Submitted by Ariella Wells Fort Collins Northern & Northeastern CO Troop 70720 spent their first meeting back of the year doing our bi-annual nature area clean-up! This time we had to go into a fairly mucky area to get to the garbage, but the girls were troopers and found a ton! It always feels great to be giving back! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #FortCollins #NorthernampNortheasternCO

Through the Fall Product Program, Girl Scouts earn funds that their troops can use to participate in Girl Scout activities such as earning badges, camping, taking trips, and more! The 2018 Fall Product Program begins September 22. Your support of her participation in this skill-building activity ensures she enjoys the experience and rewards. Thank you for supporting your Girl Scout and Girl Scouts of Colorado! Here are a few ways caregivers can support their girl: Register your Girl Scout. Check with your troop fall product manager or troop leader to make sure your Girl Scout is registered for the 2018-19 membership year. Agree to the requirements. A permission slip must be completed by caregivers and turned into the troop fall product manager. This slip acknowledges your responsibility for products and money. You must fill out the permission slip to receive the order card and materials needed for your girl to participate. Adhere to deadlines. Order card orders must be entered in the M2OS system or turned in to your troop fall product manager by October 14, 2018. All money due for the products ordered and received must be paid by the troop’s deadline. Protect the products and money. Collect money at the time the order is placed. Once you sign for products received, you assume responsibility for the product itself and its value. It is the caregiver’s responsibility to collect payment from customers, and funds are due in full to the troop fall product manager by the troop’s deadline. Help your Girl Scout throughout the program. Guide her to set practical goals, listen to her practice her sales pitch, and help her set up her online M2 storefront. Need more help? Contact your service unit fall program manager or GSCO product program specialist. Don’t know who that is? Email inquiry@gscolorado.org. #VolunteerNews #ProductPrograms #parents #2018FallProductProgram #FallProductProgram

We are pleased to announce that the Pinecrest tabin site is now available to reserve through our property reservation system! We have recently completed construction on the new Pinecrest Memorial Shelter, and groups are now able to reserve the full Pinecrest site and use our beautiful new shelter for all their meals and activities. Reserve the site now at https://girlscoutsofcolorado.checkfront.com/reserve/. The Pinecrest unit is comprised of seven tabins, which sleep a total of 52 people (five tabins sleep eight people, and two tabins sleep six people). There is a fire pit with log seating, a latrine, a hand-washing station, spigot for water, and a grill available to use at the site, and the shelter has multiple picnic tables available for your use. The cost to reserve Pinecrest is $80 per night, and troops get full use of all tabins and amenities at the site when reserving. Troops are welcome to reserve just the Pinecrest site or may add multiple tabin sites to their reservation. Please note that with the addition of the new site, Meadow Mountain Ranch now costs $515 a night to reserve the full property. For questions, please email property.reservations@gscolorado.org. #GSCOPropertyReservations #MeadowMountainRanch #NorthernampNortheasternCO

I did a research project about the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory. I started by interviewing people who had worked at the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory or had connections to it. These interviews were then turned into a podcast style format and posted on my website (https://lillyemma24.wixsite.com/loco4loco/podcasts). The next step of my project was to write a children’s book, The Magic Beet, which is the story of three children as they travel back in time and learn about the sugar factory. A copy of each book went to each elementary school in the St. Vrain School District and is still available for purchase on my website. I also had several book readings at the Longmont Public Library and I presented to several different organizations, including the Longmont Kiwanis and Longmont City Council, about my project. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? The book I wrote, The Magic Sugar Beet, is still currently for sale online and my interviews have all been kept on my live website. Additionally, a copy of my book was placed in the libraries of every elementary school in our district, and eight teachers have given me confirmation that this book will become a part of their curriculum. Currently, the third grade history curriculum is focused on local history, but some of the teachers I have talked to have said that not much time is spent talking about the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory (an important part of Longmont’s beginning), so when teachers read the book to their classes and listen to the podcasts, the work I did for my Gold Award is able to be sustained for years to come. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? / How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I published a survey on my website that was available to Girl Scouts and anyone around the world to fill out. This survey asked people questions about whether or not they planned on learning about their local history, and it also had a challenge of learning one fact about their local history that they did not already know. This part of my project, encouraged learning about local history for all ages, and results showed that over 71% planned on continuing to learn about their town’s local history. More about this project can be found at (https://lillyemma24.wixsite.com/loco4loco/local-history-project). What did you learn about yourself? At the beginning of this project, I was nervous to reach out and talk to people I did not know, but through my Gold Award project I learned that I am capable of planning a project and leading a team. Even though I was often worried throughout the process that people would find me incompetent, I stuck with it and learned that most people were very eager to help me with my project even if I wasn’t an expert on the material. Through this project, I learned I was able to talk to important people in the community whether it was our city council when I shared my project with them, or people who worked for the St. Vrain Historical Society. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? My Girl Scout Gold Award has given me the skills to run a project and the confidence to do it. I gained many team leading skills that can still help me in the future. I had four artistic friends who had agreed to illustrate the book for me. Even with a small team, delegating tasks was more difficult than I expected. They took about a month longer than the deadline to submit their art to me, and it was sometimes difficult to get them to respond to emails. Going into college and later my career with the experience of leading a team will help me greatly in being a better leader. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? Getting my Gold Award was a very important part of my Girl Scout experience because it gave me the chance to put many of the leadership skills I learned throughout Girl Scouts (such as badges or summer camp), into action. The Gold Award was something I had really wanted to go after since I was a younger Girl Scout, and so it was rewarding to accomplish it and hopefully inspire other Girl Scouts to Go Gold! How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? My Gold Award helped me become a better innovator. I got to discover a lot about a place and history of the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory something I knew virtually nothing about at the start of the project, so I had to do a fair amount of research. In school, we always get a very broad sense of history, so to delve deeply into one tiny aspect of history was really fascinating to me. Since my project was not strictly partnered with a particular organization or group, I had to take initiative and carve a path for this project that did not yet exist, and that required a fair amount of creativity. I had to problem solve when it came to finding people to interview or ways in which I could promote my project. I got used to changing and revising my project as time went on, and I think this aspect as well as learning about my history outside of class work helped shape me into someone who was able to more adapt easily to whatever tasks were thrown at me. **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 #LongmontPublicLibrary #HighestAwards #StVrainSchoolDistrict #StVrainHistoricalSociety #NorthernampNortheasternCO #Longmont #LongmontSugarBeetFactory #SilverCreekHighSchool #TakeAction

Submitted by Maria Cross Northern & Northeastern CO Lyons Girl Scout Juniors are invited to join the Seniors of Troop 78527 for a fun night of camping at Tomahawk Ranch and a fun filled day as you earn your “aMuse” Journey. Through the “aMuse” Journey, girls will explore the different roles women and girls hold in the world and develop a Take Action project. This exciting overnight activity will take place starting in the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019 and come to a close on Monday, Jan. 21. This is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. What better way to spend a day off from school than camping with your troop in comfy heated cabins, and earning your “aMuse” Journey? Price is $70 per girl and $40 per adult. The “aMuse” Journey patch is included, but troops must register by Dec. 21 to be guaranteed a patch. Troops must meet safety-wise ratios. Adults over safety-wise ratios must pay girl rate minus the cost of the patch. Please contact Maria Cross at cross.maria.e@gmail.com with any questions. Register by printing the registration form below and sending the completed form to Troop 78527 (address is included in the form). Or, you can email cross.maria.e@gmail.com and request an electronic registration form. 40963104_amuse_journey_flyer_2019.pub This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #Journey #Lyons #aMuseJourney #GSCOevents #NorthernampNortheasternCO #GirlScoutJunior #GirlScoutJuniors #Junior #GirlScoutCamp #TomahawkRanch #Journeys #Juniors #MetroDenver #TomahawkRanchCamp

Calling all Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors! Here’s your chance to earn a special cybersecurity patch from Girl Scouts of the USA. Step One Choose the cybersecurity activity appropriate for your Girl Scout level as listed in this PDF: CybersecurityPatch_FacilitatorGuide These activities are from the Daisy, Brownie, and Junior cybersecurity badges. If you choose to swap out another activity, we highly recommend that you use one from Badge 1: Cybersecurity Basics, since that badge teaches foundational concepts that are built on in badges 2 and 3. Step Two Complete the activity and take lots of photos/videos. Step Three Share your story and photos from the activity using the Share Your Stories form: www.gscoblog.org/share Be sure to include what you learned about cybersecurity and why it is so important, along with any plans you might have to earn another STEM or cybersecurity badge. Watch this video by a troop of Girl Scout Juniors who recently earned this special patch. Once your story and photos have been received, public relations director AnneMarie Harper will contact you regarding the number of patches you need and where they should be mailed. Patches will be distributed on a first come, first-serve basis. Questions? Email AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #Daisy #GSUSA #GirlScoutBrownie #Brownie #STEM #GirlScoutDaisy #Brownies #GirlScoutJunior #GirlScoutJuniors #Junior #Daisies #GirlScoutBrownies #cybersecurity #GirlScoutDaisies #Juniors #patch

Girl Scout Day with Air Force Volleyball is Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 1 p.m. All Girl Scouts, friends, and family are invited. Cheer on the Falcons as they take on San Diego State. The match starts at  1 p.m. in the Cadet East Gym at the Air Force Academy and doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $7 for everyone who would like to attend, including Girl Scouts, families, friends, etc. The ticket will also include pizza and drinks before the game, as well as autographed posters from the team and a team meet-and-greet. Tickets can be reserved at https://aftickets.com/online/article/teamofgame. Payment will be collected at the match (cash preferred). Location name and address: Cadet Gymnasium U.S. Air Force Academy U.S. Air Force Academy, CO 80840 #AirForceAcademy #AirForcevolleyball #GSCOevents #ColoradoSprings #Communitypartnerships #communitypartners #PikesPeak

Join GSCO for a Leadership Summit on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at the Community College of Aurora. This is your chance to connect with other GSCO volunteers, share ideas, take enrichment classes and essential volunteer training, and get your Girl Scout year off to a great start! Event Highlights: Program level 101 courses are available – Multi-level, Cadette and Older Girls, Junior, and Daisy/Brownie. Want to know how to best work with the girls in your troop and make it a girl-led experience? Take a 101 class and the enrichment class, Troop Management Simplified . Want more support from the families in your troop? Register for the Engaging Families class and get the tools that you need to get the support that you want! Not sure how to tackle planning an event for the troops in your area? Take the Event Planning: Tips and Tricks class. Want to put your years of experience as a Girl Scout volunteer to good use and learn how to recruit girls and adults and start more troops in your community? There’s a class for that –Community and School Recruitment Strategies. Are you a new leader who would like to learn Girl Scout Traditions and Ceremonies, Songs, and Games? Perfect! You will find those classes during the afternoon session at the Leadership Summit. Register Now! All GSCO volunteers are welcome at this event. Schedule for Saturday, September 29: 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. – Registration and displays in the southwest lobby 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Morning courses *12 – 1 p.m. – Lunch 1:15 – 2:45 p.m. – Early afternoon courses 3 – 4:30 p.m. – Late afternoon courses *The event registration fee includes coffee and snacks through-out the day, and a catered lunch. Please bring a water bottle. Location: Community College of Aurora 16000 East CentreTech Parkway Aurora, Colorado 80011-9036 Registration: Click on the link below to read more information about classes offered and to register for the Denver Leadership Summit: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/content/girlscoutsofcolorado/en/events-repository/2018/leadership_summit_in_75499965.html If you have any questions about this training or have trouble completing registration, please contact inquiry@gscolorado.org or 877-404-5708. Registration closes Tuesday, September 25 at midnight. #trainingevent #VolunteerNews #GSCOevents #Denver #LeadershipSummit #MetroDenver

Submitted by Nicole DeCrette Mountain Communities Steamboat Springs On Sunday, September 9, 2018, the Girl Scouts of the Mountain Communities region in Routt County (Steamboat Springs) celebrated together and held their bridging ceremony at a lovely local park on a gorgeous fall day. In addition to the expected traditions of the event, we added a personal touch we’d like to share inspired by the new Girl Scout anthem “Watch Me Shine.” Our girls ranged in age from six through adult and we wanted to find a way to both come together and feel unified as Girl Scouts, yet acknowledge and honor the contributions of each girl publicly. Just before the ceremony, we asked each troop leader to take a strip of paper and in green marker write down words that describe the personality and contributions of each girl. When the girls were called up to bridge, the leader would share what she wrote with everyone present– from moms and dads to grandparents and community members. As they walked across the bridge to move up in rank, they added their link to create a chain. Wow! We saw a lot of smiles from our girls – shining with pride! It gave families a way to see their girls’ unique and beautiful attributes take center stage. While simple to do, and required little extra time or money, this symbolic gesture was the thing that everyone spoke of after the ceremony was over. We will hold onto that chain and perhaps start a new tradition adding onto it as the amazing young women of Girl Scouts in Colorado continue to shine and make a difference in our communities. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #bridgingceremony #mountaincommunities #SteamboatSprings

In order to earn my Gold Award and make a difference in my community, I decided to make outdoor-based lesson plans for the use of teachers in schools across the state. I achieved this by making boxes that had lesson plans for eight to ten outdoor lessons, along with all the materials a teacher would need to complete them. The boxes also included a small tri-fold presentation board on the subject for student reference. I made two sets of three boxes covering three different subjects: investigations, habitat, and adaptations. The boxes are designed to meet the education standards for fourth grade science, but they can be adapted to be used with any age group. The goal of my project was to provide teachers with an easy and convenient way to bring outdoor education into their classrooms, because outdoor education provides students with many physical and mental benefits. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? The first step of my project was to go spend a day at my local elementary school teaching a couple of my lessons to a fourth grade class in order to determine what worked with students and what did not. In the day that I spent at the elementary school, I impacted 70 students. When the school year starts, I expect to impact around 500 students a year through the constant use of my project. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? My project will be sustained by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. There are two sets of my boxes and they are being kept at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices in Pueblo and Salida. The people at the offices will help ensure that my boxes are staying in good condition throughout their use. They will also help ensure that the boxes are going out into classrooms year after year. Another way that my project will continue to impact the community after my involvement is through the help of the teachers that use my boxes. They will hopefully continue to use my boxes year after year, and they will also help spread the word about my project through the teaching community. I have also had teachers tell me that they want to recreate my boxes for their own communities. What is your projects global and/or national connection? Instead of finding a way to make it so that teachers across the country could use my boxes, I decided to focus on encouraging other people to take action like I did. I wrote an informational paper about the importance of outdoor education and why it should be incorporated into schools. I did this in hopes that I would inspire other people to take action. There are also two sets of my boxes that are being stored in two separate locations so that they can be accessible for more teachers across the state. What did you learn about yourself? I learned that I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to, and I learned that I am capable of making a difference. I also learned that I have what it takes to be a teacher one day, and I grew an even bigger passion for education. During this project, I also gained a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? My Gold Award gave me hands-on experience in the field that I am wanting to enter. I am currently studying to be a teacher at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and this project gave me valuable classroom experience. What I learned through this project will help me as I continue to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout Experience? I have been a Girl Scout since I was in the first grade. In that time, I have been actively involved in many different Girl Scout activities, however, earning my Gold Award was the most valuable part of my Girl Scout experience. Not only did I have the opportunity to make a difference in my community, I also gained a lot of confidence and career experience. Earning my Gold Award was a life changing experience that showed me that I am able to accomplish anything I put my mind to. It was a lot of work, but in the end it was definitely a valuable part of my Girl Scout experience and I am extremely glad that I did it. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? During this project, my leadership skills greatly improved. I stepped out of my comfort zone by leading people who weren’t my peers. My project may have impacted the community, but it also helped me become a stronger leader which is a trait I will need for the rest of my life. This project also helped me become a go-getter. I took action and I accomplished an amazing achievement that I am extremely proud of. **IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication, and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org. #GoldAward #HighestAwards #BuenaVistaHighSchool #BuenaVista #ColoradoParksandWildlife #UniversityofColoradoatColoradoSprings #nature #TakeAction #gsoutdoors #mountaincommunities

Submitted by Kristin Hurley Metro Denver Northglenn Hello from Girl Scout Troop 61358! For our Silver Award project, we created a Care Cabinet in Northglenn to help the homeless and hungry. We are hoping for community participation in keeping it filled, and hoping that we can spread the word to people who need help. From their leader/project advisor: These two Girl Scouts have worked so hard this summer to secure a location for their Care Cabinet so they can help the hungry and homeless, working with the cities of Thornton and Northglenn and the Rotary Clubs of those cities. If you would be interested in making a donation, please contact GSCO public relations director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org and she will connect you with the troop leader. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #HighestAwards #GSCOevents #SilverAward #SilverAwardproject #MetroDenver #TakeAction #Northglenn

Submitted by Amy Jo Martinson Northern & Northeastern CO Frederick The American Legion, Girl Scouts, military, first responders, and the public held a flag retirement ceremony on Saturday, September 8, 2018. There were buglers for taps, an honor guard gun salute, and each person in attendance was given a star off a flag and grommet. Girl Scouts could also take home a shell casing from the gun salutes. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #Frederick #NorthernampNortheasternCO #Flagretirement #flagretirementceremony #flag