Submitted by Anna Lahr Pikes Peak Fort Carson My oldest daughter is a Girl Scout Brownie. She is super shy (dx spectrum when really young), but she launched her Fall Product Program storefront with her own scripted audio for the emails, sent them out herself, designed a graphic for the store, and recorded the marketing video to upload. Because she didn’t want her face on camera, she created the cutest skit with a toy, complete with set! I’m amazed at her creativity and problem solving. She’s always been technologically adept, but Girl Scouts is helping her overcome her anxiety about talking to people AND learn marketing skills! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #2017FallProductProgram #GirlScoutBrownie #FortCarson #FallProductProgram #PikesPeak

Submitted by Susanne Wallach Metro Denver Westminster This year’s Kids Zone is gearing up for another year of family fun.  There will be a variety of crafts for ages that are focused on nature and American Indian culture. What’s different about this year’s Kids Zone is that it’s being hosted by Girl Scout Troop 63787.  This group of 5th grade girls are Girl Scout Juniors and they are taking on the responsibility of planning and running the Kids Zone crafts as their Bronze Award project. The Bronze Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Junior can achieve.  One of the steps towards earning this award is identifying a project in their community where they can make a difference. Some of our girls have volunteered at this event in the past and felt this was a fun way to help support cultural awareness in their community.  Taking on this project enables the girls to improve on skills such as teamwork, planning, decision making, leadership, and communication.  We also hope they will come away feeling proud they were able to help give something back to their community. Join us for a free, fun family event next weekend and be sure to stop by the Kids Zone and see these girls in action! 40963104_full_page_2017_flyer_without_art_show This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #HighestAwards #Westminster #BronzeAward #Thornton #MetroDenver #TakeAction #DenverAmericanIndianFestival

Being a Girl Scout volunteer is no easy task! That’s why Girl Scouts of the USA has created a few “quick tip” videos for troop leaders on a wide variety of topics, ranging from the best way to get girls’ attention to troop safety.  Watch and share the videos with your fellow volunteers by visiting the GSCO YouTube page or see below. Controlling the Room Tips for troop leaders on the best way to get the attention of the girls in their troop. Leader-daughter Dynamic Tips for how to manage when troop leaders have their daughter in their troop. Positive Troop Environment Tips for creating and maintaining a sage and positive troop environment. Start-up Activities Examples of successful activities for the girls to do at the beginning of the troop meeting. Troop Safety Tips for troop leaders to ensure they are following safety guidelines with their troop. Welcoming New Girls Tips for troop leaders to ensure new girls feel welcome as a new troop member. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #VolunteerNews #Tipsfortroopleaders #video #troopleader

Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, will join Girl Scouts of Colorado in celebrating “20 years of Amazing Women” at the annual Thin Mint Dinner in Denver. The event on October 19, 2017, at the Denver Marriott Tech Center will recognize all 426 Women of Distinction who have been honored in the Denver-metro area since the program began in 1997. Girl Scouts of Colorado will honor Sylvia as an honorary Woman of Distinction. A lifelong Girl Scout herself, Sylvia is committed to Girl Scouts’ mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. A former rocket scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Sylvia has held positions with some of the world’s most respected companies, including founder, president, and CEO of CommuniCard LLC, a marketing firm known for its innovative approaches to working with changing community demographics. A fierce advocate for education, Sylvia has also worked as a strategic consultant to national organizations that strive to improve outcomes with America’s rising generation of youth, as well as a national advocate for STEM education. Since 1997, Girl Scouts of Colorado has honored top female leaders in our community as Women of Distinction, based on their remarkable achievements as business, community, and civic leaders. All 426 of these women are examples of corporate, civic, and philanthropic leadership and serve as role models for female leaders of tomorrow. The Women of Distinction program brings together a group of women dedicated to raising support for Girl Scout leadership programs. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, seven Women of Distinction are being recognized. These Women of Distinction were voted by their peers, and will receive an award in the following categories at the 2017 Thin Mint Dinner: Advocacy for Youth – Elaine Gantz Berman ’02, Former Member, State Board of Education Progressive Community Leader – Juana Bordas ’03, President, Mestiza Leadership International Accomplished Philanthropist – Arlene Hirschfeld ’97, Community Volunteer Dedication to Girl Scouts – Jean C. Jones ’07, Former CEO, Girl Scouts Mile Hi Council Lifetime Achievement – LaRae Orullian ’97, Retired National President, Girl Scouts of the USA Advocate for Women & Girls – Jill S. Tietjen ’97, P.E., President and CEO, Technically Speaking, Inc. Commitment to Public Service – Hon. Elbra M. Wedgeworth ’04, Chief Government and Community Relations Officer, Denver Health The Thin Mint Dinner is October 19, 2017, at the Denver Marriott Tech Center from 5:30 to 8: 30 p.m. The event includes Thin Mint cocktails and dessert made with Thin Mints, three-course meal, and event program. Thank you to our 20th Anniversary Thin Mint Dinner Silver Presenting Sponsors: DISH and MDC Richmond American Homes Foundation, and Bronze Presenting Sponsor: CoBiz Financial. For information regarding tickets and sponsorships, visit girlscoutsofcolorado.org/woddenver or contact Heidi Books at 303-607-4833 or at heidi.books@gscolorado.org. Girl Scouts of Colorado volunteers may purchase discounted tickets for this event by contacting Carol Griffin at 303-607-4879 or at carol.griffin@gscolorado.org. #ThinMintDinner #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #Denver #funddevelopment #MetroDenver #WomenofDistinction #SylviaAcevedo

Submitted by Jody Clair Pikes Peak Colorado Springs A few Girl Scouts went and watched their first roller derby. It was so much fun. They learned about all the rules, referee’s hand signals, and even met some players! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #ColoradoSprings #PikesPeak #rollerderby

What did you do for your Gold Award project? The issue my project addressed was positive body image for middle-school aged girls. I noticed how positive body image was an under looked issue and I decided to make that the topic of my Gold Award. To address this issue, I created a pamphlet and distributed it to middle school girls with a presentation I also created. The media is also a possible root cause of this issue, so I also formed an Instagram account named GS_Positive_Reflections within my project.  Overall, I hoped to raise awareness and increase self-esteem. I made an impact on anyone who received a pamphlet and I wanted to create a long-lasting impact on whoever this project touched. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I may not see the direct results of this project in the next year, but I believe that this pamphlet gives my target audience tools to help deal with body image issues in the future. My presentation gave them and an eye-opening experience that they will be able to remember for a long time.  I will know this project is successful if the organizations I reached out to comment on how it helped the target audience and if they ask for more of my pamphlets. If someone who participated in one of my presentations gains more self-confidence that impacts the rest of their lives, then this project will be a success. Overall, I contacted 12 different organizations, distributed 150 copies of my pamphlets among five of those organizations, made two presentations directly to girls at a local middle school, and have over 70 followers on my Instagram account How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? I sustained my project by giving the organizations more pamphlets as well as digital copy of my pamphlet. They agreed to print out more pamphlets and distribute them when needed. I continue to post messages on my social media account too. My goal is that someone or a group of people will see my project and try to make a bigger impact out of it. I hope others might join my project and continue to spread the word.  Ideally, counselors and school teachers will talk more often about positive body image in classroom discussions. Another idea is that girl groups could form that take my topic and create more resources for teenage girls. I believe that my project will still be relevant in years to come and whoever participated in it will remember what I said. Those who were a part of my project now know where to find resources if they, themselves, or someone else they know struggles with positive body image issues. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? Low self-esteem due to body image happens in our society throughout the whole world. I have noticed that many people feel passionate about this topic and feel that it is under looked as well. This is not just something that happens to middle-school aged girls, but is seen across all the age groups. I used an array of resources from all over and found that this problem is consistent in all areas. The media can cause people to feel bad because photos can be photoshopped and show an unrealistic image. Some people have tried to fix how we see the images of celebrities, showing how celebrity photos can be fake. I also contacted 12 organization across the country, from Colorado to California, to distribute my pamphlet and five of those 12 organizations are currently distributing it. What did you learn about yourself? I developed better communication skills through practice and gaining confidence. I practiced use of formal interviewing and honed my skills as a presenter. I can use technology more efficiently to reach out to people; I was able to use e-mail to correspond more fluidly. I learned to better schedule and plan my time to meet deadlines. I learned that I need to use my time more efficiently and to do tasks in a timely manner. I am easily distracted and do my best work without interruptions. I must set up my workspace so I can focus. I discovered what I need to do to work smarter, not harder and be more efficient. I contacted other family members that would be interested in giving me support during my project and they offered me helpful advice. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? The skills that have shown the most improvement include time-management, scheduling, and communication. This project gave me the opportunity to grow and flourish over the last two years. With my graduation from high school, I am now looking to the future. I am more confident with life skills that will help me with a job or any other type of work. I plan to go to college and these are essential skills for success. I picked up on lifelong skills throughout this project that I will definitely use in the future. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I feel that I have learned a lot through this project. I strived to become a better Girl Scout throughout the process and I now have improved on skills that I can use in the future. This project pushed me to use new skills and go outside my comfort zone. I have improved as a person with these skills and am now ready for whatever the future throws at me. I will become a more successful adult because of this project. I will always be improving and work hard because this project has shown me how hard I can work to achieve a goal. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? I challenged myself to be a go-getter by reaching out to interviewers and other people that can be used in my support system. Also, when I reached out to organizations, they seemed excited to use my pamphlet. I used innovative tactics when developing my pamphlet. A pamphlet is something that I have never made before. When I started my project, I ran into a couple of road bumps before I found the correct program to use to create my pamphlet. I have become more of a risk-taker through this project. I did things on my own that I have never done before, such as drive to organizations and explain what my project is. I improved my communication skills with practice which allowed me to be more comfortable and confident when making connections with others. I also developed skills building relationships through face-to-face interactions but also with e-mails and phone calls. I became a leader through my project whenever I presented my pamphlet to a group of people. I felt the most successful aspect of my project was when I got to hand out pamphlets at actual organizations. I got to talk about my project and the adults helped me open up a nice discussion with the girls. Those at the presentation seemed intrigued. I have dropped off my pamphlets at four organizations as of right now. **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 #Niwot #HighestAwards #NorthernampNortheasternCO #NiwotHighSchool #TakeAction

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, Girl Scouts of Colorado honored the 2017 Pikes Peak Women of Distinction during the Thin Mint Dinner at The Antlers – A Wyndham Hotel. The 2017 Women of Distinction are: Rebecca Jewett, Executive Director, Palmer Land Trust Noreen Landis-Tyson, President and CEO, CPCD…giving children a head start Donna Nelson, Spirit of the Springs Program Coordinator, City of Colorado Springs Susan Loo Pattee, CEO and Founder, Colorado Springs Materials Development, LLC Beth Hall Roalstad, Executive Director, Homeward Pikes Peak Brenda Smith, Co-Owner, Garden of the Gods Collection A group of nearly 200 gathered at the event which was chaired by Lindy Conter, Community Volunteer, Woman of Distinction ’13 and Barbara Winter, Executive Vice President, Ent Credit Union, Woman of Distinction ’13. The honorees were selected by a committee of their peers and chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally. They are examples of corporate, civic, and philanthropic leadership and serve as role models for female leaders of tomorrow. The evening’s speakers included Pamela Shockley-Zalabak, Ph.D. and Girl Scout Gold Award recipient Emma Albertoni, recipient of Stephanie A. Foote Leadership Prize for Gold Award Excellence. Since 1997 Girl Scouts of Colorado has recognized more than 500 women across the state with this honor. More than $2 million has been raised since 1997 by Women of Distinction for Girl Scout programs. Bronze Presenting Sponsors include El Pomar Foundation and Ent Credit Union. The Trefoil Sponsor was Newmont Mining. For more information on the Girl Scouts Women of Distinction program, visit www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/wodpp or contact Debbie Swanson at 719-304-8322 or at debbie.swanson@gscolorado.org. View the event on Flickr. #ThinMintDinner #ColoradoSprings #funddevelopment #WomenofDistinction #PikesPeak

Submitted by Charlotte H., G.I.R.L.  Media Star Metro Denver Highlands Ranch I’ve been in Girl Scouts for four years and I love it! I love Girl Scouts because I enjoy the crafts, activities, (especially camping), and I love the life lessons that go with it. But, what I love the most is friendship and meeting new friends. I’m a go-getter because I set big goals and work hard to achieve them. In 2017, I sold over 2,000 packages of Girl Scout Cookies and was the top seller of my service unit and in the Top 100 sellers in Colorado. I’m proud of the many badges I’ve earned including the Daisy and Brownie Summit Awards, and it’s my goal to someday earn the Gold Award. I’m an innovator by brainstorming ideas for new and extraordinary activities to earn badges with my troop. I also helped motivate my troop during cookie sales so that we qualified for Cookie Camp. Despite being a troop with 16 girls, we made it! Girl Scouts has helped me be a risk-taker by giving me courage to approach new students and welcome them while building new friendships. It’s given me confidence to take risks that others might not. I have been a leader at school by standing up for other students when I felt they were picked on or in an unfair situation. How has Girl Scouts helped you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, or leader)? Share your Girl Scout story and photos using the Share Your Stories form. #HighlandsRanch #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #MetroDenver #GIRLstories

What did you do for your Gold Award project? To the senior citizens in my community, and communities around the world, the idea of technology and understanding how it works is a little harder to come by. With the invention of smartphones came the idea of making everything extremely accessible and extremely easy to use. However, if someone is struggling with adapting to the new technology and the pace of it, a smartphone is going to be frustrating and harder to use, and one would need help. The primary issue that my project addressed was that senior citizens tend to need more help with their smartphone technology to make their lives easier. I created a course and curriculum specifically for senior citizens meant to educate them on how to use their smartphone technology and gain a better understanding for it. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I created surveys and handed them out at the end of each session, and had the seniors write down their opinions and exactly how much information they were retaining. The seniors would respond on the surveys with ways that I could improve each session and what they really wanted to learn as well. I used their feedback to adjust the curriculum and to prepare for the next class! How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? I have passed on copies of my curriculum and a flyer with information on what my project was to the senior rec center that I completed my project at! They plan to have it available for senior citizens to use at their leisure. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? I have created a website that displays what my project was and includes the curriculum and surveys. The website can be found at https://taraseniorsconnect.wixsite.com/goldaward. The website contains all the information about my Gold Award project, including the curriculum I created and used, along with all the surveys and resources as well. What did you learn about yourself? I learned that I was not as well developed in the skills I thought I was, which allowed me to develop my leadership skills deeper. I learned to be flexible and how important it is to understand flexibility and that it’s an important skill to have. I also learned the skill of patience, and how important it is to have patience in everything one does. I also learned to be quick on my feet when solving issues, because I had to do that frequently throughout because not everything goes exactly as you hope! How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? The skills I developed throughout the course of my Gold Award will impact my future career. I am pursuing degrees in Business Management and Technical Theatre, both which require intense organization skills and I attribute my ease at organization in part to my Gold Award. The skills I learned from doing my Gold Award allowed me to receive a scholarship at my college, and if I hadn’t been awarded the scholarship, I would not be able to attend where I do. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? It really brought together the last 11 years of Girl Scouts and what it was all about. It allowed me to grow as a person into someone who is strong, independent, and ready to take on the world and change it. My Gold Award allowed me to become someone I never imagined I would be when I first started Girl Scouts as a Brownie. My Gold Award prepared me for the real world, as I use the skills I developed every day. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Earning my Gold Award forced me to take risks. I had to do a lot of reaching out to others and that tends to be hard for me because I’m a relatively shy person when I don’t know people. As a young girl, I was very quiet and shy, and struggled with eye contact when conversing. Because I was forced to take these risks of talking to people I didn’t know throughout my Gold Award, I now converse with ease and make eye contact naturally, as it’s not something I fear anymore because I took those initial risks. **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 #OverlandHighSchool #Denver #MetroDenver #TakeAction

More exciting news from Girl Scouts of the USA! The most recent addition to General Electric’s (GE’s) “imagination” campaign features a storyline with a Girl Scout. The 90-second clip, which can be found on YouTube and may soon be featured in movie theaters across the country, introduces viewers to “Molly,” a young girl who loves science and technology and invents clever ways to complete her chores. One of her best inventions comes at the 37-second mark, when we learn that Molly is a Girl Scout who has rigged up an ingenious way to sell Girl Scout Cookies from her bedroom. GSUSA worked with GE’s creative agency to ensure the story aligned with the new G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ brand platform. Given the recent rollout of the new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) badges, what better way to celebrate the relevancy and spirit of Girl Scouts than to highlight innovative young women in STEM? Additionally, GSUSA is working with GE to incorporate a call to action in future iterations of the ad. Once the details are available, we will let you know. In the meantime, let’s applaud this opportunity to reach and inspire broad, diverse audiences! #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GSUSA #STEM #GeneralElectric #GE

Submitted by Cricket Hawkins Mountain Communities Steamboat Springs On the last warm Sunday of the summer of 2017, Girl Scouts in Steamboat Springs presented Nancy Mucklow with the “Thanks” badge. Nominated by Girl Scouts of Colorado Board of Directors chair-elect Rae Ann Dougherty, Nancy did not expect the overwhelming number of endorsements that also supported the honor. Ms. Dougherty was unable to attend, but provided the following statement for the ceremony: “Because of Nancy’s spirited devotion, Girl Scouts of Colorado is fortunate to have a strong and growing base of active Girl Scouts of all ages in Steamboat Springs, a key area of our Mountain Communities region! Not only does she share and invite girls from all over the state to participate in Steamboat events, her energy routinely spills out into other geographic areas throughout the state with a VERY positive impact. Without Nancy’s dedication, commitment, enthusiasm, and energy, I believe we would not have as strong, dynamic, and vibrant Girl Scout Program in Steamboat Springs. Even with her male dominated family, she shepherds many girls, as well as adult volunteers, through the program.” You can read more about Nancy, this special honor, and her Girl Scout story in the Steamboat Pilot and Today. Prior to the surprise presentation, many Girl Scouts bridged to Brownie through Ambassador level with a full rededication ceremony. Thank you everyone for a wonderful afternoon! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #alumnae #VolunteerNews #Thanksbadge #SteamboatSprings #VolunteerAppreciation #NancyMucklow #alumnaenews #mountaincommunities

Join us for our annual Girl Scout Day with the University of Northern Colorado Bears Football on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017! Cheer on the Bears as they take on the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds. All Girl Scouts, friends, and family are invited. Girl Scouts are also invited to a pregame cheer clinic. Learn from Division 1 Cheerleaders and then join them to form a fan tunnel and perform a routine. All participating girls will receive a special cheer patch. Come for the clinic, game, or make a day of it. The fun begins at 9:30 a.m. when the Pepsi Fan Zone opens. Stop by the Girl Scout tailgating area for fun activities. The Cheer Clinic begins at 11 a.m. and game kicks-off at 12:30 p.m. The Bears are playing at home in Greeley at Nottingham Field. Cost is $7/person for a general admission ticket. Tickets can be purchased at www.uncbears.com/tickets with the promo code GIRLSCOUT17. Questions? Please contact UNC Athletics Box Office at 970-351-4849. We hope to see you there! #Greeley #GSCOevents #NorthernampNortheasternCO #UniversityofNorthernColorado