Submitted by Alysha Koumantakis Metro Denver Aurora We had a cookie booth at Torchy’s Tacos! A woman that works for Flight for Life came in on her lunch break, and she was so sweet to our Daisies! We were so excited to meet a woman in uniform! These Girl Scouts also earned the Uniform to Uniform patch! Learn how to earn yours: http://gscoblog.org/2020/01/uniform-to-uniform-patch-for-the-2020-girl-scout-cookie-program/ #UniformtoUniformpatch #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #2020UniformtoUniformPatch #UniformtoUniform #FlightforLife #Aurora #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #MetroDenver

What did you do for your Gold Award project? My project addressed the issue that not enough children are educated on geography due to a lack of exciting and engaging educational activities. The root cause of this issue is there aren’t enough resources to make learning geography fun and engaging. I addressed this by giving Peyton Elementary School a resource that can be utilized in many different ways. I painted a large, colorful (16’ x 27’) map of the United States on the asphalt near their playground area. I then created multiple lesson plans for each grade level (K-6) as well as eight games that allow the map to be used in a fun and interactive way to learn geography. The impact I wanted to make was to create a fun and interactive way for an entire school to learn social studies. The result was that students were learning geography and improving their test scores when they thought they were just having fun! How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? A direct impact could be seen through the increased scores on geography pre-tests and post-tests given to the students. The tests were given to four different classes before and after utilizing the games and the test score averages increased by 28-36 percentage points. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? This project will be sustained through the teachers using the lesson plans and games I provide. They will be able to take students out to the map to learn for many years to come. Thousands of students will reap the benefits of having a more interactive way to learn for many years. It will also be sustained physically with the help of the school maintenance director who will use the paint I left behind to touch up areas that may eventually fade or chip. The project will also be sustained by my sharing details with eight other rural schools in the area. I sent an email to each principal that included an extremely detailed summary of the map project (including stencil information, paint colors, amounts, day by day process, hints, lessons learned, and more) as well as the lesson plans and games that I created. I also asked the Peyton Elementary School principal to please pass the plans and games on to any teachers she thought could use them. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? The national and global link in my project is that these children are growing up more educated, and they will bring that knowledge with them throughout their entire life. Their growing enthusiasm and interest in U.S. geography will grow to include the rest of the world, which is certainly important in our increasingly interconnected global society. What did you learn about yourself? Over the course of this project, I learned I am capable of more than I realized. While teaching the kids, I learned to have more patience with a group of rowdy 5th graders. I also learned and experienced the feeling of satisfaction when you see what you’re doing is having a positive effect on young people’s lives. Through this project, I learned that I need to not stress and become frustrated over things that are out of my control. For example, when laying down the stencil, the wind became incredibly frustrating as it threatened to potentially tear and ruin the entire stencil. However, I realized the wind itself is out of my control, so there’s no need to become frustrated with it. Instead, I discovered that staying calm, finding ways to mitigate the problem, and remaining persistent paid off. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? My leadership skills in the future will grow because now, I am not as hesitant to lead. This project has shown me that being a leader isn’t scary, so I will be much more likely to put myself in a position to lead. The more leadership roles I am cast into, the more I learn, the more confident I become, and the more determined I am to make a positive impact in the world. In addition, I can now list on applications that I am a Gold Award recipient. This will help open doors of opportunity especially if applying to selective programs or colleges that will help me make a difference in this world. Overall, my confidence has increased, so what may have seemed like a daunting challenge before will now seem much more achievable. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it was almost like a test. Ever since I was a Daisy, I have been learning about kindness, leadership, giving back, and other positive values. The Gold Award journey was the time to apply everything I’ve been learning about and prove my skills. It allowed me to show everyone I’m capable, and it allowed me to give back to a community in a big way. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Over the course of this project, I evolved into a better leader.  I developed leadership skills from working and coordinating with the project advisors, spending time teaching kids, and leading my friends and family.  While painting the map, I had to delegate jobs and make sure everyone was painting with the proper color in the proper area. During this project I have also become more of a go-getter. I am no longer afraid of challenging projects and tough leadership positions. In fact, now I search for them, because I know I can handle the pressure and work involved. This helped give me a strong sense of self and the confidence that I can tackle future challenges that I’ll face in the world.  I also came to realize that it’s very important to me to have a career that allows me to share my values and that positively impacts other people and the world. **IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication, and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org. #GoldAward #HighestAwards #PineCreekHighSchool #ColoradoSprings #GoldAwardGirlScout #PeytonElementarySchool #GirlScoutGoldAward #TakeAction #PikesPeak

Submitted by Sheila Odette Pikes Peak Monument Brownies from new Troop 45261 in Monument were selling cookies so fast at King Soopers that they were on fire! Luckily, some local firefighters were nearby to help and gracefully posed for a picture. Three packages of cookies were generously donated by Jennifer B., whose daughter Peyton was our amazing and kind Cookie Captain. These Girl Scouts also earned the Uniform to Uniform patch! Learn how to earn yours: http://gscoblog.org/2020/01/uniform-to-uniform-patch-for-the-2020-girl-scout-cookie-program/ #firefighter #UniformtoUniformpatch #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #2020UniformtoUniformPatch #UniformtoUniform #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #Monument #PikesPeak #firefighters

Submitted by Tineke Agner-Francois Pikes Peak Colorado Springs My daughter, Layla, has been selling Girl Scout Cookies since she was in kindergarten. During this time her dad and I, both Air Force, deployed and went TDY often leaving her and her brothers with grandparents and friends to help fill the role as a parent. My children have grown to love members from all branches and have a greater respect for mommies and daddies that defend their country. My ex-husband and I have taught our children about the different branches, their rank structure and particularly Air Force history. It was a proud moment when she was not only able to talk to two amazing Tuskegee Airmen, but donate cookies to them that she bought and tell them about what she’s accomplished with Girl Scouts and how cookie season is beneficial to making goals a reality. This picture is with two of the Tuskegee Airmen and boy was she excited! Gotta love chatting about history while doing something she loves, selling cookies! From Layla: Girl Scouts take chances, educate themselves to know and be more, and work hard to achieve their goals! I pay for camp by participating in Fall Product and Cookie programs. I was able to pay for two-thirds of my trip to Costa Rica this summer just from Cookie Credits! I make a goal and I do everything I can to reach it! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #ColoradoSprings #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #TuskegeeAirmen #PikesPeak

Submitted by Natassja Slone Pueblo & Southeastern CO Pueblo We invited the Pueblo Police Department out to our booth and the girls got to meet real officers and they even bought cookies! These Girl Scouts also earned the Uniform to Uniform patch! Learn how to earn yours: http://gscoblog.org/2020/01/uniform-to-uniform-patch-for-the-2020-girl-scout-cookie-program/ #PuebloPoliceDepartment #police #UniformtoUniformpatch #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #2020UniformtoUniformPatch #UniformtoUniform #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #Pueblo #PuebloampSoutheasternCO

Update as of Tuesday, March 17, 2020: This event has been canceled and refunds will be issued. Update as of Friday, February 28, 2020: This event is full. Direct from Broadway, “Mean Girls” is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”), and director Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon”). Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors can join us for a night out at “Mean Girls!” Limited discounted tickets ($54/person) are available for Girl Scouts at the 7:30 p.m. performance on Friday, April 10, 2020.  If troops would like to be seated together, make sure to enter your five-digit troop number on the registration form. Online ticket sales/registration will close when we have met capacity OR on Thursday, April 2. Get your tickets: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2020/mean_girls.html  Girl Scouts of Colorado will not issue any refunds or cancellations for this event. Tickets will be available at Will Call under the purchaser’s name. Questions? Email aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org. If you have trouble completing registration, please contact inquiry@gscolorado.org or (877) 404-5708. #GSCOevents #Communitypartnerships #MeanGirls #Denver #communitypartners #MetroDenver

Thank you to all of the Girl Scouts who entered the 2020 Bling Your Booth Challenge! We received dozens of entries from all across Colorado and are so impressed by your creativity and enthusiasm. Congratulations to the winners! Third Place: $50 in Cookie Credits This troop is made up of 10 girls from Erie. A portion of the troop has participated in Girl Scouts since becoming Daisies in kindergarten. For others, this is their first year. The booth had a camping theme because their troop goal is to go to troop camp this summer.  It will be the first sleep away camp for many of the girls and they are excited about bunk beds, archery, and horseback riding. Their goal was 2,500 packages and they have already surpassed 4,000! The girls chose Children’s Hospital Colorado as their Hometown Hero and have already collected more than 25 cases. Second Place: $100 in Cookie Credits This multi-level troop is from Mancos and has six Girl Scouts. Their troop goal for 2020 is 2,000 packages (325 per girl). They plan to do Bunk with the Beasts at Denver Zoo and purchase new uniforms. Winner: $200 in Cookie Credits Audrey and Aarya’s cookie booth is called Emoji the Possibilities and it inspired them to have big cookie goals. Together, they have almost reached their goal of selling 2,000 packages! The sparkly emoji faces are reflective of their fun attitude. The girls cut out and put these emojis together, choosing their favorite ones! These two friends have been in Girl Scouts for three years and are second year Brownies in Littleton. Audrey and Aarya plan to use their booth winnings to help pay for summer camp. #BlingYourBooth #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #BlingYourBoothChallenge #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #cookiebooth #GirlScoutCookieProgram #CookieContest #2020BlingYourBoothChallenge

From Girl Scouts of the USA On February 27, 2020,  Girl Scouts of the USA announced Fair Play, Equal Pay™, a new gender parity initiative that will engage businesses to take action now to help build a more equitable future for girls. Industry leaders and major corporate partners of GSUSA, including Accenture, Ernst & Young, and SAP, have already committed to the initiative to increase female leadership and equal pay in their organizations by 2030. One of the most comprehensive and solutions-oriented corporate gender parity programs to date, GSUSA’s Fair Play, Equal Pay initiative leverages the power and impact of the Girl Scout brand to encourage companies that work with Girl Scouts to take the pledge toward parity and equal pay for equal work. Girl Scouts is working with Canadian organization Women in Governance (WiG), an expert in gender parity whose assessment and analytical tools will be instrumental in informing GSUSA’s gender parity certification decisions. GSUSA’s certification will use a scaled 4-star system with each level of certification coming with a unique Girl Scouts’ Gender Parity Certification Seal. WiG’s best-in-class enablement tools, including customized support to address gap areas, will be critical in enabling companies to achieve higher targets and make meaningful progress towards gender parity. The initiative is sponsored in large part thanks to a generous grant from The David and Lura Lovell Foundation, a national foundation which supports initiatives in four main areas, by invitation only, including gender parity. For Girl Scouts, creating a more equitable working world in which girls and young women can see themselves fairly reflected in organizational leadership and receive equal pay for equal work, dovetails seamlessly with GSUSA’s mission to develop girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. “Girl Scouts has helped build the leadership skills and potential of girls for over a century, but the world they inherited wasn’t always prepared to meet them where they were: ready to lead and expecting to be valued and paid on par with men,” said GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. “Through our gender parity initiative, we’re not only working to develop girls with the capacity to lead but also create a world ready for their talents. We want our vendor partners to know that working with Girl Scouts means a commitment to girls’ leadership—both now and in the future—which means committing to gender parity between men and women.” Based on GSUSA’s research, Girl Scouts is the only organization in the United States to create a program that challenges entities to complete four vital components: 1) sign a parity pledge in which they publicly commit to increase gender parity within their organization, 2) complete an assessment of their gender parity status, 3) advance their gender parity status using expert-informed resources available through the initiative, and 4) achieve a Girl Scout gender parity certification and proudly promote their success. “We’re making progress around all aspects of women’s and girls’ lives, but we can set the bar even higher,” said Jennifer Morgan, Co-CEO of SAP. “We can always be doing more – and this is a critical and necessary step towards raising that bar and putting more young girls and women in positions of leadership. We are expanding our commitment to engage more girls and women in the conversation by sponsoring the Gender Parity Forum this October at G.I.R.L. 2020, GSUSA’s national convention. SAP’s support of GSUSA’s gender parity initiative aligns perfectly with our commitment to empowering women through technology, disrupting what it means to be ‘ready to lead,’ and making sure we have everyone at the table for the tough conversations.” Transforming the workplace is foundational to making progress toward gender parity. Only 4.8% of CEOs on the 2018 Fortune 500 list are women. And studies by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company show that women remain underrepresented at every level in corporate America, even while companies’ commitment to gender diversity is at an all-time high, proving that turning commitment into practice has been a challenge. “Women in Governance is moving the needle in a very concrete fashion in corporate Canada, encouraging women to develop their leadership and advance their careers and supporting organizations in their quests to increase the number of women in decision-making bodies as well as in traditionally male-dominated industries,” said WiG President and Founder Caroline Codsi. “After four years of great success with our Parity Certification across Canada, we are now thrilled to partner with GSUSA to get corporate America aligned and ready to welcome the next generation of female leaders among its ranks, not only because it is the right thing to do but because it is the smart thing to do.” As the preeminent leadership development organization for girls, Girl Scouts is uniquely positioned to ensure that a focus on gender parity is given priority consideration among its collaborators and vendor base. With an estimated $1 billion in potential purchasing power nationally, Girl Scouts does business across industries, geographies, and disciplines. Contractual relationships with Girl Scouts and alignment with the iconic brand are highly regarded assets. Learn more about the Fair Play, Equal Pay initiative. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GSUSA #EqualPay #EqualPayInitiative #FairPlay

Submitted by Ann Foster Metro Denver Castle Pines Girl Scout Brownie Troop 65573 was treated to a visit by Deputy Andrew of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department! The local sheriffs are this troop’s Hometown Heroes, and the girls really enjoyed thanking them for all they do to keep everyone safe in the community, and also made sure they got their entire case of cookies that had been donated. A Daisy from our sister troop was also there to help, as she was training on how to run a successful cookie booth. We learned that when the sheriff is at the cookie booth, lots and lots of people want to thank them for their service to our community, and buy lots of cookies! This got us even closer to our cookie sales goal. These Girl Scouts also earned the Uniform to Uniform patch! Learn how to earn yours: http://gscoblog.org/2020/01/uniform-to-uniform-patch-for-the-2020-girl-scout-cookie-program/ #UniformtoUniformpatch #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #2020UniformtoUniformPatch #UniformtoUniform #HometownHero #cookies #DouglasCountySheriffsDepartment #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #DouglasCounty #HometownHeroes #CastlePines #MetroDenver #HometownHeroGiftofCaring

Submitted by Marcy Kendall Northern & Northeastern CO Boulder Last fall, Troops 72418 and 73010 organized a Space Science Investigator Night for Juniors. It was successful with 130 Girl Scouts from around Colorado. We’re hosting another one on Friday, April 3, 2020 at the Fiske Planetarium at CU Boulder (2414 Regent Drive. Boulder CO 80309) for BOTH Brownies and Juniors. Space is limited! (It filled up last fall). You can learn more and sign up Brownies here: https://brownie-space-science-adventurer-april-3.cheddarup.com You can learn more and sign up Juniors here: https://space-science-investigator-night-april-3-juniors.cheddarup.com This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #spacescience #GSCOevents #STEM #NorthernampNortheasternCO #SpaceScienceInvestigator #boulder #SpaceScienceInvestigatorbadge #badge

Submitted by Rylee G. Western Colorado Grand Junction I earned this patch with my Uncle Eddie. He is a police officer. He is good at his job and he arrests the bad guys to keep us safe. He loves cookies and loves supporting Girl Scouts! These Girl Scouts also earned the Uniform to Uniform patch! Learn how to earn yours: http://gscoblog.org/2020/01/uniform-to-uniform-patch-for-the-2020-girl-scout-cookie-program/ #UniformtoUniformpatch #GrandJunction #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #2020UniformtoUniformPatch #UniformtoUniform #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #WesternColorado

Thank you to all the Girl Scouts who entered this year’s contest for Best Cookie Video. We received nearly two dozen entries from across Colorado and are so impressed by your creativity and enthusiasm. Third Place- $50 in Cookie Credits Girl Scout Junior Clemmer is selling Girl Scout Cookies so she can go Girl Scout Camp.  From Clemmer: Every year, I try to create a cookie song to draw attention to our booths! This year, my parents helped me create a backdrop and I came up with the words to the song. I think singing the song at our booths is going to help us meet our cookie program goals! Second Place- $100 in Cookie Credits Troop 65709 is a multi-level troop from the Metro Denver region. The girls plan to use their winnings for badges, activities, and items from the GSCO Retail Shop. First Place- $200 in Cookie Credits Girl Scout Cadette Tessa, along with her sister Diana, recently completed the Marketing and Coding for Good badges, which inspired them to step-up their cookie game this season. Diana now wears a Cookie Monster mascot costume and Tessa spent days producing this fun video. The video is 100% girl created, including the background music that Tessa coded. #BestCookieVideo #2020GirlScoutCookieProgram #BestCookieVideocontest #cookies #2020BestCookieVideocontest #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #CookieContest