Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

VALLEY — Two local girls with almost identical first names have been Girl Scouts for the past six years. One is named Kaelynne and the other Kate-Lynne. Both are sophomores at Valley High and both are going for the Gold Award, the Girl Scout equivalent of the Eagle Award, which the Boy Scouts are famous for.

Like most Girl Scouts, they are selling Girl Scout cookies this time of year.

“Their goal is to each sell 1,600 boxes each,” said Carolyn Reaves, who is the co-troop leader of Troop 5018 along with Melissa Borders.

Both girls are goal-oriented and will likely top that mark this cookie season.

This past weekend Kaelynne and Kate-Lynne were at the corner of 20th Avenue and 30th Street near the Circle K store in Valley. They were with their troop leaders and had a very busy day selling this year’s Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread, Girl Scout S’mores and the other enduring favorites. Girl Scouts who sell cookies in the Valley area have the advantage of having cookies fresh from the oven where they are made in Opelika.

“We are here every Friday evening from 4 to 6 p.m.,” Borders said. “On Saturdays, we are here from noon until 6. In addition to selling boxes of cookies we are also accepting donations for our soldiers. The donations cover the cost of sending cookies to U.S. troops.”

Girl Scout cookies have been a U.S. tradition since 1917. Each year, cookie sales are organized by 112 regional Girl Scout councils. The girls are always accompanied by adults when they are selling cookies, and they always use a buddy system. Scout leaders are discouraged from revealing the girls’ last names.

The cookie drive is a fundraising activity that teaches Girl Scouts entrepreneurial skills such as planning, teamwork, financial literacy, organization, communication and goal setting.

Thin Mints are the most popular Girl Scout cookie. In some years, sales have topped over 50 million boxes. Caramel deLites are the second most popular. Sales of these have approached 40 million boxes a year.