Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Outreach Program team has created a series of materials, including videos, to help Girl Scout Brownies earn their Pets badge at home! Step One was to find out what care different pets need. Step Two involves learning about keeping pets comfortable. Step Three focuses on keeping a pet healthy and safe. Exercise your pet. Dogs need a lot of exercise to make sure that they are happy and healthy. Taking them on walks is a great way to exercise them! Take charge of your dog’s exercise by mapping a route around your neighborhood that you can take them on. Map a short walk around a couple of blocks for some fresh air and map a longer one around a local park to really get the dog’s energy out! You can use the map apps on a smartphone to plan your route or other apps and websites like MapMyRun. Once you’ve created some routes, take a walk! OR Research the foods/items your pet shouldn’t eat. Did you know that dogs shouldn’t eat grapes? Or, cats shouldn’t have onions? Snakes shouldn’t eat fireflies. Keep the Animal Poison Control hotline number (888-426-4435) somewhere visible, like on your fridge, if your pet accidentally eats something it shouldn’t! Look at this resource for a complete guide to poisonous substances. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control Foods to avoid feeding your pets: Alcohol Avocado Chocolate/Coffee/Caffeine Citrus Coconut products Grapes/Raisins Nuts Onions, Garlic, Chives Raw/undercooked meat, eggs, bones Salty foods Xylitol (a sweetener found in gum, candy, baked goods, toothpaste, and more) Yeast dough Other products to protect your pets from: Certain plants including aloe, tomato plants, amaryllis, daffodils, azaleas, tulips, lilies, and many more Human medication Household cleaning products Essential oils Dryer fabric softener sheets Grout Petroleum jelly Mosquito repellent with DEET OR Learn five “stay-safe” commands to teach your dog. Caring for a dog is a big responsibility, and it’s your job to keep your dog, and other dogs and humans around them, safe. To do this, you should teach your dog some basic safety commands. These commands set boundaries and guidelines to help them have a safe and happy life. Come Stay Leave it Drop it Wait The key to training your dog is using positive reinforcement, like treats. For tips on how to train your dog, talk to your veterinarian or look at these helpful resources: http://images.akc.org/pdf/ebook/Basic_Commands.pdf https://www.successdogs.com/dog-training-lessons/how-to-train-your-dog-to-wait/ https://www.petexpertise.com/teaching-your-dog-to-drop-it-and-leave-it/ https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/reliable-recall-train-dogs-to-come-when-called/ We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutBrownie #GirlScoutBrowniebadge #Petsbadge #GirlScoutsatHome #GirlScoutBrownies #pets #badge #BrownieBadge

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Katie Betts of Pagosa Springs in the Southwestern Colorado region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Katie to answer a few quick questions about her volunteer experience. We hope you find her as inspiring as we did. Why did you become a Girl Scout volunteer? It may not be a glamorous story, but I became a Girl Scout troop leader because my daughter’s first two troops disbanded and her third troop was losing it’s leaders. I volunteered so Jenavieve and the other girls would have stability and a leader that is in it for the long haul for them to meet their goals and help them make their Girl Scout experience everything they hope for. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I have volunteered with Girl Scouts for years while my husband’s sister was coming up through the program. We camped, canoed, hauled cookies, sorted cookies, volunteered to help in bridging ceremonies, we did it all!  With our daughter, we have done all of the same and tried to do more. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? By being a Girl Scout volunteer, I have learned that it is a lot more work than you anticipate! I have also learned that we have a community full of strong, smart, lovely girls that want to make a difference and this program can help them do that. What do you hope girls have learned from you? I hope the girls have learned that they can do anything they put their mind to. I hope they continue to learn how to be good Girl Scouts, good citizens, and all around good people by living by the Girl Scout Promise and Law. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? This experience has helped me to become a go-getter because these girls have big goals and we are all going to have to work really hard to get after it! An innovator because some times we have to change things up a little bit to work with what we have. A risk-taker because sometimes putting yourself out there and doing new things seems risky, being the troop cookie manager was a RISK! 🙂 A leader, because I really do try my hardest to set a great example for these girls and to lead them down a path to meet their goals and become the women that they want to be! Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. The nomination deadline for 2020 Volunteer Recognition Awards is April 30. GSCO invites members statewide to take this opportunity to recognize an outstanding volunteer by nominating them for a Volunteer Recognition Award. Nominators are responsible for ensuring enough endorsements are submitted to support their nomination of a volunteer for an award. Your volunteer support specialist can check nomination and endorsement submissions for you. Learn more. #VolunteerNews #PagosaSprings #volunteerspotlight #2020NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #SouthwesternCO #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #VolunteerAppreciation

Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Outreach Program team has created a series of materials, including videos, to help Girl Scout Brownies earn their Pets badge at home! Step One was to find out what care different pets need. For Step Two, you’re going learn about keeping pets comfortable, so we’re going to make a cozy cat cave. Materials Deep Cardboard Box (with no lid)- You can use different-sized boxes to make a cat cave that works best for the age and breed of your cat. Use the box that will work best for your cat’s needs! Long sleeve T-shirt One rubber band Comfy bedding material (blanket, towel, or even a sweater) Directions Begin by stretching your long-sleeved T-shirt around the box, with the neck-hole of the T-shirt facing the open top of the box. Next, pull the shirt around the box in such a way that the neckhole of the T-shirt is centered on the top of the box. The neck hole will be the “door” that enables the cat to enter the cave. Once you have the “door” of the cave centered on the box, pull the sleeves of the T-shirt tight around the back of the box and secure them together. If the sleeves are long enough, you can tie the sleeves together. Otherwise, just use a rubber-band to connect the two sleeves. Finally, place the bedding material inside the box to complete your comfy cat cave. If you have any of your cat’s favorite toys or catnip, you can also put that inside the cave to make it extra welcoming for your furry friend. We also created a video to help you complete this step of the badge, check it out here. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #Browniebadges #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutBrowniebadge #GirlScoutbadges #Petsbadge #GirlScoutsatHome #pets #badge

Submitted by Taylar Reilly Metro Denver Highlands Ranch Join Troop 66446 virtually as we clean up our home communities! Leading up to Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2020, we will be doing an online trash pick-up challenge across Colorado. Let’s make a difference together and see if we can pick up 50,000 pieces of trash across our gorgeous state. Be sure to practice safe pick-up methods during participation: Tell an adult that you’ll be participating or work with a guardian to participate together. Sign the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge. Follow all safety activity checkpoints. Make sure that you have proper gear: washable or reusable gloves, trash bags, plenty of water, sunscreen, close toe shoes, bug spray, and clothing appropriate for the weather. Ready to start making a difference? Follow the steps below: Download the Litterati app on your phone: https://apiv3.litterati.org/v3/share/challenge/5292 Create an account Join the challenge: Girl Scouts of Colorado Keep in mind, “virtually” still means NOT getting together as a troop, just going on an afternoon walk and picking up around where you live. (Activity adopted from GSCTX) Safety Activity Checkpoints: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/content/dam/girlscoutsofcolorado/documents/2019_edition_sac7.1.2019_002.pdf We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GirlScoutingatHome #EarthDay2020 #HighlandsRanch #GirlScoutsatHome #MetroDenver #EarthDay

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Nancy Ashburn of Durango in the Southwestern Colorado region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Nancy to answer a few quick questions about her volunteer experience. We hope you find her as inspiring as we did. Why did you become a Girl Scout volunteer? I grew up in the Girl Scout program, so when my daughter was old enough to be a Girl Scout, I became her leader for ten years. Now with granddaughters in Girl Scouts, it seemed natural to become their leader along with my daughter.  It’s a family thing!! Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I have served as a troop leader, day camp director, on the Board of Directors, neighbor (service unit) chair, trainer, and council delegate to the National Convention. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? That girls want to have fun; learn new thing; earn badges, Journeys, and awards; and be respected. Give them opportunities and watch them grow!! What do you hope girls have learned from you? That there is fun and learning opportunities in everything we do. I hope they learn to respect each other, love their country, and know that being a Girl Scout will live with them always. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Being an older leader, I feel that I am stretching myself to find new adventures for the girls and pushing myself to do things with the girls that I probably wouldn’t have done. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. The nomination deadline for 2020 Volunteer Recognition Awards is April 30. GSCO invites members statewide to take this opportunity to recognize an outstanding volunteer by nominating them for a Volunteer Recognition Award. Nominators are responsible for ensuring enough endorsements are submitted to support their nomination of a volunteer for an award. Your volunteer support specialist can check nomination and endorsement submissions for you. Learn more. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #Durango #VolunteerAppreciationMonth #2020NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #SouthwesternCO #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #VolunteerAppreciation

Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Outreach Program team has created a series of materials, including videos, to help Girl Scout Brownies earn their Pets badge at home! Step One: Find out what care different pets need. Research the basics of care for two different pets. Maybe you want to learn about how to care for a puppy, kitten, turtle, or even a hedgehog! Whatever the pet is, learn the most important ways to care for that pet. With your caregiver’s permission and after taking the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge, go online to find out what the experts have to say about caring for different types of pets. Try to find websites run by veterinarians or animal shelters for the most accurate information. Other good research websites include: National Geographic Pet Central: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/pet-central/ Kid’s Korner: https://starelief.org/kids-corner/ Fact Monster: Pets: https://www.factmonster.com/math-science/biology/plants-animals/pets You can also call friends or family members with pets and ask them what they think are important ways to care for their pet. Bonus: Create a “care” poster or video for your favorite pet Team up with a sibling or caregiver to make a two-minute video about the essentials of caring for a specific type of pet. If you have a pet at home, maybe they can even make a guest appearance! Use a piece of paper and some craft supplies to create a poster to remind you of how to care for your chosen pet. Be sure to make it colorful and add some illustrations! We understand that not everyone has a pet at home. For an alternate activity for the first step of this badge, check out this video. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #virtualprogramming #GirlScoutingatHome #GirlScoutBrownie #GirlScoutBrowniebadge #BrowniePetsbadge #Petsbadge #GirlScoutsatHome #GirlScoutBrownies #pets #badge

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Wendy Anderson of Aurora in the Metro Denver region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Wendy to answer a few quick questions about her volunteer experience. We hope you find her as inspiring as we did. Why did you become a Girl Scout volunteer? I became a Girl Scout volunteer when I was in college. Unbelievably, that was over 25 years ago! I was a Girl Scout since second grade and I wanted to be the person other girls could look up to, the way I looked up to the Girl Scout volunteers and Girl Scout staff in my life growing up. I led troops in Wisconsin and Colorado before I had my own children, and I thought I was done being a Girl Scout volunteer once I got pregnant with my daughter. Then, one day when my daughter was in preschool, we were walking out of King Soopers and there was a Girl Scout troop selling cookies at a booth sale. My daughter said, “Mom, what are  they doing?  I want to do that!” So, we started the first Girl Scout troop anyone could remember at our elementary school that next fall. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I’ve been a troop leader, cookie manager, service unit manager, event organizer, council trainer, and most recently, I have appointed myself service unit camp director. I love camping and worked at Girl Scout day camps and resident camps through college. I’m excited about all the badges and Journeys GSUSA has launched focused on camping and the out of doors.  I’m looking forward to giving other troop leaders a progression of outdoor experiences to help girls get excited about camping in safe incremental steps. Different growth happens in girls when we get them away from their usual life and get them outside! Our service unit has never done a service unit camp before, and I thought that giving our unit an intentional structure to get troops ready for a unit camp, and leading our first service unit camp is something I could get excited about. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? There is always something new to try in Girl Scouting. The girls have great ideas on things they want to do, and there is a lot of adult support to help you learn new things to help your girls reach their goals. There have been times when the girls’ ideas have taken me out of my comfort zone. There have been times when I thought to myself, “That idea is absolutely ridiculous, how are we going to do that?” But, it turns out those experiences ended up being the best in the end. For instance, during our first Daisy year, I learned that our usual meeting place was going to be unavailable during our using resources wisely petal.   I thought I had a perfectly planned solution of visiting the library during this meeting.  After all, libraries were a great example of using resources wisely we can share books instead of buying them, what could be more appropriate.   The girls thought that was an awful idea.  After talking about what it meant to use resources wisely, the girls decided they wanted to see where their trash goes.   I made a few calls and we found there was a field trip to a Waste Management education center that fit perfectly. Later in fifth grade, we had some girls who wanted to focus on breast cancer for their bronze award project.  Again, I didn’t know what to do; this certainly wasn’t an interest of mine. The girls were able to discover, connect, and take action by learning more about breast cancer from a health care provider and connecting with a Susan G. Komen volunteer who taught us more about how their organization supports people with breast cancer and about Scouting for the Cure events that are held in other states.  This time I didn’t make the calls to find resources like I needed to do when they were kindergartners.  It is so great when girls fly with ideas on their own. The girls took their bronze project in one direction, and this topic actually became a new interest of mine.   I used some of the other ideas we learned about to host breast cancer awareness events for our service unit. What do you hope girls have learned from you? It’s always good to try new things. Things might not always go right, and that’s okay. Evaluate what was good and not so good in each experience, and aim for something better next time. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? By trying new things, and allowing girls to try their new ideas, I can set that example of someone the girls can look up to, just like I set out to do 25 years ago. It is harder to go after girls’ ideas, especially when it means setting aside ideas that seem so perfect, at least in my own head.  It is harder to innovate new ways to be a Girl Scout that don’t always fit into a badge. Trying new things is inherently risky and messy, but nothing we can’t clean up.  Leading girls to take over leadership in their own troop takes tiny steps and time, and we never feel like there is enough time.  Being an example of how to be a G.I.R.L brings out the G.I.R.L in all the members of my troop. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. The nomination deadline for 2020 Volunteer Recognition Awards is April 30. GSCO invites members statewide to take this opportunity to recognize an outstanding volunteer by nominating them for a Volunteer Recognition Award. Nominators are responsible for ensuring enough endorsements are submitted to support their nomination of a volunteer for an award. Your volunteer support specialist can check nomination and endorsement submissions for you. Learn more. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #Aurora #2020NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #VolunteerAppreciation #MetroDenver

Join Girl Scouts of Colorado staff and a representative from the U.S. Census Bureau – Denver Region to learn all about the 2020 Census and its impact. Learn about the history of the Census, how this year’s Census is different, current response rate in Colorado, and more! We will also review the “Stand and Be Counted” patch program and will have time for an open Q&A. Both webinars are open to anyone who is interested. Thursday, April 9, 2020 will be designed for K – fifth grade. Tuesday, April 14 will be designed for sixth – eighth  grade. Capacity is limited for each webinar. If capacity is met, we will schedule additional webinars. We will use Zoom to host this webinar. All information on how to join online or via phone will be emailed to registrants the day before the webinar. Register for April 9 (K – fifth grade): https://gscolorado.formstack.com/forms/girl_scout_webinar_with_the_u_s_census_bureau_04_09_2020 Register for April 14 (sixth – eighth grade): https://gscolorado.formstack.com/forms/girl_scout_webinar_with_the_u_s_census_bureau_04_14_2020 Questions? Email GSCO Community Partnerships Manager Aimee Artzer at aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org #2020Census #GSCOevents #StandandBe #Communitypartnerships #census #webinar #communitypartners #StandandBeCountedpatch #censuspatch #patch #USCensusBureau

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Sheri Coy of Hesperus in the Southwestern Colorado region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Sheri to answer a few quick questions about her volunteer experience. We hope you find her as inspiring as we did. Why did you become a Girl Scout volunteer? I became a volunteer because there was a need for the troop that my daughter was in. There was no one to run the troop and I did not want the girls to lose the troop, so I stepped up. I was sure this would be a great bonding for my daughter and I as well. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. When I started my main role was a troop leader for our troop, then I became an active member of our service unit leadership team. I am the treasurer of the service unit leadership team alon side Dayna, but I did not stop there. I am also the fall product program manager and now the service unit cookie manager for our area. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? I have learned that everyone works in different ways, a lot of diversity. I have learned to help girls reach their goal and learn confidence, as well as courage to take risks; that I myself had growth to achieve alongside of the girls; and the reward from knowing you make a difference is worth it all. What do you hope girls have learned from you? My hope for the girls learning from me  would be the acceptance of their selves, be kind and helpful, and know they won’t always succeed the first time, but to have the confidence to try over and over till they are happy with the choices they choose. I could go on and on for what I hope they learn from me. I can sum it up best by saying I hope they learn to always use the Girl Scout Promise and Law. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? My experience has touched on G.I.R.L. in all the ways that the word girl means. I have enhanced my risk-taking by stepping out of my comfort zone. My go-getter is stronger since working with the girls. My leadership has been improved, as well with being an innovator. We have all grown so much together. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. The nomination deadline for 2020 Volunteer Recognition Awards is April 30. GSCO invites members statewide to take this opportunity to recognize an outstanding volunteer by nominating them for a Volunteer Recognition Award. Nominators are responsible for ensuring enough endorsements are submitted to support their nomination of a volunteer for an award. Your volunteer support specialist can check nomination and endorsement submissions for you. Learn more. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #2020NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #SouthwesternCO #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #VolunteerAppreciation #Hesperus

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Allison Brown of Durango in the Southwestern Colorado region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Allison to answer a few quick questions about her volunteer experience. We hope you find her as inspiring as we did. Why did you become a Girl Scout volunteer? I became a volunteer because there was an opening in the leadership position in my daughter’s troop. I have a flexible work schedule, so I had the time and desire to get involved. My mom was my Girl Scout leader growing up, so it felt like the natural thing to do. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I started as a co-leader for a multi-level troop. After seeing the need for more intense badge and volunteer work for our older girls, we split from the multi-level troop and started a Junior troop! What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? I have learned so much more than I thought I would! I have learned major patience, organization, and commitment. I have learned how capable nine and ten year-old girls can be, and I have learned to trust their decisions and abilities. I never thought that the girl-led model would work with young girls, but have been proven wrong time and time again, which is both humbling and uplifting! What do you hope girls have learned from you? Gosh, I hope that I can show them what dedication and hard work looks like. I hope they see a working mom who has time to care and work with youth. I hope they know how much each one of them means to me, and I hope they learn self worth, and dedication to a cause bigger than themselves. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? I have always considered myself a go-getter. I can’t sit still and fill every moment of my life, for better or worse. These girls have challenged me to sit in silence and let them come up with solutions, examples, and ideas.  This is so amazing to me, and let’s me grow as a leader… not a dictator.  With a small budget to start, my co-leader, who I can’t go without mentioning, and I have become major innovators to stretch out dollars. I could not have such an amazing group of girls without the amazing parents who help raise and support them! I truly feel that it takes a village to succeed as an individual and in a group and I am so blessed to be a part of these girls’ journeys. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. The nomination deadline for 2020 Volunteer Recognition Awards is April 30. GSCO invites members statewide to take this opportunity to recognize an outstanding volunteer by nominating them for a Volunteer Recognition Award. Nominators are responsible for ensuring enough endorsements are submitted to support their nomination of a volunteer for an award. Your volunteer support specialist can check nomination and endorsement submissions for you. Learn more. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #Durango #2020NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #SouthwesternCO #VolunteerAppreciation

Girl Scouts of Colorado is collaborating with community leaders in the Red Feather Lakes area to help local residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Magic Sky Ranch property is being used to sort shipments of food that are then being distributed to those struggling to feed themselves. A small group of volunteers has been unloading and repacking bulk items. Afterwards, the parcels are taken to Morning Star Church for distribution. 1¼ tons of food is expected to be distributed on Friday, April 3, 2020. This effort is a collaboration with North 40 Mountain Alliance,  Larimer County Office on Aging, Larimer County Partnership for Age Friendly Communities, Senior Access Points, Morning Star Community Church, Chapel in the Pines, Red Feather Lakes Library, Gordon Creek Farm, DaLonna Mae’s Cafe, Food Bank for Larimer County, and many individual donors. The food is going to families with children, the elderly, people in the service industries who have lost their livelihood, and many others who have been put in distress due this crisis. #LarimerCounty #MagicSkyRanch #NorthernampNortheasternCO #GirlScoutCamp #RedFeatherLakes #COVID19 #camp

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Toni Sickinger of Castle Rock in the Metro Denver region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Toni to answer a few quick questions about her volunteer experience. We hope you find her as inspiring as we did. Why did you become a Girl Scout volunteer? My older sister and I were Girl Scouts growing up. The troop my sister was in traveled and went camping and the girls were always really good friends. When they became adults, they still kept in touch, went to each other’s weddings, and celebrated births of children even though they were spread across the country. My troop was not as active. We spent some time in meetings and went camping once and then, the troop disbanded. When I had my daughter, I wanted an experience similar to my sister’s for her. There was not a troop at my daughter’s school for her age group, so I started one. I had many ups and downs (still do!), but I kept striving to work with the girls in my daughter’s troop and help them become friends, coordinators, and leaders. I feel I achieved my end goal with my original group because now that they are in their adult lives and spread out in different states and colleges, they still get in touch with each other. They are productive, kind, and amazing women who will go far in this world in part because of their time with Girl Scouts. An unexpected bonus for me is that from some of the programs that I ran early on with the parents in the troop, I became friends with a lot of the moms. I have very good friends to this day that are in my life because of Girl Scouts. I see them out in the community and they always make me smile. Some have moved to different states and we keep in touch through social media. I treasure each and every one of these friendships. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I have a lot of different hats that I wear. Troop level: I am a troop leader. Our troop currently has 32 girls and nine (including me) fully engaged adult volunteers. I lead the Brownie Patrol, coordinate the troop meetings, and coordinate the adult volunteers. We are very active with meetings every other week and usually one extra field trip, activity or event per month, sometimes two extra events. We meet in the summer, although less frequently, and we have some activity or camp/overnight experience every month to keep the girls engaged throughout the year. It is quite a bit of work to send emails, update the troop website, coordinate meetings, make sure we have snack and craft supplies, and all the other details. But, it is 100% worth it if I can be a part of serving girls with the possibility of achieving that end goal of lifelong friends and helping them gain the leadership skills from the program. To watch these young girls become women is an amazing journey and one that I am proud to be part of. Troop adult level: I coordinate the adult volunteers for our troop. All of our traditions and ceremonies need an adult to oversee the girls planning and I coordinate the coordinators. We meet once a month to give progress reports and get support from or give support to our team. When I started the original troop, I didn’t have a co-leader or an assistant. All of the moms just helped at the meetings and stayed to satisfy safety ratios. To have cultivated an atmosphere where nine women are actively engaged and working toward a common goal with 30+ girls in four different program levels is a huge accomplishment that I am very proud of. Unit level: I guess I am the service unit manager. I don’t like to put a title on any one person because we are trying to form a team of people to share this responsibility. It detracts from our goal to have one person as “The Manager.” However, I have taken a large role in the management of our unit and I love it! Our service unit used to be very active and offer tons of activities and events for the girls in the area to get together and meet each other. More recently, we haven’t been as active. We are trying to get back to the really active, healthy unit. I am excited to share knowledge and allow leaders time to talk, learn, and network at monthly meetings. We are working toward an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. I hope to see growth and more volunteers attending the service unit meetings. The leaders that I am getting to know are awesome and creative and so valuable! And awesome for our girls! Older girl mentor and trainer: As I went through the program with my daughter and her group, we learned that some things could be done differently for better success. The older girl training program is one of those things. My daughter and I attended several different PA training courses. The one that stuck and was the best for her was the very first one where the trainers had the girls playing games and interacting with each other. Some of the materials need to be in discussion format, but a lot can be learned through games getting up and moving. As my daughter’s group of girls became Senior scouts and Ambassadors, they felt passionately about the older girls training and wanted to bring it closer to our area. They wanted to give the program to the younger Cadettes in a way that allowed their spark to show and to successfully engage the girls. I facilitated them becoming VIT’s and ultimately in their senior year of high school, they became PA Trainers themselves. We wrote the program to maintain council standards, but to also suit them. We have successfully trained PA’s for the past four years. As I listened and sat back and let them do, I learned their way and with my daughter’s help, we are continuing their program and training and mentoring Cadette and older girls. Adult Trainer: In my experience, living a distance from the city and conserving time and trips where I can, I felt we needed more options for adult training closer to home. I didn’t like to have to wait for the large adult training events. I didn’t like having to drive 30 or 45 minutes one way to receive the mandatory training. I also feel that new leaders should be able to access the information as quickly as they want it. I feel passionately about giving the adults the tools they need to successfully lead their troop. I think that just lectures and discussions are less effective than getting the adult volunteers active and engaged. I do have some discussions in the training classes that I offer but I try to give information through games and activities more. Just like the girls, if you get adults working in small groups or as a whole big group, so many more ideas are put into the mix. And, it is more fun and engaging. For several years, I offered a Leadership Team Retreat for the women I work closely with in our troop. It is an amazing weekend that helps our team bond and gives us time to concentrate on Girl Scouts without the daily life interruptions. Our first retreats covered all requirements for Program Level 101s. More recently, I began offering Cooking and Camping training. This is part lecture, but more hands on as I feel this class needs to be. I feel camping and allowing the girls to cook is a vital part in any troop. I love being able to offer the training close to home! Last fall, I offered the retreat statewide. Retreat has consistently covered the Program Level 101 requirements, but when I became a trainer for the Cooking and Camping training, I realized it wasn’t too big of a leap to have it cover the Cooking and Camping requirements as well. So working with an amazing staff member at council, we piloted the dual program. I am offering it again in late March. With a few tweaks, I am excited to see if we can improve the flow of the weekend. I was really really excited to hear from another area of the state that is considering offering this retreat for their leaders and asked for my input on how I do it. It has been such a long journey to get the 101 credit for the leaders at the retreat and now that it is taking off and covering more of the mandatory training and being offered in other areas is a great accomplishment. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? Being a Girl Scout volunteer gives me so much. When you get to witness a girl make a break through from selling cookies, it is amazing. When you are approached at a back -to-school night or parent teacher conference and asked by a teacher if you are the Girl Scout leader and subsequently told stories about how your Girl Scouts are performing AMAZINGLY at school because of the training they are receiving at Girl Scouts, it is an incredible feeling. When you see girls that went through your program now working in the community and they see you and they run up and hug you and introduce you to whoever is around as their Girl Scout Leader, words can’t describe the feeling. I have learned that a good leader is also a good listener. It’s sometimes better to let girls (or adults) talk it through with the group and just interject to keep the discussion on target. Better decisions are made if everyone can voice their opinion and you can have an open discussion about it. I have learned that everything doesn’t have to be perfect. Perfection to Brownies is different than it is to older girls or adults. I have learned that I use the Girl Scout Law to make big decisions in my life. Using those key qualities helps me make tough decisions. I have learned that each group of girls reads the program materials differently. I have been through some of the Journeys more than once with different groups and it is astounding every time I do them because the girls bring such different insights, it makes the Journey completely different every time. I have learned that I love to organize to support girls and adults in their goals and achievements. What do you hope girls have learned from you? I hope girls learn that it doesn’t matter if you can or can’t hold a tune. If you want to sing and it makes you happy, sing! I hope the girls have learned that it doesn’t matter if your hair is a mess and you don’t have the most fashionable clothes. What matters is being a good friend and being nice to people. I hope the girls have learned that including everyone and being kind makes the world a better place. I hope they take away one lifelong friend from the program. I hope they learn so much! Just being a part of their lives and helping them and watching them grow is what keeps me volunteering. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? A little background, I started my business, a hair and nail salon, in 1991. The lady that I opened the business with was awesome and she tried to help me. She retired in 1994. I did okay for a while and then I had to get a second job. The business was okay, but I couldn’t take the financial risk. I kept my business open just barely part time and worked for several other employers because of finances. None of them were satisfying emotionally or spiritually. Only financially. I started the first troop in 2004. I struggled and worked two jobs and kept the troop. I volunteered and put my career on the back burner for my daughter. Leading the girls and helping them become friends and leaders became my focus. As I worked toward that goal, I decided that I was good enough and worth the risk. I decided that I could improvise and add to my business and be successful on my own without an employer giving it to me. I decided to go after what I wanted and try to achieve financial and spiritual freedom. I took the leap in 2016. It was a huge risk to choose my family and friends over finances. Since then, I have been working just my business and helping my hubby run his business, a little Coffee Stop. I don’t need someone else to give me a paycheck. I can go after what I want. I have enhanced the services I offer. I educate my clients and try to lead them to consistent home care. Biggest risk I ever made and one that has been successful. Times are not always easy, but working with people and with Girl Scouts and making small changes consistently make me happy. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. The nomination deadline for 2020 Volunteer Recognition Awards is April 30. GSCO invites members statewide to take this opportunity to recognize an outstanding volunteer by nominating them for a Volunteer Recognition Award. Nominators are responsible for ensuring enough endorsements are submitted to support their nomination of a volunteer for an award. Your volunteer support specialist can check nomination and endorsement submissions for you. Learn more. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #VolunteerAppreciationMonth #2020NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #VolunteerAppreciation #MetroDenver #CastleRock