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GSCO blog

Volunteer View: April 2021

Renew Today to Attend Becoming Me

Girl Scouts of the USA is excited to announce the Becoming Me program, a special collaboration with Penguin Random House and Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama. The program follows the recent publication of Mrs. Obama’s book, Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers, and offers a unique opportunity for Girl Scouts to embark on their journeys to become their best selves and includes a FREE, members only virtual event with Mrs. Obama.

Girls who join Girl Scouts or renew their membership by April 30 can attend the event on May 6. This virtual experience will feature a conversation between Girl Scouts and Mrs. Obama during which she will explore the themes in Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers and how they relate to Girl Scouts’ and young people’s experiences today. To attend the May 6 virtual event, you must be renewed by April 30 for the 2021-22 membership year.

Membership renewal will be completed in your account on myGS.

Once you renew your membership be sure to register for the virtual event with Mrs. Obama. Register for the event.

2021 Early Bird Renewal Now Open!

Strength, resilience, togetherness, and the support of community- that’s what Girl Scouts is all about. Throughout this year, you’ve been there for your troop, and GSCO has been here for you—today, tomorrow, together, we’ve got this! Troop leaders and caregivers can renew memberships for the 2021-2022 membership year in your new account on myGS. Renew by June 15 to qualify for these incentives:

  1. Girls: Renew by June 15 and receive a FREE “We’ve Got This” patch

  2. Troops: GSCO branded first-aid kit or $25 credit to the Girl Scouts of Colorado shop. (Selection made on ATR). To qualify, renew at least two troop leaders and three girls AND submit an Annual Troop Report and ACH by June 15

  3. Service Units: Renew at least 45% of girl members for a $100 incentive. For every 5% girl retention over 45%, service unit will earn an additional $25. Example: 50% girl retention = $125, 55% girl retention = $150, etc. service unit ATR and ACH required by June 15.

Contact your volunteer support specialist with questions about Early Bird renewal. Don’t know who your volunteer support specialist is? Call 877-404-5708 or email inquiry@gscolorado.org.

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month

We see you there. Hauling supplies to a meeting in the rain, tracking down cookie forms, and finding ways to strengthen friendships even when your troop can’t be together in person.

We see you taking the time to build up the girl who isn’t so sure of her abilities. We see you giving girls space to test their ideas and express their feelings about our increasingly-complicated world.

We also see the result. The goals, the confidence, the “we’ve got this” troop energy that only you could inspire.

Because of you, we have community. Because of you, we have resilience. Because of you, we have Girl Scouts. So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for volunteering with us.

Check out some ways to say thank you to your fellow volunteers. Read about amazing GSCO volunteers throughout the month of April on the GSCO Blog.

Complete Your Annual Troop Report

The Annual Troop Report (ATR) is the required end-of year-financial report for troops and service units. The ATR also provides GSCO information about a troop’s, service unit’s, or outdoor program group’s participation for the year and plans for the next year. Submit your ATR by June 15 to qualify for troop and service unit Early Bird incentives.

Navigate to ATR form: https://gscolorado.formstack.com/forms/annual_troop_report The ATR may take 20-30 minutes to complete.

2022 ACH Form and Product Program Volunteer Agreements

In addition to renewing your membership, troops are asked to complete an ACH form at the start of each Girl Scout membership year.

Completing an ACH form is a necessary step to ensure your troop will be ready to participate in the 2021-2022 Fall Product Program and Girl Scout Cookie Program, and be eligible to receive troop proceeds and troop or service unit incentives.

Note: If the ACH form is completed ahead of participating in the Fall Product Program, the same ACH form will suffice for the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

Having a current membership and ACH form on file is also a requirement for being approved in a troop or service unit product program volunteer role.

If you were a service unit fall product manager (SUFPM) or troop fall product manager (TFPM) last year and you will continue the role this year, please complete the volunteer agreement when you renew your membership and make sure your troop or service unit submits a new ACH form.

The same is true for renewing service unit and troop cookie manager roles (SUCM/TCM).

When you renew your membership, volunteer role, and ensure that a current ACH form is completed too, you check all the boxes at once! Doing so also meets all requirements for getting approved as a Fall Product or Girl Scout Cookie Program volunteer – streamlining the process.

You’ll gain access to M2 and eBudde as soon as it opens and be included in key volunteer communications right from the start!

Girl Scout Voices Count Survey

Girls, parents/caregivers, and volunteers are the heart of Girl Scouts—and we want to hear from you! Girl Scouts of the USA is conducting a national survey called Girl Scout Voices Count to find out what’s working and what’s not. The surveys opened on April 5, so be sure to check your email for the invitation to participate. (Service unit volunteers will be surveyed in May.) As a thank you, everyone who completes the survey will have a chance to win one of 20 $50 gift cards!

GSCO Annual Report

Girl Scouts of Colorado’s 2020 Annual Report is now available.Take a look back at a year when Girl Scouts showed once again they are resilient, adaptable, and strong.

Outdoor Program Update

The weather is warming and we’re all thinking about the amazing adventures we can have with Girl Scouts in the great outdoors this spring and summer! Check out the latest Outdoor Programs news for details on resident camp, day camp, Troop Adventure Days, and more. Here are some highlights, but please click through to get the full story.

  1. Resident camp capacity will remain at 55% this summer. We cannot open additional spots.

  2. Day camps are open for registration, however we are still awaiting state guidelines that could affect capacities.

  3. Summer Outdoor Adventure Club (Cadettes and up) events will be announced April 26.

  4. New Troop Adventure Days announced for Magic Sky Ranch, Meadow Mountain Ranch, and Lazy Acres this summer – including tons of fun programs like the high ropes challenge course, rock climbing, team-building, archery, and more!

Resident Camp Employment Opportunity

Sky High Ranch and Tomahawk Ranch are each seeking a health supervisor for the 2021 summer camp season. Applicants must have at minimum a RN License for the State of Colorado. The position is responsible for the overall health care of the entire summer camp season of all campers and camp employees. The position requires provided on-site room and board. Dates of employment are April 30 – August 31. Additional GSCO benefits provided along with childcare and resident camp programming based upon availability. For the complete job description and more summer camp employment opportunities visit: https://gscolorado.workbrightats.com/jobs/

MMR Nature Trail open for troops!

The Meadow Mountain Ranch Nature Trail is now open for Girl Scout troops, groups and families for a day hike! The Nature Tail at Meadow Mountain Ranch is a 1.25 mile one-way trail with 21 stops along the way. There are four activities guides and accompanying patches for each season: fall, winter, spring and summer. Read more on the blog.

Rock Climbing Day

Get ready for an epic rock climbing adventure near you! Join our vendor, Front Range Climbing, for a day of outdoor rock climbing to complete some of the requirements for the Climbing Adventure badge. Girls will learn about climbing equipment, techniques, knots, and other skills before exploring up the rock wall. No prior climbing experience is required, and this opportunity is open to all Brownies – Ambassadors. Sign up on the GSCO event calendar for a session in your region! There nine days across the state taking place in May, June, and July.

2021 Gold Award Day at the Capitol

GSCO CEO Leanna Clark presented the 2021 Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award and 2021 Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize to Gold Award Girl Scouts on April 5. This year’s ceremony was a virtual celebration due to COVID-19. In past years, this special ceremony has been part of Gold Award Day at the Colorado State Capitol.

  1. Inspired by her own experience with bullying, Lily Goudreau from Monument, Lewis Palmer High School, wanted to encourage self-confidence and self-worth in middle school students. She did this by painting positive affirmations around a local school and worked with the no-bully club to maintain and add to the affirmations each year. She also created a “lunch bunch” group that helps watch out for bullying and does not allow any student to eat alone. Lily is recognized with this year’s Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award for her confidence, resilience, and courage in succeeding in life.

  2. Elizabeth Gumper from Colorado Springs, Coronado High School, created a rich online resource website, www.mycareerconnections.com, that gives high school students a personal, insightful look at numerous careers available throughout society through personal interviews with professionals. Elizabeth is the 2021 Stephanie Foote Leadership Prize winner and will receive $1,000 cash gift to recognize her sustainable impact through leadership.

  3. Charlotte Blish from Arvada, Arvada West High School, started a nonprofit, Watering Communities, to teach elementary-aged students about how the lack of clean water impacts socio-economic and education resources in developing countries. Charlotte was named 2021 Stephanie Foote Leadership Prize Honorable Mention and will receive a $250 cash prize for her project’s impact.

In addition, we celebrate all 33 Gold Award Girl Scouts in the 2020-2021 class! For more information on how to complete your Gold Award, please visit the Gold Award page of our website or reach out to highestawards@gscolorado.org.

Highest Awards Celebration

Be sure to join us on the GSCO Facebook page on May 16 for a virtual, statewide Highest Awards Celebration honoring Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Girl Scouts from the past Girl Scout Awards Program year. Aren’t on Facebook? You can also watch the celebration on the GSCO YouTube channel.

COVID Restriction Updates

Meetings

The state introduced a new version of the COVID dial  and the restrictions on personal gathering sizes have loosened under this new dial. Troops can meet in private residences as long as their current county level is either green, blue, or yellow, they are following current CDC guidance on gathering, and they have submitted the Private Residence Notification form  through GSCO. Troops should continue to check in with their local county and other hosting locations for their most current guidance. If a troop is meeting in a county currently classified as orange or higher, they should follow the state guidance or any other guidance they receive from their local county as to what restrictions are placed on their meeting location.

Troop overnights

At this time, troop overnights are not allowed. GSUSA is not allowing councils to begin having overnights until the state is in its final stage of reopening, and Colorado is not there yet. However, in anticipation of getting there, GSCO is working with the state to determine what guidelines will impact troop overnights. For now, CDPHE categorizes troop overnights as “youth-serving organizations overnights” with restrictions that would be challenging for the typical Girl Scout troop to meet. We are continuing to work with the state to determine if another category might be a better fit. For more info see our COVID faqs page.

Property reservations

While it may be a possibility for troops to have overnight experiences come summer, at this time we are PAUSING taking any new reservations on our properties until it is confirmed that troops can have overnights and our properties are available for troop overnight use. At this time, existing group reservations will not be cancelled, but no new reservations will be taken.

Upcoming Events

Check the events calendar for exciting events in your community. Girl Scouts of Colorado is always planning fun and educational events for girls across the state. Some of these events are highlighted below!

What a better way to celebrate April as Citizen Scientist month, than to register for our May Badge Series to earn your Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey!

April 22 — 4 p.m.

Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to a Meet an Expert session with Jessica Torro, a Registered Dietician Nutritionist (RDN) and teacher at Metropolitan State University (MSU) in Denver. Jessica will talk about her education, background, and experience as an RDN. She will also lead girls through a live activity on healthy eating! All girls who register will receive a list of ingredients and instructions on how to prepare for the program so you can participate along with Jessica from home. After Jessica’s activity girls will have an opportunity to ask her questions live in the chat box.

April 27 — 5 p.m.

Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to a Meet an Expert session with Brigadier General Linell A. Letendre, Robotics Lawyer and Aeronautical Engineering graduate from the US Air Force Academy. The general will talk about her career, education, and experience in the U.S. Air Force. She will also talk about robotics in the military and the ethics behind the use of robotics in conflict.

May 5 — 4 p.m.

Sarah R. Johnson, MAEd, a Gold Award and lifetime member of Girl Scouts is a freelance science educator of citizen science within the context of watershed studies; climate change, Arctic science, and public lands. She is currently an instructor for Western Colorado University’s Teacher Institute, a lead instructor for the US Naval Sea Cadets Arctic Buoy STEM Program, and coordinates a Colorado climate change professional development network.

May 8

Celebrate with your Girl Scout as they bridge to the next Girl Scout year at our annual statewide bridging event at the Royal Gorge. Girl Scouts and their families receive discounted tickets for the day, participate in a bridging ceremony, and then have the day to explore the gorgeous park. Register now to reserve your spot.

May 10 – 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Join us as we talk with professionals from the National Mental Health Innovation Center about the clinical and non-clinical side of mental health and how to have these conversations with your youth. This is a conversation for adults and is open to non-Girl Scout members.

May 14 — 5:30 – 6:45 p.m.

GSCO Cookie Box Innovation Challenge powered by Arrow Electronics is now open for registration for the kick off. Join us as we put our innovation hats on to innovate a design that make the world a better place.

May 19 — 4 p.m.

Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to a Meet an Expert session with Teresa Cheromcha, a forensic scientist in the biological sciences unit for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. She will talk about her education, career path, and what motivates her! After a short presentation, Girl Scouts will have an opportunity to ask Teresa questions live through the chat box.

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