Shoppers in Mercer Island’s south end business district may notice a new addition outside many of the stores: stands holding green and khaki umbrellas that, when unfurled, reveal the Girl Scout logo.

After several months of preparation, Girl Scout Cadette Troop 41158 is piloting this new umbrella program in May and June, in hopes of making the area more walkable. The troop purchased 24 umbrellas and created six stands, which are now located around the shopping center: one at Rite Aid, one at Chase Bank, two at Starbucks and two at QFC.

Each stand also has a container for comment cards, as the troop plans to evaluate community feedback to understand if the project is desirable to both businesses and customers. If the pilot is successful, the troop has hopes of taking the project Island-wide this fall.

Troop 41158 is a group of Mercer Island sixth graders who have been involved with Girl Scouts since kindergarten: Austin Whelan, Lily Remington, Sofia Morelli, Camille Mehal, Ava Vaux, Charlotte Thunen and Vivian Perzia. To raise money for the umbrellas, they sold over 1,000 boxes of cookies this year; at least 150 boxes each.

The umbrella project is one that will help the troop reach its goal of earning a Silver Award, which requires a minimum of 50 hours of work. The girls said they have learned valuable lessons along the way: teamwork, problem solving, business skills and the importance of giving back to the community.

Each girl had to present a proposal to a business owner in the south end shopping center about the idea. One girl goes to the shopping center each evening to check the locations of the umbrellas and collect comment cards.

They all brought different ideas to the table, and the girls said they enjoyed working together to come up with the final program. Their troop leader, Shelley Whelan, said the suggestion to pilot the project came from the girls.

The girls say that even though the June weather may not be conducive to their project, they are still seeking community feedback to fine tune the program and suggest potential changes. In their meetings, they discussed whether it might be better to have stands in the parking lot so shoppers can stay dry as they walk to their cars, and if they should start a donation program to solicit more umbrellas.

Leave a feedback form for the troop at one of the umbrella stands to provide input on the project. For more on Girl Scouts of Western Washington, see www.girlscoutsww.org.