Our 5th and 6th graders (Troop 65443) earned their Bronze and Silver awards by planning, budgeting, shopping for, and building a Little Library for Sterling Ranch! If you are in the area, stop by the coffee shop and check it out!

Members of Troop 45213 assisted VFW Post 6461 in Fountain, Co with the retirement of 378 flags. The girls were joined by BSA Troop 110 members. Girl Scout and Boy Scout members participated in the ceremony to properly retire flags.

Hello, I'm a leader for Troop 16197 in Grand Junction. I just wanted to share an exciting trip we took with our Cadettes recently. Since they were Daisy's our girls have been saving the money they earned from cookies and fall sales to fly back east and visit Juliette Gordon Low's house in Savannah. This year they made it and they even earned enough to stay a week! One of our girl's grandparents live on Harbor Island, SC and invited us to stay. The girls got some extra Southern hospitality! Some of the highlights from the trip were: the JGL house tour, climbing to the top of a lighthouse, finding sea turtle nests on the beach, a marine science center tour, going to the Pen Center, playing in lots of water, and seeing a ton of South Eastern wildlife. We are proud leaders of these Girls and wanted to give them a shout-out. Thank you for ALL you do!

Don't miss this opportunity to be among the first Girl Scout campers to return to the former Magic Sky Ranch for an adventure-filled weekend with your troop. The beautiful camp property in Northern Colorado near Red Feather Lakes was sold to University of Denver in October 2021 with the agreement that Girl Scouts would continue to have the opportunity to use the camp each summer. Aug. 4-6 will be the first opportunity for troop camp programming at the new DU Kennedy Mountain Campus! At this camp, your troop will work together and support each other through team challenges on the low and high ropes courses, cheer each other on as you climb up the cliff faces at the lake, and try to shoot a bullseye on the archery course. Programs will be provided by a mix of DU and GSCO outdoor program staff and some self-guided options will be available in the evenings. Enjoy all your meals at the dining hall prepared by Mountain Berry Culinary. Troops will stay in the newly renovated cabins at this mountain campus, complete with flush toilets and showers. This camp is for Junior level and up and is a great chance to have all the fun of troop camp while leaving the programming and details to staff!

Each year, Gold Award Girl Scouts are eligible to earn the Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize. This award was made possible through a generous gift to Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Endowment by former Girl Scouts of Colorado President and CEO Stephanie A. Foote. “I am proud to recognize Girl Scouts whose Gold Award projects have made a lasting impact,” Foote said. This year's Stephanie Foote Leadership Prize recipient is Orezi Ogbe. For Orezi's Gold Award project, she created, A Different Narrative, which is a website to collect first-hand accounts from Black students at different universities. The website is the only college review resource specific to the Black experience. The site will help prospective Black students with their college search and acceptance and level the playing field as they search for and apply to schools. The Scholarship Committee would also like to recognize a few honorable mentions. Amy Bechtel created the Seatbelt Awareness for Teen Drivers program for her Gold Award project. Amy kept seatbelt awareness in the forefront for all teenagers and increased seatbelt use among her peers by producing keychain charms to remind drivers to wear their seatbelt. She worked with the Sammie Sunshine Foundation to distribute charms and continue raising awareness for years to come. Ella Meyers created the Get Outdoors program for her Gold Award project. Ella wanted to encourage more kids and families to get outdoors by hiking, so she worked with the Trails and Open Space Coalition to create a comprehensive online resource that recommends hikes specifically for kids from 5 to 14 years of age. She also created stickers for families and kids to motivate them to celebrate their recreation and continue to plan outdoor adventures. In addition, the Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award is given in memory of Girl Scout Gold Award Mentor Debbie Haskins, who had a passion for working with older Girl Scouts. It recognizes one outstanding Gold Award Girl Scout from Colorado who exemplifies the Girl Scout spirit through courage, confidence, and character. This year the Debbie Haskins Spirit of Girl Scouting Award went to Tessa Baker. For her project, she brought awareness to invisible disabilities among teens by using her animation skills to create a cartoon explaining what it’s like to live with an invisible disability. Tessa worked with her school’s psychologist to ensure the school had tools to spread awareness to teens for years to come. “Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good—and these Girl Scouts embody everything this achievement stands for,” said Leanna Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Colorado. “Each of these young women addressed an issue that’s important to her in order to earn her Gold Award, and we congratulate each of these Gold Award Girl Scouts on this momentous accomplishment.” Open only to girls in high school, the Girl Scout Gold Award is the most prestigious award in the world for girls—and the most difficult to earn. The Gold Award project involves seven steps: 1. Identify an issue, 2. Investigate it thoroughly, 3. Get help and build a team, 4. Create a plan, 5. Present the plan and gather feedback, 6. Take action, 7. Educate and inspire. Of the skills learned through Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards, leadership, organization, and critical thinking are the fundamentals of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements. Regional Highest Awards celebrations are back in-person this year are planned in April and May to honor the Girl Scouts who earned Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards this year. Email highestawards@gscolorado.org to register. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

Olivia & Ophelia from Troop 2090 created this event to inspire everyone to use renewable energy while having fun! Choose when and where you want to bike to breakfast with your besties. This event is for their Junior "Get Moving" Take Action Project.

Girl Scout Troop 66735, 3rd-grade Brownies based at the Denver Language School, journeyed through the Wonders of Water! program, learning why it's so important to love and save water. To inspire others to do the same, they created a video about their experience that has important facts about water and tips on how to save it in our daily lives. Love Water! Save Water!

Our troop is hosting a trip to Puerto Rico through EF Tours in June 2024. We would love to have registered Girl Scouts in 8th grade and up join us! You can learn more about our trip, see the full itinerary and exact dates on our trip website. The deadline to enroll is July 31, 2023. Please contact girlscoutjody@gmail.com with any questions.

The DreamLab is hosting a drop-in patch program every week in May. Drop in on Wellness Wednesdays from 3-5 p. m. to earn your Resilient. Ready. Strong. patch. Those who complete the patch requirements while in the DreamLab will receive the patch for free while supplies last! No reservations are required. Patch activities are available during all open hours in May as long as the DreamLab has space available. See the requirements for the Resilient. Ready. Strong patch. For more information or questions, email catherine.schofield@gscolorado.org.

For a limited time, new Girl Scouts that join May 1 – July 31, 2023 will receive a limited-edition fun patch and an activity packet featuring five activities to help girls make new friends and make a difference in their communities. Join Girl Scouts to make connections with others and explore fun new activities! New incoming Kindergarteners through third graders can join Girl Scouts with a special, limited-time $10 membership discount and receive an activity pack and free My Little Pony patch by mail. Girl Scouts know how to celebrate the magic that makes everyone special. Use code SPARKLE10 at registration checkout to receive $10 off the extended-year membership, available through the end of July. Start your registration here. Activity packet and patch arrive within 2 weeks after new membership registration.

Carla Montana’s love for travel was fueled by her experience as a Girl Scout, and as a member of a military family. She traveled extensively and had many meaningful experiences both personally and professionally, but her Girl Scout memories were among her most cherished. Her adventures involved being an exchange student in Chile, and teaching language on military bases in Italy, which ultimately led to a career in the State Department. In memory of Carla Montana, her family established a fund in her name to enable Girl Scouts, ages 6 – 18, who have parents serving in the military or who have been honorably discharged, to experience the learning opportunities, joy, and camaraderie acquired through travel and adventure. This fund can be used for any overnight experience, domestic or overseas, requiring independent travel (not troop or family travel) that will enrich a girl’s personal or Girl Scout experience. Travel must be sponsored by GSUSA, WAGGGS or another Girl Scout/Girl Guide Council or organization. Girl Scouts must be registered for a trip before applying for the scholarship. Girl Scouts who apply and are not registered for a trip, will not be considered. How will a Girl Scout be selected to receive a portion of this scholarship? A Girl Scout will complete her application along with a parent/guardian. The scholarship application requires a description of the trip and more. You can find the Carla Montana Scholarship Application here. Eligibility: • For registered Girl Scouts ages 6-18 years at time of travel. • Applicants can be from any part of Colorado, but preference will be given to girls from El Paso County. Applicants must read information about Carla Montana and write a one-page essay explaining what being a Girl Scout means to her and what part of the story about Carla Montana was most interesting to her. Carla Montana's Story. • Applicants must be the daughter of an Active Duty, Reservist, National Guard, or an Honorably Discharged Veteran of a Department of Defense service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines). The parent must submit proof showing a minimum of 180 days of service via form DD-214 and discharged veterans submit proof to Honorable Discharge. Currently serving military parents must submit current military orders showing assignment or a letter from the commanding officer of the unit providing current assignment. • It is required that all recipients of this scholarship write a thank you letter to Domenica Williams about the trip and its impact on her future in Girl Scouts. Letters should be sent to GSCO within two months of returning from the trip. GSCO will get the letters to Domenica Williams. • This fund is for individual Girl Scout travel and not troop travel. Once the application is received, it will be reviewed, and the applicant will be contacted regarding transfer of any awarded funds to the Girl Scout. How do a find a trip for my Girl Scout? GSUSA’s Girl Scout Destinations are the ultimate adventure for individual Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts. Push past your comfort zone by applying for a trip on your own, and make friends from all over the country as you travel with new Girl Scout friends. There’s a unique, life-changing experience for everyone.

Girl Scouts in Troop 77850 really enjoyed earning their Project Heart patch. The girls learned all about philanthropy and how they can contribute to their community using the 3 t’s (time, talent and treasure). After discussing wants vs. needs we discovered what some needs were within our troop as well as our community. Our girls discussed what their individual needs were and realized that the community may have some of the same needs but might also have some that are different. We brainstormed ideas on how we can help meet those needs. We found that our troop has a need to be safe while we go on our adventures. We needed an easy way to find each other. One way to do this was to make tie-dye shirts. Keeping with the spirit of giving, the girls each made a tie-dye shirt to share with a fellow troop mate instead of themselves. The Project Heart patch program was a great resource from Girl Scouts. We loved the connection it made to the Bronze Award and our girls are excited to get out in our community and make a difference!