What did you do for your Gold Award project? I held a workshop for gymnasts ages 6-18 to learn about injuries, injury prevention, and techniques on how to fall safely. Being a gymnast, I was able to experience first-hand how injuries are a huge part of the sport. I thought it was important for everyone to understand injuries, and what to do about them, but mostly I taught young gymnasts how to fall safely. Falling is also a huge part of gymnastics and most injuries stem from unsafe falls. I invited a medical professional in to talk to everyone about injuries, and injury awareness. Then, my team and I showed the young gymnasts how to fall out of skills, off of equipment, and safe ways to land. To be able to be a great gymnast, you have to be able to understand the risks that are involved. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I created a survey that I handed out at the end of my workshop that asked questions such as what they knew about injuries before my workshop, what they knew after, and what their major takeaways were. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? I created a website that includes information about my project, and a video that can continue to be shown at multiple gyms all about safe ways to fall. The East High School gymnastics coach, Matthew Steele, is going to continue to show my video and spread my ideas. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? My medical professional, Kasia Ilet, is a physical therapist and has presented at the National Congress. She gave a presentation at my workshop. She will continue to show the presentation to others. What did you learn about yourself? I learned that I am capable of a lot more than I thought. I was able to create a website, video, host an entire workshop, and teach young gymnasts important skills for their sport. I also learned that asking for help was okay. I am a very independent person. However, a project like this requires volunteers and lots of hands on deck. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? It will help my chances of getting into college, getting a job, getting a scholarship, and many other future thing that I need to apply for. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? It was important because it brought everything that I learned throughout my Girl Scout experience together in one project that I was passionate about. I was able to help my community as a Girl Scout, in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to if I wasn’t a Girl Scout. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Earning my Gold Award helped me become an innovator because I was able to see a problem within the gymnastics community and research a solution. I was able to create a website and a YouTube video that addresses the problem of uneducated gymnasts. I came up with ideas to help lessen injuries in the gymnastics community. **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. #HighestAwards #GoldAwardGirlScout #Denver #EastHighSchool #MetroDenver #TakeAction #Gymnastics

Submitted by Nancy Mucklow Mountain Communities Steamboat Springs Girl Scout Daisies from Steamboat Springs were treated to a visit with the Steamboat Springs Fire Department. We were working on our “Respect Authority” Petal AND parts of the “Three Cheers for Animals Daisy” Journey. We learned that our firefighters eat dinner together, sleep for two nights at a time at the station, help people in car accidents, people that are hurt, put out fires, and help lots of animals! We learned how to check our bedroom door with the back of our hand to feel if it is hot, if the fire alarm in our house goes off! We learned about different trucks and all the tools they carry, and that firefighters wear special gear, so fire doesn’t burn them when they save people and pets in a fire. We learned that firefighters can help pets of all different sizes if the pets have breathed in smoke. We think you should be a go-getter to be a firefighter. It also helps to be innovative, a risk-taker, and a leader in this job. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #SteamboatSpring #Daisy #DaisyJourneys #GirlScoutDaisy #Daisies #petals #Daisypetals #GirlScoutDaisies #Journeys #mountaincommunities

Take the lead on February 22, 2019 to celebrate World Thinking Day with Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 150 countries! (That’s one big celebration!) Promoted by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS for short) along with Girl Scouts across the USA, World Thinking Day originated in 1926. That’s when delegates from around the globe met at Camp Edith Macy—now called Edith Macy Conference Center—in New York State and agreed that February 22 would henceforth be known as a special day for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide. Every year since, World Thinking Day has called for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides to join together and take part in activities that promote changing the world for the better. This year’s World Thinking Day theme is Leadership; check out our activity guides to explore many different ways girls can be leaders and create the change they want to see in the world—and celebrate being part of the global sisterhood that is Girl Scouts and Girl Guides! The GSCO Global Action Committee also wants to hear from you (VSS, Service Unit Managers, troop leaders, etc.) about the exciting plans you’ve been working on for World Thinking Day. If you are planning a World Thinking Day celebration, please fill out the form linked HERE so the Global Action Committee can compile data and help you make your celebration the best it can be! More updates from the GSCO Global Action Committee! Celebrate International Women’s Day with GSCO Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to celebrate International Women’s Day and we are asking YOU to help. For our part, GSCO wants to invite you to participate in a video project. On March 8, we are celebrating International Women’s Day with #PressforProgress and aiming to enhance gender equality. Full instructions on how to participate are on the blog! New Global Girl Scout flyer available The Global Action Committee is thrilled to launch an updated flyer about all the global opportunities available to Girl Scouts. Available online through the Global section of anytime activities. #GlobalGirlScouts #WorldAssociationofGirlGuidesandGirlScouts #2019WorldThinkingDay #WAGGGGS #WorldThinkingDay

Join Kappa Delta for a campus tour of Colorado State University on March 30, 2019! When: 12 – 3 p.m. Where: Kappa Delta House 412 W. Laurel St Fort Collins, CO 80521 Girl Scouts are invited to meet at the Kappa Delta house to make matching team gear. Next, they will be given a list of clues to try to find places around campus. The teams will be escorted by Kappa Delta women around campus to find important places and will take pictures of the team at that place. The event will be educational, allowing Girl Scouts to learn more about CSU and college in general. Please RSVP to phiepsilonvpcs@gmail.com by March 23. #GSCOevents #ColoradoStateUniversity #KappaDelta #NorthernampNortheasternCO #Communitypartnerships #communitypartners #CSU #FortCollins

Girl Scout Day with CMU Women’s Basketball is Friday, February 22, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. at Brownson Arena, Colorado Mesa University (1100 North Ave Grand Junction 81501). Join Colorado Mesa University’s women’s basketball team as they take on Fort Lewis College! All tickets are free, and girls will receive a coupon for a free small popcorn. You can also meet and greet with the team after the game! Email aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org for tickets. Registration deadline is Thursday, February 21 at 8 p.m. 40963104_cmu_wbb_2019 #GSCOevents #GrandJunction #basketball #WesternColorado #CMUWomensBasketball #WomensBasketball #ColoradoMesaUniversity

Submitted by Mikayla Geeve Metro Denver Westminster I learned about women who are part of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. I researched these three women: Lily Nie, Marion Downs, and Jill Tietjen. Lily Nie helped Chinese babies from orphans and brought them to America to be adopted. She did this because foreigners could not adopt Chinese children. Marion Downs was able to change the world by giving babies hearing aids, so that they could learn and read at the same time that other kids did. She did this to help these kids be able to learn, write, and read at the age of about 5-6, instead of waiting to be tested at 9-10. This would be better, since they could have a better understanding of reading and writing. Jill Tietjen writes books about other women’s successes who changed the world. By writing these books, other women could be inspired to do the same, and do something good for the world. Overall, I learned that women all over the world can accomplish anything if they set their minds to it, and have a passion of their interest. The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame is excited to partner with Girl Scouts of Colorado 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. Girl Scouts are future female leaders of Colorado and the Hall of Fame recognizes and preserves the accomplishments of past and present Colorado women. – M.L. Hanson, Founder of the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame Thanks to Mikayla for sharing her story earning this special patch with Girl Scouts of Colorado! #ColoradoWomensHallofFame #Westminster #Communitypartnerships #Denver #communitypartners #MetroDenver

Submitted by Niki Spiers Metro Denver Centennial Girl Scout Juniors from Troop 60168 decided to take action to help homeless animals. The troop finished up their Outdoor Journey by visiting the Dumb Friends League in Denver. The fourth graders learned what the current needs for the shelter were and set out to collect donations. They made posters, asking for donations and hung them in Peabody Elementary. Then, they made school announcements requesting donations. They reached out to family, friends, and neighbors for donations. On January 29, 2019, they arrived at Dumb Friends League with bags of paper towels, Q-tips, cotton balls, dish soap, and more! During their tour, they learned Dumb Friends League helps over 22,000 animals every year with most homeless dogs and cats being adopted within two weeks! It was a fun and educational visit for both Girl Scouts and parents. Everyone left grateful knowing homeless animals were being well taken care of at the Dumb Friends League! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #homelessanimals #Centennial #DumbFriendsLeague #Denver #MetroDenver #TakeAction

Tell us about your connection to Girl Scouts. From Girl Scout Brownie Troop 54 in Wyoming to the present, Girl Scouts have been a part of my life. My fondest memories are of Girl Scout Camp and Wider Opportunities in the United States, Canada, and Norway. In high school, when I moved to the Mountain Prairie council, I was the first to earn my Gold Award there in 1981. I progressed through collegiate Girl Scouting at CSU and led my first Cadette troop in the Wagon Wheel council, and moved to Chipeta where I was Steamboat’s service unit manager until my boys grew into 4H age. I took a hiatus to be in their activities and now continue as service unit manager, Daisy and Cadette leader, Gold Mentor, and former GSCO Board Member and MCC member. Why did you join Daisy’s Circle? As a Lifetime Girl Scout, I continue to see the value of Girl Scouts in today’s world. I want to show my continued financial support for Girl Scouts, locally and statewide. As an avid volunteer, it’s only natural to put my money where my volunteer heart beats… Girl Scouts! AND I like the opportunity to join with other like-minded folks to support a movement that is growing and helping to change the world! Why is monthly giving important? Monthly giving makes it easy and shows consistent support. It is easy to change the monthly giving amount if circumstances change one way or another. Why should other people join Daisy’s Circle? Daisy’s Circle impacts the lives of our Girl Scouts, go-getters, innovators, risk-takers, and leaders. It helps to be sure no girl is left out, that exciting programming continues, and that we ensure a future for this movement for girls! What is the most valuable thing that Girl Scouts gives girls today? Girl Scouts gives girls a platform for leadership, a chance to learn together, explore in a safe and adventuresome environment, and experience friendships with a sisterhood of girls and women worldwide. Why is it important to support Girl Scouts and other youth organizations? Girl Scouts and other youth organizations give the opportunity to learn about our world and its opportunities, pitfalls, and rising stars. It’s an investment in the future! Is there anything else you would like us to know about you? My Girl Scout adventures are endless and they continue to grow each year as I take on leadership of another troop or another event or another mentoring role. As an adult, it’s just as important to me as it was when I was growing up. Many lives are touched by Girl Scouts, both girls and women, and community leaders. I enjoy pulling those worlds together by exploring the world of Girl Scouts! Named after Girl Scout founder, Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, Daisy’s Circle is Girl Scouts of Colorado’s monthly giving program. Funds raised through Daisy’s Circle provide financial assistance for girls and volunteers, support Outreach Programs and more.  For more information: https://www.gscodaisyscircle.org/ #DaisysCircle #DaisysCirclesupporterspotlight #mountaincommunities #SteamboatSprings

Submitted by Emily Sage Northern & Northeastern CO Loveland Hi! We are Troop 71020. We are a Girl Scout Junior troop. We are going to share with you how we earned our Bronze Award, and what we learned along the way. When it came to our Bronze Award, we thought of animals and said “what if they’re hungry?” We brainstormed as a troop and met with community organizations, and finally found the perfect idea: a pet food drive! A pet food drive would help decrease the number of pets that are starving. We also wanted to help people that couldn’t afford pet food, so we found a local charity called House of Neighborly Service that provides food to those in need, including pet food. We organized a pet food drive across our community; put collection boxes in local stores, schools, and churches; and advertised our drive and the need for pet food. Our drive lasted for three weeks and we collected 1,489 pounds of pet food! We used money earned from the Fall Product Program to purchase bins to help store all of the new pet food. House of Neighborly Service was very thankful for our donation. While working on our Bronze Award, we faced a couple problems, such as some stores weren’t willing to sponsor our project. It was also hard to figure out how to help the whole community with just ten girls and meeting just one time a month. To solve these problems, we split up and each individually found a location to host our food drive boxes and we expanded our options to include churches, schools, and workplaces, rather than just retail stores. Of course, if we did this again, we would change a few things, like having more time to find locations to host our food drive. Pets around the world still need food, and you can donate pet food to a local food pantry or animal shelter whenever you can. One person can make a difference by making an action or donation in their community or around the world. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #HighestAwards #Loveland #NorthernampNortheasternCO #BronzeAwardGirlScouts #petfooddirve #BronzeAward #HouseofNeighborlyService #pets #TakeAction

Thank you to everyone who entered our contest for “Best Cookie Video.” We are so impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm of all of these cookie-bosses. Now, it is time to rally your friends and family to vote! All of the entries have been uploaded to our YouTube Channel and are part of the playlist: Best Cookie Video Contest 2019. If you like a video, simply click the “thumbs up” icon beneath it. The video that receives the most “thumbs up” by February 21 at 9 a.m. wins! First Prize: $200 in Cookie Credits Second Prize: $100 in Cookie Credits Third Prize: $50 in Cookie Credits #BestCookieVideo #BestCookieVideocontest #cookies #2019BestCookieVideocontest #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #CookieContest #2019GirlScoutCookieProgram

My Name is Genevieve and I am a Girl Scout Brownie. This is my second year selling cookies and my goal is 1,000 packages of cookies so I can go to Mermaid Camp. I am working really hard doing booth sales and going door-to-door, so I can earn enough Cookie Credits so that I don’t have to mow lawns to help pay for camp! Watch my video here: https://youtu.be/cq9ysodK2cw To enter this year’s “Best Cookie Video Contest,” just email your video, along with a brief story and your cookie goal, to Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #cookiescontest #Westminster #BestCookieVideo #BestCookieVideocontest #cookies #2019BestCookieVideocontest #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #MetroDenver #2019GirlScoutCookieProgram

Submitted by Audrey G. Metro Denver I am a fourth grade Girl Scout Junior.  I have been selling cookies for the last four years and I am excited to be selling them again.  My goal this year is 1,000 packages of cookies.  I know it’s a lot, but I know I can do it.   By reaching my goal, it will help pay for summer and fall camp. What I enjoy most about Girl Scouts is the outdoors.  This includes, hiking, exploring, and camping.  I also like that our troop lets each girl lead a different badge that we all get to earn. Watch my video here: https://youtu.be/UPshXckNujQ To enter this year’s “Best Cookie Video Contest,” just email your video, along with a brief story and your cookie goal, to Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #BestCookieVideo #BestCookieVideocontest #cookies #2019BestCookieVideocontest #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #MetroDenver #CookieContest #2019GirlScoutCookieProgram