Submitted by Melissa Stamps Pikes Peak Colorado Springs Still looking to celebrate World Thinking Day with your Girl Scout sisters? Join Service Unit 413 for an around-the-world showcase of countries! You and your troop can choose to represent a country with a display of facts, art, artifacts, snacks, etc. or to be tourists and just come enjoy the fun! When: Saturday, April 27, 2019 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Where: Colorado Military Academy Colorado Springs Cost: $1.50/per girl presenting $5 per girl touring Adults are free. Questions? Contact Melissa Stamps at mcs9886@yahoo.com or (719) 551 – 0270 to choose a country and register, or with any questions. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #GlobalGirlScouts #2019WorldThinkingDay #ColoradoSprings #GSCOPikesPeak #WorldThinkingDay

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Christine Kucera of Steamboat Springs in the Mountain Communities region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Christine 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’ve become a Girl Scout volunteer for many reasons. First, I volunteered to become a troop leader while in college at Illinois State University. I missed all of the fun activities and my connection to younger girls. I felt that I had a lot to share with a group of Brownies. I had a wonderful time taking them camping and teaching them what I remembered as most special to me. After I got married and moved to California, I volunteered again. I wasn’t ready to have children of my own yet, but again missed my connection with girls. I became very involved with a troop of girls through Juniors and Cadettes. We taught them life skills, took them canoeing, camping, and skiing.  One of them had never seen snow and now takes her family skiing. We moved to Colorado and took a break from volunteering to spend more time on the slopes and raising children. I resisted volunteering for a while because I felt that I was too busy with my two children. My kids went to a small local charter school north of Steamboat Springs and I realized that my daughter needs to get to know more town kids to help ease her eventual integration into the high school. I was able to find a Girl Scout troop that would hold off starting the meeting after school until we could arrive. This was a nice sized troop that had lots of fun playing games and singing songs, but was not doing any badges. I was hoping to have my daughter enjoy Girl Scouts without her mom as the leader, but I stepped in and helped. I led this troop through Bronze and Silver awards, trained them to win Reach for the Peak, and am guiding them down their paths to the Gold Award. Girl Scouts has become an important part of my soul. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I now have many roles in Girl Scouts. I am a Senior/Ambassador troop leader, member of the local Girl Scout grant committee, Mountain Communities region volunteer trainer, local troop camp director, and 2018 National Delegate. My troop and I lead many local events each year, ranging from bridging, World Thinking Day, cookie rallies, monthly multiage group meetings, and annual troop camp. I am a trainer for adults, especially 101 and Camping and Cooking. I am the trainer for Program Aides and soon Volunteer in Training. I plan and implement PA-run troop camp for Juniors and older each summer. I was honored to be selected as a National Delegate and want to take my troop to the National Convention in Florida in October 2020. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? I have learned that when girls are challenged, they step up and can accomplish anything. I have seen Daisies learn how to use a compass, tie lashing, and do dishes for all of camp with more maturity than the average middle schooler. I have seen girls struggle with the stress of the Reach for the Peak Competition, immediately start planning their next year’s theme and come back two years later to win the Peak Award. My troop ran a local older girl super troop, teaching outdoor skills, Girl Scout ceremonies, songs and games, and had girls repeatedly ask me when I will be healthy enough to start it up again this year until I got it scheduled. I have watched my daughter work diligently for a year and a half on her Gold Award, only to say “I know I could be done at this point, but I want to go bigger and make a real difference.” I have girls from my California troop who contacted me over Facebook and reminisce with me about the things we did and how they are sharing those things with their families. I have learned that everything I do with Girl Scouts makes a lasting impact on young women and it makes me feel inspired every time I see an unspoken thank you. What do you hope girls have learned from you? I hope that girls learn to pass on their strengths while improving their weaknesses. My greatest hope is they realize that they are role models for people younger and older than themselves and they can make as big of an impact as they desire. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? My greatest desire is to give my daughter amazing experiences that help her through her life journey. While trying to accomplish this, I have stepped up and become a go-getter. I have had to come up with innovative ways to share everything I know and teach her things I am learning for the first time. I have taken risks that I would not have dreamed of before that have made me a stronger person. Have I become a better leader than before? I think that goes without saying. Even more importantly than my personal growth, I have watched all the girls I’ve interacted with turn in a G.I.R.L. by following my example. Girl Scouts makes all of us better women. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #VolunteerAppreciationMonth #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #SteamboatSprings #VolunteerAppreciation #mountaincommunities

Submitted by Laura Hopkins Metro Denver Littleton Cadette Troop 60074 tries to think outside of the box when it comes to choosing Hometown Heroes, and pick organizations that don’t get donations from other troops. This year, they chose Rainbow Alley, a community center for LGBTQ youth in Denver. When we brought the cookies in, they gave us a great tour and explained all of the services they offer for young people. We hope that the staff, volunteers, and kids enjoy the cookies! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #RainbowAlley #HometownHero #Denver #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #HometownHeroes #MetroDenver #Littleton #2019GirlScoutCookieProgram #LGBTQ

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Cindy Miller of Denver 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 Cindy 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 am passionate about women in leadership and have always been active in women’s leadership organizations. Girl Scouts provides the most amazing leadership development programs for girls. The broad membership of Girl Scouts means that we impact so many girls as an organization. As a volunteer, I get to impact the organization as a whole and also individual girls, which I love. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I am a Gold Award mentor and committee member. I mentor up to five girls at a time. I serve on the GSCO Board of Directors and as a Committee Chair, and I volunteer to support events around the state whenever or wherever I can. I help with the 99’s Aviation Patch Day each year (I’m also a member of the 99’s), and I love working at a cookie distribution site each year. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? That our future is a good one because there are so many smart, engaged young women in Girl Scouts, who are already making an impact on the world. I can’t wait to see what they do next. I’ve also learned that there are so many dedicated volunteers, who do so much for Girl Scouts. I am humbled by the time and energy  that so many of them invest. What do you hope girls have learned from you? I hope that girls learn to approach challenges as opportunities to learn, that solving a problem is rewarding, and that learning new things is always exciting even if you don’t think you will “use” that skill or information again. I learn a great deal from girls (and other volunteers) – especially the highest awards girls. The problems they see in the community and the world, and how they go about making an impact, inspires me. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? I think I was already a G.I.R.L. I just didn’t have that acronym to describe it. Volunteering with Girl Scouts, however, has given me the opportunity to apply my leadership skills in new ways. Being around other G.I.R.L.s, I have learned to see and think about problems in new ways (innovator). Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #VolunteerNews #GoldAwardmentor #volunteerspotlight #VolunteerAppreciationMonth #Denver #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #MetroDenver

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Becky Woodbridge 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 Becky 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 daughter was the main reason why I volunteered for Girl Scouts. However, I became a leader because I wanted to support as many girls as I can in my community. I am an advocate for women to use their voice and live with dignity. Beliefs are formed when we are young and I feel strongly that girls need support early on, so they grow into being a strong leader and to build the belief that they have the right to use their voice and what they say and do matters. I was a Girl Scout and it was a tremendous foundation for my morals, values, and character. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I am the troop founder and leader of 26243 in Durango. We started in July 2018 and currently have 12 girls: Daisies, Brownies, and a Junior. We are expanding our troop in the fall and adding a third co-leader. I am a very active troop leader and we are very involved in the community events. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? Oh boy where do I start… I had wonderful memories of Girl Scouts, but mostly it was Girl Scout Camp, selling cookies (1970’s), and doing a craft at a meeting. Beyond that, I was not really familiar what a Girl Scout meeting was all about. There was so much to learn and especially all of the new products, learning tools and resources like the Volunteer Toolkit. I have learned how to listen to what the girls want in a meeting, structure a meeting, and manage different age groups. The Daisies operate so differently than the Brownies. What do you hope girls have learned from you? I hope girls have learned by my example. Leadership has many different facets. Listening to concerns and addressing them. Be polite and treat everyone of all ages with respect and follow the Girl Scout Law. To be adventurous, enjoy the journey, and take risks. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? I’ve been a leader of my own real estate company, a lead purser with American Airlines, and now Girl Scouts. Applying it to children with the right degree of go getting, inspiring innovation, taking risk in new territory has pushed me to be better and more effective leader. Without a doubt Girl Scouts is playing a very important role for me as a leader with my new start up business. It’s making me stronger! Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #Durango #VolunteerAppreciationMonth #SouthwesternCO #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth

Due to high levels interest in the Service Unit Grand Prize for Early Bird Renewals – a choice of two highly popular weekends at Tomahawk Ranch in 2020 –  Girl Scouts of Colorado is removing any previously stated time restrictions for this prize! Service Unit Early Bird Grand Prize FAQs What is the prize? A free property reservation to be used for a service unit camping trip during one of the two most sought-after weekends at Tomahawk Ranch – May 1-3, 2020 and August 21-23, 2020. How can my service unit win? Your service unit can win by being one of the first two units to achieve 45 percent of their 2018-19 membership! How do I know which weekend my unit would win? The first service unit to reach 45 percent retention will get to choose between May 1-3, 2020, and August 21-23, 2020, for their service unit camping trip at Tomahawk Ranch. The second unit to reach 45 percent retention will get the other available weekend. What is included in this prize? The cost of the property reservation is included in the prize. Service units will be responsible for paying for food service for their group and providing their own programming and transportation. When can troops in my area start renewing girls to qualify for this prize? Right now! Any girls that renew by June 26 will be counted towards each service unit’s retention percentage. Don’t wait to register girls and adults to qualify for this grand prize! When will the winners be announced? Girl Scouts of Colorado representatives will check service unit renewals daily to identify the winning service units! The winners will be recognized on the GSCO blog and social media platforms, so check those platforms regularly to stay updated on the competition! How do girls renew their registration? Troop leadership teams and families can renew their girls and troops by logging into myGS. Contact 877-404-5708 or email inquiry@gscolorado.org for assistance renewing members for the 2020 membership year. Renew Today #VolunteerNews #serviceunit #2019EarlyBird #EarlyBirdrenewalpromotion #EarlyBirdrenewal #EarlyBird

Gold Award Girl Scout Christina Bear is the first recipient of Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize for Gold Award Excellence. In 2015, Christina earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts, for organizing a week-long technology program for Latino students at Horizons Summer Program at Colorado Academy. Through informal learning in computer and robot programming and mini-science experiments, students were engaged and excited about technology. Later that year, she was awarded the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Now a student at Harvard University, Christina has a special message to Colorado Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Girl Scouts. My name is Christina Bear and I am the first Girl Scout to receive the Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize  for Gold Award Excellence. Thank you GSCO and thank you Ms. Foote. There are three pillars of this award that I see every single day. Excellence. It constantly inspires me to be the best I can be no matter what I do. Community impact no matter how small or big. Networking with people having different skill sets and sharing my very own skill sets to be stronger and better as a team. I attend Harvard University and I’m a junior majoring in Computer Science. My favorite class: CS50. After my freshman year, I was invited to be a Teaching Fellow and I’ve done that for two years. Girl Scouts gave me many opportunities to teach and having confidence to teach makes it smoother. After my freshman year, I went to Paris and worked with a team of students in an Urban Biology summer elective to find a solution for refugees in Paris who need access to water for bathing and hygiene. From the get go, I led my team to truly create impact for a global challenge. We had to work hard to make our project sustainable (bubblebox.com). I’m happy to share with you our community project won a grant of 25000 euros to further our prototype and I am networking with the engineering department here at Harvard to bring the prototype to fruition. My skills from Girl Scouts of organization, team building, and communication have sure come in handy! This summer, I will be doing an internship at Facebook. It was like preparing for my Gold Award. Interview skills, resumes, business cards, thank you emails, and follow up letters – all these skills I learned at Girl Scouts came to help me in searching for my internship. Ms. Foote, the staff members, and Board of Directors of GSCO, and my Gold Award mentor, Ms. RaeAnn Dougherty, I want to thank you. You have given me the gift of empowerment and shown me the importance of community impact which for me has now taken on a global scope. To all Gold Girl Scouts, Silver, and Bronze, your hard work makes a difference in our community. Grow yourself to be the best you can be. Believe in yourself and trust in your skills set. I am incredibly proud of you! #Golden #StephanieAFooteLeadershipPrizeforGoldAwardExcellence #GoldAward #HighestAwards #OutstandingYouthinPhilanthropy #ChristinaBear #STEM #GoldAwardGirlScout #GirlScoutGoldAward #MetroDenver #HarvardUniversity #TakeAction #AssociationofFundraisingProfessionals

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Amanda Hanson of Montrose 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 Amanda 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 joined Girl Scouts mainly to be able to attend events with my girls and help as needed. After being in our troop for about six months, I was asked to become a leader for Daisies. It worked perfectly because my youngest was a Daisy. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I started out as a support volunteer. With our cookie money from last year, we took the troop on a camping trip to Mesa Verde. I coordinated all the meals, pre-made most of them, shopped for the food and served it while camping. Just before going on our camping trip, I was asked to become the Daisy leader. During this cookie season, I helped get our troop cookie cupboard set up. I also helped parents with booth sign-ups. I was a booth coordinator and helped make sure other booth coordinators had their supplies as well. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? I have learned that the girls really soak in what you teach them. I love seeing and hearing about girls working on service projects and doing things, such as picking up trash even without being prompted. What do you hope girls have learned from you? I love how the Girl Scout Law is a foundation for everything in life. I love how as a Daisy leader, I get to teach the Law and how it pertains to every aspect of who we are. Many kids and adults these days lack the basic life skills, such as being honest and fair, respecting authority, and being considerate and caring. My hope as a leader is that these girls will take a stand to be different than the standard “normal” and remember the Law no matter how long they participate in Girl Scouts. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? I am naturally an introverted person. I don’t like to step out of my comfort zone and was extremely hesitant about becoming a leader. Being a volunteer has pushed me to step up and help where I would normally shy away. It’s allowed me to show my girls and others that it is ok to do something new. I’ve learned to be confident in teaching other girls, give the girls tools and resources to learn new things, and help them build on existing skills and ideas. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #montrose #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #VolunteerAppreciationMonth #SouthwesternCO #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth

Submitted by Amber Biviano Metro Denver Parker Our Daisies (Troop 65878) was trying to complete all of the petals before summer travels last year. We had four left at the end of school, so we decided to hold a workshop to complete them. One of our troop leaders hosted at her home, which also included walking to Cherry Creek nearby. The girls enjoyed working on activities in the open space and exploring the creek! Petals earned: Respect myself and others Respect authority Be a sister to every Girl Scout Use resources wisely Girl Scouts of Colorado is hosting a photo challenge! Just submit your favorite Girl Scout photo and the story behind it using the Share Your Stories form (www.gscoblog.org/share). Winners will be featured in future GSCO marketing materials, on GSCO’s social media networks, and on the GSCO Blog. #PhotoChallenge #Parker #Daisy #GSCOphotochallenge #GirlScoutDaisy #CherryCreek #Daisies #petals #Daisypetals #2019GSCOphotochallenge #GirlScoutDaisies #MetroDenver #gsoutdoors

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month! Without YOU, there is no US. So, thank YOU! Volunteers like you make all the difference in the quality of a girl’s experience and the amazing things she learns she is capable of accomplishing. During Volunteer Appreciation Month — and every day — we thank you for all the AMAZING work you do! Because the work you do with girls is not just for a better today but also ensures the best tomorrow, Girl Scouts of Colorado has made a donation to the Restoring Colorado’s Forest Fund in YOUR HONOR. Our partnership with the Colorado State Forest Service is a perfect fit. The gift of seedling trees to be planted in areas impacted by wildfires and other natural disasters will make a difference for generations to come. Together, we are preparing girls to lead, and we will see them make a difference in their world. This gift too will continue to grow and make an impact on our future. Watch to learn more about the impact of the gift made in your honor. Join us June 16 to celebrate World Environment Day We will continue the celebration into the summer with a new event focused on our environment, hosted by the Girl Scouts of Colorado Global Action Committee. Girl Scouts, families, and friends are invited to celebrate World Environment Day at Meadow Mountain Ranch. This is also a wonderful way to celebrate Father’s Day, as the whole family is invited to attend. Girls will have the opportunity to participate in several activities across the camp property throughout the day. The event is open-house style and you’re welcome to come for the whole event, or part of it, and participate in whichever activities interest you. Celebrating your dedication Throughout April, Girl Scout lifetime membership will be available at a special 50% discount—— from $400 down to $200—— for volunteers who have served for ten years or more. Lifetime membership is an investment that ensures girls have a place to reach their full potential and grow into the courageous leaders we need—— now and always. When you upgrade to lifetime membership through MYGS in April, you can expect: Continuous membership in Girl Scouts $25 of your dues to fund one year of Girl Scout membership for an underserved girl in Colorado A lifetime membership card and pin 10% off Girl Scout merchandise purchased from girlscoutshop.com An invitation to join an annual call hosted by GSUSA’s CEO A monthly enewsletter Thank you for your years of service and all you’ve done to help create the next generation of female leaders. We couldn’t do it without you! Become a Lifetime Member Be a Super Early Bird Now’s the time to talk with your girls about their next steps in Girl Scouts! Get them excited about what’s to come. Progression is a huge part of The Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Be a Super Early Bird!  Renew your troop between April 29 and May 1 for the 2019-20 membership year for a chance to win fantastic prizes. Families can win a Colorado family staycation and troops can win Girl Scouts of Colorado event passes! Renew your troop or family by logging into MyGS. Register by May 1 for a chance at these great incentives! All girls renewed by June 26 will receive the Early Bird patch. Troops with at least two Troop Leadership Team members and three girls renewed and an Annual Troop Report submitted by June 26 are eligible to earn a $25 shop credit. Your voice matters You should have received a link to a Your Voices Count survey from GSUSA this month. We care about your experiences (good or bad). Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and help us make Girl Scouts the best it can be! Cookie program rewards are coming Cookie rewards will begin shipping to SUCMs on April 22. The last day to report any missing or damaged rewards to council is May 6 at 5 p.m. Cookie Credits will be mailed directly to girls starting today. The shipping time frame for the S’mores Club rewards is still being determined and will be announced as soon as possible. Volunteer Training Passport to the World of Global Girl Scouts May 4, Longmont Troop leaders and parents are invited to learn how to enhance Girl Scout’s global experience with activities relating to global related awards and an introduction to other global programs for girls at every grade level. Cooking and Camping If your troop plans include camping outdoors and/or cooking outdoors, you’ll need to take the Cooking and Camping class. The class is taught in-person at outdoor settings around the state. Check our events calendar for classes in April, May, and June. For questions about in-person volunteer learning opportunities, please contact Brandi Martinez, Training Manager, at (303) 607-4856, or email at Brandi.Martinez@gscolorado.org. eLearning In July, GSCO will have a new, interactive online learning site which will host a variety of required and enrichment training. In the meantime, Nuts and Bolts, Overnight Trips and Extended Trips are on our interim eLearning site. Each class page also has links to forms and additional resources. All classes are mobile-friendly and are an hour or less in length. Volunteers can access the site by going to the Volunteer page -Training and Online Support, and clicking on “ Visit Our eLearning Site.” Volunteers will receive credit for taking the class by completing a survey on the class page. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Shannon Weaver, Adult Experience Manager, at 303.607.4897 or email her at Shannon.Weaver@gscolorado.org Outdoor Trainings Check out the event calendar for our upcoming outdoor trainings, including: Small Craft Safety certification – Kayak and Canoe, May 18 at Bear Creek Lake Park and Archery Level 1 Certification, May 11 at Twisted Pine Lodge. Congratulations to Emily Kretschmer, who was awarded the Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize for Gold Award Excellence! For her Gold Award project, Emily addressed a lack of resources to support families of first responders. She created a documentary in partnership with the nonprofit Status: Code 4. Her documentary raises awareness of the hardships families of first responders can face and to start meaningful conversations between first responder families. She also created a comprehensive curriculum to help families address these issues with each other and start having open, honest conversations about the difficulties they face. The Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize selection committee also chose Honorable Mentions: Madeline Ford, who created a five-session, volunteer-run literacy program to promote a positive reading environment for children. Maya Hegde, who addressed the stigmatization girls in some countries experience during their periods and taught girls to make, clean, and use reusable sanitary pads with materials they already had available. Keaton Maring, who built a life jacket loaner station at Standley Lake. Along with the station, she created an educational sign and a sustainable loaning program for the life jackets to provide more people with lifesaving equipment. Congratulations to Mykaela Ryan, who was awarded the Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award! Mykaela Ryan was awarded the Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award. She drew on her personal experiences to create a video and educational presentation to inform high school students about how to interact with someone who stutters. Mykaela demonstrated bravery and pride by presenting her project directly to students at her own school, and beyond, to raise awareness and stop bullying. This award is given in memory of Girl Scout Gold Award Mentor Debbie Haskins, who had a passion for working with older Girl Scouts. Highest Award Ceremonies If your troop earned a highest award this year and wants to attend a celebration you must RSVP for the celebration through the GSCO Events webpage. The event registrations will be available in mid-March and all troop leaders with highest awards girls will receive an email reminder. Register early as events may reach capacity and close before the posted RSVP deadline. Questions? Contact Highest Awards Manager, Kaitie LoDolce at highestawards@gscolorado.org. April 26 – Pueblo Highest Awards Ceremony at the Center for American Values, 6 p.m. April 28 – Northern Highest Awards Ceremony at the Embassy Suites Loveland, 2 p.m. May 3 – Pikes Peak Highest Awards Ceremony at the Penrose House, 6 p.m. May 5 – Metro Denver Highest Awards Ceremony at the DTC Marriott, 2 p.m. May 9 – Mountain Communities Highest Awards Ceremony at the Silverthorne Pavilion, 6 p.m. May 19 – Western Slope Highest Awards Ceremony at Colorado Mesa University, 2 p.m. Register for camp today There are still sessions with available spots for GSCO summer camp!  Early Bird Pricing ends April 30, so don’t delay! GSCO Summer Camp» Upcoming Events Daisy Flower Garden Journey April 27 and 28 Girl Scout Daisies will tour 10 activity stations and complete fun gardening-themed activities to meet Journey requirements. Statewide Bridging at Royal Gorge Bridge & Park May 4, Cañon City Celebrate national bridging week! Join Girl Scouts from across Colorado at our special statewide bridging ceremony on the Royal Gorge Bridge – the highest suspension bridge in the United States! We are organizing an official crossing of the bridge at 11 a.m. and will host a reception after. Can’t go to the bridging ceremony at the Royal Gorge? Here are some ideas to celebrate bridging with troop or service unit. Golf Workshops with the Colorado Golf Association May 4 and 5, CommonGround Golf Course, Aurora Learn the basics of golf and earn the Brownie Fair Play badge or Junior Practice with Purpose badge. Daisies will have a workshop geared specifically to their age group. Space is limited to 20 girls per session. World Environment Day June 16, Meadow Mountain Ranch, Allenspark In partnership with the Colorado State Forest Service, Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to offer members a way to focus on and celebrate the environment. Girl Scouts of all ages, families, and friends invited to this free, exciting event. This event is hosted by the GSCO Global Action Committee. World’s Largest Swim Lesson at Water World June 20, Federal Heights Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to Water World to celebrate the World’s Largest Swim Lesson! Swim lesson 8 –10 a.m., park opens to all at 10 a.m. Women’s Week at MMR July 15-18, Meadow Mountain Ranch, Allenspark Women 18 years of age or older are welcome at Women’s Week. You don’t have to be a current or past Girl Scout, you just have to want to come and play in the outdoors with other like-minded friends. Some of the best experiences were had by a few women who had never been to camp before. Mom and daughter and granddaughter groups have had great family experiences and come back every year to be sure they don’t forget what it’s all about. Colorado Rockies – Girl Scout Day August 4, Coors Field, Denver All Girl Scouts, family, and friends are invited. Cheer on the Rockies as they take on the San Francisco Giants. All Girl Scouts attending are invited to participate in pre-game parade and will receive a special event patch. #VolunteerNews #volunteerview

Submitted by Barbara Light Metro Denver Aurora We never miss our chance to go to camp! It is our time to recharge and reconnect. It is time our troop cherishes. We make memories, enjoy s’mores, and laugh and laugh at the inside jokes we share. We do so much in a weekend together and are a stronger team because of it. Girl Scouts of Colorado is hosting a photo challenge! Just submit your favorite Girl Scout photo and the story behind it using the Share Your Stories form (www.gscoblog.org/share). Winners will be featured in future GSCO marketing materials, on GSCO’s social media networks, and on the GSCO Blog. #PhotoChallenge #GSCOphotochallenge #Aurora #GirlScoutCamp #2019GSCOphotochallenge #MetroDenver #camp

Girl Scouts of Colorado is celebrating extraordinary volunteers throughout the state in honor of Volunteer Appreciation Month. Amberly Petty of Meeker in the Western Colorado region is a shining example of the wonderful role Girl Scout volunteers play in the lives of girls and our community. GSCO asked Amberly 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 daughter started begging to be a Girl Scout around the age of four. At that point, I’m pretty sure she was just in it for the cookies. Once she started kindergarten, I registered her and asked the local troop leader if she needed any help. Soon after, I was thrown unexpectedly into the world of Girl Scouts: camp outs, songs, field trips, badge work, and the Promise and Law. What started as just wanting a bit of extra bonding time with my daughter turned into finding a community and an organization that truly aligns with my values and morals. While growing up, I did not have the opportunity to be in this sisterhood, so now I am making up for lost time. I’m excited for the possibilities that await not only me, but my daughter and our troop. I want to not only be a living example of our Law and Promise, but also instill these values in all girls and help shape the leaders of tomorrow. Tell us about your different volunteer roles as a Girl Scout. I’m currently serving as a co-leader for our troop. During my first year, I also jumped in to serve as the fall product program manager and a co-cookie manager. I am excited to see where my journey will take me and plan to continue to serve in different capacities. In time, I would love to one day help lead trainings for new leaders. What have you learned as a Girl Scout volunteer? Wow. I can’t possibly list all the things I’ve learned as we’d be here for hours… Some of the most recent things that come to mind are patience and conflict resolution. Being a leader has been incredibly rewarding, but there have also been many challenges as well. Learning to work with so many people (girls and adults) has been difficult, intriguing, and fun. There are so many different leadership styles, skills sets, strengths, and weaknesses that it can be overwhelming at times. I’m learning to do many things differently than I may have planned or expected, which is truly rewarding and extremely worthwhile. One of the other most impactful things I’ve learned is that this really is a girl-led program: even our youngest girls can lead in huge ways. The girls surprise me at every meeting with something new to learn. What do you hope girls have learned from you? First and foremost, I hope the girls have learned I am their ally, partner, equal, and friend. I hope they see me as a safe person and resource for them to come to if they need help or have questions. I hope they view me as someone they can feel comfortable around. I hope they have learned that mistakes are okay and just the building blocks of larger successes. I hope they’ve learned that silliness is a large part in the recipe for happiness and fun. And, I hope they’ve learned that we are a team, a sisterhood, and will work together through fun times and challenging times. How has your experience as a volunteer helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? These girls have and are still shaping me into things I never thought possible for myself. They helped me set large goals for this year’s cookie season that I thought were impossible. I watched them prove me wrong week after week. They pushed me outside of my own comfort zone to be a go-getting risk-taker, while innovating new ways to sell and have fun. The girls in my troop push me to be the best leader I can be. They ask intriguing questions, keep me on my toes, and allow me room to be myself and make mistakes at times, too. I’m forever grateful for the person they are molding me into and I can only hope I am impacting them half as much as they are impacting me. Want to nominate a volunteer for Girl Scouts of Colorado to spotlight? Please email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #VolunteerNews #volunteerspotlight #VolunteerAppreciationMonth #NationalVolunteerAppreciationMonth #WesternColorado #Meeker