Girl Scouts of all ages, family, and friends are invited to cheer on the Rocky Mountain Vibes as they take on the Grand Junction Rockies on Friday, September 6, 2019 at UCHealth Park in Colorado Springs! Game Highlight: Friday Night Fireworks With Faith Night Presented by Thrivent Financial Register online now: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2019/girl_scout_day_with__1272642776.html Tickets are $16 and include a game ticket and meal voucher. The meal voucher includes a hot dog, chips, and drink. Tickets will be purchased on this online registration form and then physically distributed at the Girl Scout table outside the game. Girl Scouts should wear their vest or sash to help show their Girl Scout spirit! Anyone 12-years-old and younger will also receive a fun zone pass. The fun zone pass includes unlimited access to the Fun Zone/Camp Toasty area that has an inflatable slide, obstacle course, and s’more station! Groups that indicate the same troop number will be grouped together as best as possible. If you need to submit multiple registration forms, click the “back” button on your browser and make necessary edits and submit the form again for additional attendees. ** Online registrations will not be accepted after the registration end date. Walk-up registration day of will be accepted with exact cash or check only. Priority entrance will be given to advance registrations. ** If you have any questions about this event or have trouble completing registration, please contact inquiry@gscolorado.org or 877-404-5708. 40963104_9.6.19_girl_scout_day_with_the_rocky_mountain_vibes #GSCOevents #ColoradoSprings #UCHealthPark #Communitypartnerships #communitypartners #RockyMountainVibes #PikesPeak

Inspired by the iconic TV game show “Double Dare,” “Double Dare Live!” features two teams comprised of selected audience members competing to win prizes by answering brain-bending trivia questions, completing messy physical challenges, and ultimately facing the legendary obstacle course. Girl Scouts, friends, and family are invited to take advantage of a $5 discount on select seats on Friday, November 1, 2019. To purchase discounted tickets, use promotion code: “SCOUT” online at www.TREventscomplex.com/promo-codes. Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Budweiser Events Center Box Office. All tickets are subject to availability. Additional online fees will apply. The deadline for this discount is October 31 at 5 p.m. #Loveland #GSCOevents #NorthernampNortheasternCO #Communitypartnerships #communitypartners

Join GSCO for our annual Girl Scout Day at Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison on Saturday, October 19, 2019 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. All Girl Scouts, friends, and family are invited. Representatives from local STEM-focused organizations will lead hands-on activities for Girl Scouts and work toward earning badges! National Fossil Day is also October 16, so come learn about fossils and celebrate in honor of this special day. Register online now! https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2019/girl_scout_day_at_di.html Pricing: Advance Registration before October 15: $9/Girl Scout, $5/Adults and other youth. Walk-Up Registration Day Of (walk up registration closes at 1 p.m.): $10/Girl Scout, $6/adults and other youth A National Fossil Day patch is included in the price for Girl Scouts and patches will be given out at check-in on the day of the event. Registration Deadline: Tuesday, October 15. (after October 15 walk ups will be accepted day of the event until 1 p.m. at an increase of $1/person). The event starts at 9 a.m. and Girl Scouts have until 3 p.m. to complete activities. Troops and families should allow at least two hours to complete activities and plan to arrive no later than 1 p.m. This is not a drop off event. Girl Scouts and other youth must attend with a troop leader, parent, or guardian. Children are not permitted to attend without supervision. Save on your ticket and time in line through registering NOW! Things to bring: Water, jacket, hat, sunscreen, and snacks. Good walking shoes. Your camera. Your friends or family. Wear your vest or sash to show off your Girl Scout pride! A camera to document the day and share photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, using #GSColo. The desire to learn about the creatures that walked the earth millions of years ago. Things to remember at Dinosaur Ridge: It is an outdoor museum. This means that fossils, bones, and you are exposed to the elements. Please bring a jacket, hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water. Dinosaur Ridge has water and soda available for purchase in the Main Visitor Center Gift Shop. Dinosaur Ridge does not have an on-site restaurant. There will be a few local food trucks on site for this event and you can bring your own lunch or snacks if you will be hungry on the Ridge. Dinosaur Ridge has several picnic tables in front of and behind the Main Visitor Center Gift Shop. Please deposit all trash in our designated trash and recycling bins. There are port-o-lets located on the Ridge (on the east side just uphill from the main tracksite). No climbing or collecting Hiking trail – Jefferson County Open Space maintains a trail on top of the Ridge. Take advantage of interpretive signs along the Ridge to learn about the paleontology, geology, and natural history of Dinosaur Ridge and Colorado. • Although the Ridge is closed to vehicular traffic, we have many cyclists who enjoy Dinosaur Ridge along with pedestrian walkers. Please stay in the walking lane—the side closest to the Ridge during your journey. Questions? For more information, please contact Aimee Artzer at Aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org. If you have any questions about this event or have trouble completing registration, please contact inquiry@gscolorado.orgor 877-404-5708. #DinosaurRidge #GSCOevents #Communitypartnerships #communitypartners #Morrison #MetroDenver

Submitted by Penny Roberts Northern & Northeastern CO Estes Park Gold Award Girl Scout and Lifetime Girl Scout Wendy Roberts, daughter of Jay and Penny Roberts of Estes Park, was recently honored with a prestigious award:  the 2019 Vern A. Fridley Formal Environmental Educator of the Year.  This honor was awarded by the Utah Society for Environmental Education (USEE), and the awards presentation was held on August 9, 2019 at Rowland Hall in Salt Lake City. Wendy was a teacher in the Estes Park schools for several years in the early 2000s. She began with her student teaching, followed by working as a private tutor and substitute teaching. After she was hired full-time, she taught classes in ESL, Alternative Education, and science to enhance her experience. She moved from Estes Park to Liberal, Kansas, where she taught eighth grade physical science for two years at the middle school level.  She then moved on to Ogden, Utah, where she now teaches at the DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts, a public charter school. At DaVinci Academy, she teaches high school Biology, Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination, a college prep program for 7th-12th grades), and also includes electives such as Botany, Zoology, Aquatic Biology, Wildlife Biology and Current Issues in Science in her curriculum.  Previously, she had taught Chemistry and Earth Systems.  This year, she has added to her job description the role of Instructional Specialist for the teachers of 7th-12th grades and professional development training. Wendy has also worked extensively with the Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College; she instructs teachers how to use the Great Salt Lake in their science curriculum and how to take students on field trips there.  She has worked the entire water cycle into field trips by traveling from the top of the watershed to the entire length of the Salt Lake, showing students the magic and wonder of this unique environment. In addition, she has worked through the Utah State University to acquire Master Naturalist certifications in Mountains and Wetlands. Alex Porpora, Executive Director for USEE says, “We are so proud to acknowledge this year’s environmental education awardees and their contributions to our community.  These individuals are role models and inspire me to do the work we do at USEE.”  Further she reports, “Our mission is promoting excellence in environmental education by providing support, resources and networking opportunities to Utah’s community of educators.  Our vision is an environmentally literate society committed to a sustainable future.” One of Wendy’s current environmental science students was also honored at the USEE awards ceremony, as one of Utah’s “5 under 25” for her work with air quality legislation at the city and state levels. Wendy says she was more in awe of her student’s recognition and levels of dedication than her own award. At the awards ceremony, Wendy said, in summary, “My mom was my greatest inspiration.  She made me look at things (in the surrounding environment) and then she told me that I needed to tell everybody else.  Yes, I make my students hug trees and I make my administrators stop buying plastic bottles.” She attributes her love for the outdoors and education to her years of working with the Girl Scouts, primarily at Meadow Mountain Ranch near Allenspark.  It’s easy to see how that Girl Scout background has translated to the level of “master teacher,” as evident in her success which is now reaching beyond her own school and into the broader Utah community. Wendy worked as Assistant Camp Director at MMR for three years, where she directed program and trained staff.  In addition, she participated with “The Milkweeds” in the adult trip to Our Cabana in Mexico where the group visited the Monarch butterfly preserve and helped with an International Festival and a community outreach service project.  Several years later, part of that same group of women, including Wendy, returned to Our Cabana this year to take part in Sea Adventure II, where they were awarded an opportunity to help with a project to protect and preserve sea turtles near Acapulco.  For Wendy, almost any outdoor project is a huge attraction, and she will continue to seek out similar adventures inside or outside the Girl Scout organization. She helps her mom, Penny, with the program and promotion of Women’s Week at Meadow Mountain Ranch every year, returning to her roots to reconnect with that very special wilderness environment.  Adventures are never-ending when she gets a chance to share with friends old and new on her personal “stomping grounds.” Please join her parents in celebrating Wendy’s outstanding accomplishment. The future will continue to be bright and will reward her over and over as she works to further her personal and professional goals. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #UtahSocietyforEnvironmentalEducation #VernAFridleyFormalEnvironmentalEducatoroftheYear #STEM #Utah #NorthernampNortheasternCO #2019VernAFridleyFormalEnvironmentalEducatoroftheYear #GoldAwardGirlScout #GirlScoutGoldAward #EstesPark #environment #alumnaenews

You’re a new Girl Scout leader or volunteer? Awesome! Now, what? Amy Caperton, Denine Dains, and Darby Petitt in the Metro Denver region are experienced leaders of troops with older Girl Scouts, many of whom have been together since Daisies and Brownies. They offer these “life hacks” to help make your experience as a leader or volunteer less daunting. Denine: Plug in with experienced leaders and find a potential mentor. Find out who is leading Girl Scout activities in your area/service unit and pair up, observe, shadow, etc. Talk with lots of leaders and other volunteers until you find a good fit to possibly mentor you. Darby:  Other leaders have made community connections, led badges/events, and made reservations, so use others’ experience to your advantage! Join the Facebook page for your service unit and ask for help when you need ideas. If you think something might be fun, try it! Invite others in the community to teach girls skills or take tours of unexpected places. Girls  like to hear someone else talk. Older girls can help plan meetings, so reach out to them! They are excited to plan the badges and that’s one less meeting on your plate! Amy: Find a reliable/trustworthy person to be your fall product program and troop cookie manager. Leaders already do so much, it’s nice if they don’t have to do this too. Get involved with your service unit and attend meetings. They are a great place to connect with other leaders. Look for social media pages for your area or state/nationwide. They are great resources for questions and resources. Do you have any tips, tricks, “life hacks,” etc. to share? We would love to hear them! Just email GSCO Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #TipsandTricksfornewleadersandvolunteers #VolunteerNews

Girl Scout Destinations are the ultimate adventure for girls 11 and older! Destinations bring together Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts from all over the country for amazing summer and winter adventures filled with nature, culture, service, art, science, and tons more! Any girl in grade 6–12 can apply. With a ton of different trips to apply for every year, from surfing camp on the east coast and breathtaking hikes out west, to the crazy-cool wonder of new cultures abroad, there’s something amazing for everyone to experience. Dreaming of kayaking to an island campsite? Let’s do it! Want to explore the cobblestone alleys of Europe? We’re totally there! Passionate about protecting wildlife habitats? Yes, yes, yes! On a Girl Scout Destination trip you can do all that and so much more. Interested? Here are the easy steps to get started: Visit http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/travel/ to learn about trips that are offered for 2020 – 2021. Choose up to four trips that spark your interest. Applications are open now! Submit your application for Round 1 by December 1, 2019. Round 2 are due by February 15, 2020. Insider Tip: Heart set on a particular trip? Get everything in during Round 1- these incredible adventures fill up fast! Want more information? Register for a Destinations webinar. Saturday, September 21 from 10 – 11 a.m.: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/f3c7755c7a1343fd66858a512be5123a Thursday, September 26 from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/d046be733a3495bbcde7dc3c8da9331e Questions? Email GSCO Mission Delivery Manager Emily Speck  at emily.speck@gscolorado.org. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GSUSA #GirlScoutDestinations #GSDestinations #travel

Submitted by Jody Clair Pikes Peak Colorado Springs Join Troop 4381 for a super-fun dance on September 20, 2019 in Colorado Springs! Families are welcome. It does NOT have to be a troop. However, NO drop offs! Troops are responsible for meeting safety ratios. Use this link to purchase tickets: https://troop-43810-dance-2019.cheddarup.com. This link will be closed as of September 14 at 7 a.m. All details are in the flyer below. Questions? Email girlscoutjody@gmail.com. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. 40963104_csas_from_troop_3810 #ColoradoSprings #dance #GSCOevents #PikesPeak

Submitted by Ariella Wells Northern & Northeastern CO Fort Collins A few of the girls from Troop 70720 came out for a morning of some rollerblading. They did around five miles out on the bike trail. It was a beautiful morning and the girls skated their hearts out . This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #gsoutdoors #FortCollins #NorthernampNortheasternCO

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, Simply Technology, I created and taught six technology classes for independently living seniors in Arvada, Colorado that helped them learn how to use their Android smartphone. Each class taught the attendees how to use different apps on smartphones such as messages, camera, email, and Internet. Knowing how to use technology is a huge part of today’s society, and not knowing how to use it often ostracized people, namely senior citizens. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I measured the impact of my Gold Award through a survey I had each of the members of my class take, and by the appreciation I received personally from the attendees. Many of the seniors approached me to tell me how helpful the class was and that they are no longer afraid to try new things on their phone. Additionally, my project was requested again, which showed that people thought it was helpful and successful enough that other people should take the class too. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? My project is going to be sustained in two ways beyond my involvement. The first way that my project will be sustained is that the Jefferson County Public Library System will continue to hold classes that teach seniors about their smartphones. The second way is that I will have a website that can be accessed by anyone with the materials that I created for my classes and more cool tricks that I hope will encourage seniors to use their phones more often. The web address is https://sites.google.com/a/jeffcoschools.us/simply-technology. What is your project’s global/or national connection? I grew my Gold Award project from the original location at Stanley Lake Library to a second location, Brookdale Meridian Center in Boulder. The Brookdale Meridian Center is an independent living community for retired citizens (most are in the late 70s to 80s). At Brookdale Meridian, I taught a class to the residents and helped them to understand how their phones worked. What did you learn about yourself? I learned that I could have a voice that people pay attention to in a crowd and that I didn’t need to be handed a microphone when I wanted to talk to a crowd. I have always had a quieter voice and it gets overpowered a lot in discussions and conversations. I struggled during the first few classes to get my voice heard, but by the end, I was able to captivate my audience with a louder voice. How will earning your Gold Award Impact you in the future? Earning my Gold Award is going to impact my future because it allowed me to grow and learn more about myself. My project challenged me to overcome some of my reservedness and helped me to develop as a leader. In the future, I will be able to use the skills I learned during my Gold Award project to impact the world in other and hopefully, larger ways. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? Earning your Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience because it proves that you have learned something applicable through the organization. Additionally, it shows you that you can be an empowered young woman all by yourself and you can take on some of the problems of the world. The Gold Award is important because it culminates all that you have learned as a Girl Scout and focuses it into one project that you can be passionate about the rest of your life. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Through earning my Gold Award, I became a go-getter and a risk-taker. Taking on the project pushed me to pursue some of my own dreams and help the world around me; it enabled me to become purposeful. Additionally, putting myself up there in front of a group of people made me realize that taking risks aren’t so bad, in fact, my Gold Award made me more confident to put myself out there for people to see. **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 #Arvada #HighestAwards #STEM #smartphones #GoldAwardGirlScout #technology #GirlScoutGoldAward #MetroDenver #TakeAction #JeffersonCountyPublicLibrarySystem #RalstonValleyHighSchool

The annual Teddy Bear Project begins again on September 1, 2019, and this year, the Child Rescue Foundation is also asking for donations of blankets. Since 1999, Girl Scouts and other groups have participated in the annual Teddy Bear project, collecting new and gently loved plush animals to be given to children in crisis. More than 165,000 have been donated to date. The goal this year is to collect another 10,000. The plush animals collected can be of any size, shape, color, creed, or religion. All will be given to make a difference in the life of a child. Denver Safehouse alone serves more than 10,000 women and children each year. The Denver Police Department reports it responds to more than 6,000 domestic violence calls annually and in more than one-third of those cases there is a child in the home. Girl Scouts can help by collecting new and gently loved plush animals or blankets, host a tag and sort party , and then deliver by November 16. Learn more at http://cr-foundation.org/wordpress1/annual-calender/tbp-teddy-bear-project/ or email childrescue97984@aol.com. #TeddyBearProject #Denver #DenverSafehouse #ChildRescueFoundation #MetroDenver

Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to special workshops at the GSCO Grand Junction office to earn their Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame patch!  The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame patch workshop is Saturday, September 21, 2019. Daisies and Brownies are invited to a morning workshop from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors are invited to an afternoon workshop from 1 – 3 p.m. Register online now! https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2019/colorado_women_s_hal.html. Registration closes 9/12 OR when event is at capacity. This patch program, which launched in January 2019, aims to provide girls across the state an opportunity to learn the stories of women who have shaped our state and the nation’s history with courage, leadership, intelligence, and creativity.  Supporters of the COWHF will lead girls through activities adapted from the online instructions and girls will receive their patch at the workshop. This is not a drop off event. All Girl Scouts must attend with a troop leader, parent, or guardian. Questions? Email Community Partnerships Manager Aimee Artzer at aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org. 40963104_gsco_cwhf_9.21.19_patch_workshop #ColoradoWomensHallofFame #GSCOevents #ColoradoWomensHallofFamepatch #GrandJunction #Communitypartnerships #communitypartners #WesternColorado

The GSCO Retail Shop is fully stocked and ready for “Back to Girl Scouts” season!  Yay!! New items for the 2019- 2020 GSCO year include leader vests and insignia from GSUSA, very hot items which have gotten a lot of positive feedback. Troop leaders and volunteers now have something official to wear to show off their accomplishments with their girls! The shop also has other new swag from GSUSA, along with council’s own items. Better still, there is much more to come throughout the coming months. Of course, we have the new badges and requirements, along with all the earned awards and badges for each level. Starting the week of September 2, 2019, shop hours will be: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. As always, https://www.girlscoutshop.com/COLORADO-COUNCIL is open 24/7. You can also contact the shop via email at retail@gscolorado.org or call (303)-607-4880. #GSCORetailShop