Arnold Girl Scout Stella Van Why inches closer to her 4K cookie box goal

Daisy Scout Stella Van Why has a lofty goal, but she just might see it through.

The determined girl told her troop co-leader that she was going to sell 4,040 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.

As of Sunday, she had already sold more than 2,900 boxes. And sales aren’t over yet.

“I can’t believe she made it this far. This is absolutely wild,” said Alicia Phillips, Stella’s mom. “She might make 4,000.”

The 7-year-old from Arnold originally said she was going to sell 2,020 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies so she could pay for Girl Scout camp this summer.

When co-leader Chelsea Stone told her the goal wasn’t realistic, Stella changed the goal amount — she was going to sell 4,040 boxes instead.

“It was one of those ‘Hold my apple juice and watch this,’ moments,” said Heath Van Why, Stella’s dad.

The girl has already sold about 1,600 cookie boxes by knocking on doors and by phone, and roughly 1,300 online at “Stella’s Cookie World.”

Door-to-door sales ended in January, but online sales remain ongoing. Orders are still being accepted by phone and email.

The troop will start booth sales this week. The first will be Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Giant Eagle in New Kensington.

Chelsea Stone thinks Stella will hit her goal.

“She knew what she wanted and there was no stopping that,” Stone said. “I think it’s fantastic.”

People from as far as California, Alaska and Florida have ordered cookies from Stella online. She also has received fan mail from people who aren’t able to buy or eat cookies.

“She has a wall of fan mail at this point. It just filled her little heart with so much happiness and love,” Phillips said.

Stella is one of six girls, ages 5 and 6, in her troop. She wanted to sell a lot of cookies so she could “get the prizes and go on trips with my friends.”

The Girl Scouts receive individual prizes for the amount of cookies they sell. The sales also benefit the troop as a whole.

The troop will use the money it earns from its cookie sales for projects such as a river cleanup, a community garden and multiple camp outs.

Stella alone sold enough cookies to be able to pay for the troop to go to the Carnegie Science Center in March.

“We’re spending the night at the science museum,” Stella said. “We’re going to learn all about outer space and I love outer space.”

Her individual prize will be attending a Harry Potter themed camp this summer.

Phillips said being involved with the Girl Scouts has changed her daughter for the better.

Stella has high-functioning autism and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. She joined Girl Scouts in September, and this is her first cookie sale.

“She’s a whole different person. She is less afraid to talk to people,” Phillips said “She has a sense of self worth and pride. We’ve been in therapy for years to work on that, and cookies fixed it. You never know what a small act of kindness can do.”

Stella’s story has been featured on Women You Should Know, an editorial site and community that highlights women. “The Kelly Clarkson Show” has reached out to schedule an interview with Stella either by Skype or in person.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Phillips said. “Hopefully they do, because then we’re meeting our goal for sure.”