There’s a great new incentive to donating to this year’s Family and Friends Giving Campaign, which benefits our Opportunity Grants fund!
If you are one of the first 250 donors who makes a donation of at least $20 starting last Friday, Sept. 6th, through our #STARTARYOT campaign, you will earn yourself two tickets to the preseason Colorado Avalanche hockey game against the Dallas Stars on Sept. 24th at 7 p.m.
What’s great about this year’s campaign is it is a peer to peer fundraising campaign. So you are encouraged to start a fundraising page and ask friends and family to make a donation (they are also eligible for the Avs tickets if they make a donation of $20+).
Last year Girl Scouts of Colorado awarded $145,495 in financial assistance through Opportunity Grants fund. These funds went to help girls go to camp, events, travel and pay for their dues and program materials as finances are never a reason a girl can’t be involved in Girl Scouts. These grants make a big difference! Just hear what some of these Opportunity Grants beneficiaries have gained through Girl Scouts:
“I had a great time at camp this year. I learned how to trot and lope for the first time during Rodeo Camp, which really boosted my self-esteem. I also worked on teamwork with my cabin mates.”
“I was never a Girl Scout because my family couldn’t afford it, and I couldn’t afford to have my daughter involved without a GSCO Opportunity Grant. I have 15 girls from Daisies to Ambassadors in my troop, and we’ve been able to purchase uniforms with our grant. I can’t tell you what a difference in self-esteem a uniform makes for girls. They have been so grateful for their experiences and taken pride in giving back to others with projects like conducting a toiletry drive for a homeless shelter. Girl Scouts has meant so much to my girls, I want to share it with more girls, so I am helping to recruit girls at schools who have never had Girl Scouts. These girls are jumping up and down with excitement and can’t wait to be Girl Scouts!”
“I am a single, stay-at-home mother of seven special needs, adopted children, each with unique qualities I cherish. Some of my children struggle more in life than others. Growing up, I have fond memories of being a Girl Scout, so it was important for me to give my girls the same positive experiences. I have two Cadettes, and they love Girl Scouts! After every meeting, they come home talking my ear off, and they have had more experiences than I could ever give them; and that is what makes me happy. I have a very tight income, and there is never much for extras, so if it was not for the GSCO Opportunity Grant, this would have never been possible for my girls. They have gained self-esteem, pride in themselves and their work, the ability to push themselves and the smiles of success! My daughter is moderately developmentally delayed, and it causes problems for her. At Girl Scouts, she has been able to be herself and be accepted, which is huge for her! Our Girl Scout experience has made me want to be a better person and spend more time with my children, so I have signed up to be the cookie manager for the troop this year. I think it will help all my children understand that even if you think you have a lot on your plate, there’s always room for the most important things, like Girl Scouts!”
Posted by Amanda Kalina, PR Director, Girl Scouts of Colorado