and I would have quit if she would have let me, but she didn't want to," Phillips said. "Two hours a day Monday through Friday, and four hours Saturday and Sunday -- rain, snow or shine."

Online cookie sales took off and were coming in from across the country after Stella was profiled in a national publication, Women You Should Know.

"We have letters from people who can't afford cookies or eat cookies, just telling her, 'You're doing great, keep going,' and she has a wall of fan mail," Phillips said.

Phillips said her daughter is autistic and OCD, but joining Girl Scouts changed everything.

"The first hundred houses were really, really hard," Phillips said. "She had to talk to people. Look them in the eye, but you practice it 3,000 times and it gets a little bit easier."

Stella's sales have already earned her troop a trip to the Carnegie Science Center, and Stella will get to go to a Harry Potter-themed camp this summer.

Her mother said Girl Scouts not only opened her up, but changed her world.

"Stella does a lot of amazing things," Phillips said. "She's really smart, and she's really kind, but to see her thrive in areas where she has really struggled -- severely been hospitalized for -- is just amazing. There aren't words. It fills my heart and fills her heart, and we're grateful."

"I always want to eat them," said Vanwhy. "It makes my heart feel loved. And happy."

"She feels like she's a part of a community, whereas before, because of some of her autism and OCD behaviors, she was excluded from the community," Phillips said. "Loud places make her melt down and make her upset, so it's hard to be a part of a community when you can't be around large groups of people."

You can help Stella reach her goal because online sales are still going on. Click here to check out her online store.