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By MARGARET HARDING, Associated Press WriterWed May 14, 10:09 PM ET
A Girl Scout sold 17,328 boxes of the group's signature cookies this year by
setting up shop on a street corner, shattering her troop's old mark and
probably setting a national record.
Jennifer Sharpe, a 15-year-old from Dearborn, plans to travel to Europe with
her troop with the proceeds from her feat.
"It's always been one of those goals I wanted to accomplish," Sharpe said
Wednesday.
The two bakeries that make the cookies said Sharpe sold more than anyone this
year, according to Dianne Thomas, spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of Metro
Detroit.
Michelle Tompkins, spokeswoman for the New York-based national organization,
called the figure "amazing" but said there's no national record on the books.
"We're thrilled for the girls who take it to such a great level, but so far, we
don't track it at the national level," she said.
Sharpe sold cookies every day on a street corner with help from her mother and
troop leader, Pam Sharpe.
"We were always there; we never closed," Pam Sharpe said. "At one point, Jenny
got really sick and we did shut down early, and we heard about it the next
day."
Jennifer Sharpe's Troop 813 raised about $21,000 in cookie sales, paying for
its 10-day trip to Europe this winter. Troops get only part of the proceeds
from their members' sales.
The cookie program has helped push Jennifer out of her shell, Pam Sharpe said.
"It's made her really confident," she said. "I remember when she first started
selling, she was very shy and quiet and you had to push her out to talk to
customers, but now she's right out there, first to the door."
One thing that hasn't changed, despite selling thousands of boxes for the past
few years, is Jennifer Sharpe's feelings about the cookies.
"I love them," she said.