Kristen Kiyuna:
She's the top seller of Girl Scout cookies

"I get 50 cents per box for a college scholarship," she would tell them. "The rest of the money will be used to do troop activities."

Kiyuna, 14, a Cadette in Kaahumanu Girl Scout Troop 665, would set up her booth at a corner downtown every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She would set up a booth at supermarkets for half a day on Saturdays and ask her family to help sell.

Her fund-raising style not only earned about $3,400 toward her Cookie Dough College Scholarship for selling 2,033 boxes of cookies thus far, it also earned her an honor as top seller in the Cookie Hall of Fame, where winners' pictures are taken for selling more than 1,000 boxes of cookies and placed on a plaque. The plaque is then displayed in the Girl Scout Council office for one year. By selling so many cookies, Kiyuna also won a theme patch, a jug, T-shirt, Consolidated movie tickets, backpack, compass,and campership money worth $500 that she can spend on any Girl Scout activity for which a fee is charged or in the Girl Scout council shop.

Each year, kids such as Kiyuna have to do fund-raising for a cause. Whether it be selling Zippy's chili tickets, barbecued chicken or car washes, kids have to ask people to purchase something. Often, they find that it is not so easy.

Ashley Tabalno

Kiyuna first started selling cookies when she was in the first grade. She sold 144 boxes of cookies because she wanted to help her troop win a "Cookie Blaster" award, which may be a field trip to a neighbor island, trip to Sea Life Park or a trip to see the Paradise Cove luau. If each girl in a troop sells 144 boxes, the troop wins the award.

Her goal this year: to top the amount she sold last year when she sold 2,124 boxes.

Kiyuna said kids should make an estimate of how much they want to sell and then set their goals higher later if they must, as the fund-raising progresses.

Marilyn Kali, coordinator of the cookie sale, said troops are told to set goals for the year and see how much profit from the cookie sale would help them meet their goals. Each troop earned 40 cents from the sale of each $3 box of cookies.

Each girl is encouraged to also set her own goal, she said.

"The goal-setting skills are something they can do for the rest of their life," Kali said. Prizes were set at varied amounts so each Girl Scout can work toward a higher goal.

Besides having a goal, Kiyuna said kids should also be happy when dealing with customers.

"Nobody's going to buy anything from a grouchy person," she said.

She also advises that kids be persistent.

"You never know how much the next person is going to buy," Kiyuna said.

Last, she advises that kids be confident in themselves.

Dory Kong

Ashley Tabalno, 10, a Junior Girl Scout in Waipahu Troop 344, was the second highest seller with 2,033 boxes. Her troop was able to travel to Maui for winning a "Cookie Blaster" award.

To sell her cookies, Tabalno went door-to-door to homes in Waikele and Village Park, set up cookie booths in front of the school, had relatives take cookie order forms to work and sold cookies to her teacher and classmates.

Like Kiyuna, she, too, had a goal, which was to sell 2,000 boxes.

Tabalno said kids should try to tell people why they should buy the product.

"Usually, people know Girl Scouts have been selling them for a long time," she said. "If they are new, you tell them a lot of people buy. It's a good way to help the Girl Scouts because the troop gets 40 cents per box and the rest goes to support the council."

Dory Kong, 15, a Senior Scout from Koko Head Girl Scout Troop 259 was the third highest seller with 1,280 boxes. Kong now has a "Cookie Dough" scholarship worth $2,000

Her troop stayed in Waikiki for its "Cookie Blaster" award.

Kong sells cookies to her friends and family and holds booth sales in supermarkets.

Kong's sales technique: "Be impressionable," she said. "Try and emphasize the good points of your group or organization. If you're doing a car wash, try not to goof off."