What did you do for your Gold Award project? I implemented an educational program about bees at a local environmental center, The Catamount Institute. I wanted to address the problems facing bee populations, so I built a beehive and planted a garden to provide a good habitat for one hive of bees. I also wanted to use it to get others to care about bees as well, so I had children get involved in the painting of the beehive and planting the garden. I then created a six part curriculum to be used in conjunction with the beehive and gardens that will be carried out by the Catamount institute on field trips and summer camps. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? After running the curriculum, one child had gone from thinking bees were really scary to really liking them. The Catamount Institute will continue running this curriculum, and the impact can be measured by how many children go through this program. How  is your project sustainable? How  will  your  project  continue to impact after your  involvement? The Catamount Institute gives regular field trips as well as camps over the summer. They have been given a full guide to the curriculum and plan to use it moving forward for their field trips. Additionally, for everything I have done for the project, I typed up a manual- how to build the beehive, how to plant a bee-friendly wildflower garden, how to winterize the beehive, and details on the curriculum. This manual was provided to the Catamount Institute and sent to other wildlife centers to encourage them to set up a similar program. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? I reached out to other environmental centers with my curriculum. The three wildlife centers I chose were the Cooper Center, Long Branch Environmental Education Center, and Stillman Nature Center. The information I sent to these nature centers will also be available online, for anybody who is looking for beehive curriculum related things to find and use. Additionally, I have contacted a local, some state, and a national gardening club and provided them with my bee-friendly garden coloring sheet and flyer and asked them to help distribute them throughout their members. What did you learn about yourself? While I have always considered myself a natural leader, I do believe that this project has pushed those skills even further as I have now had the experience of training adults to carry out a project of my design, as opposed to working with peers or simply working with adults as opposed to training them. While I have always been a confident person, in this project I was initially shy about asking people to do things for me, but as I carried out events or stages of my project I became more comfortable as a leader. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Before doing this project, I could never have imagined that I could achieve something this big and actually make it matter. Now, I will go into life more confident in my ability to effect change. Additionally, I think that this was a really amazing opportunity to show potential employers that I am a capable leader who can be creative and come up with unique solutions to problems. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I was not very involved in Girl Scouts for a lot of high school, but after I realized that I wanted to do a project related to bees, I realized how great a resource being a Girl Scout could be if you wanted to make a change. In all of my career as a Girl Scout, I don’t think I have ever been more proud or happy to be a Girl Scout, and I think that is because no other aspect of Girl Scouting had required as much involvement as this did. **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 #ColoradoSprings #CatamountInstitute #WilliamJPalmerHighSchool #bees #PikesPeak

Submitted by Tiffany Stone Metro Denver Englewood Join the Urban Trails Service Unit for a “Me and My Gal” Strength Weekend! Tomahawk Ranch Friday, May 12, 2017 – Sunday, May 14, 2017 Arrival time: 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Friday Departure: 10 a.m. on Sunday Cost: $150 per woman-girl couple $60 per additional girl, (No additional adults please, one per every three daughters) Bring your girl(s) along for a weekend of bonding and strengthening. Mountain Berry Catering will provide meals, with a special Mother’s Day Bunch on Sunday morning. Activities will be provided all weekend, including archery, building, a dance, and more! This camp is geared for mothers and daughters, but aunts, grandmas, or mother figures are welcome, along with girls (K-12). Attendance is only confirmed upon payment. Register at: https://squareup.com/store/urban-trails-su-644 Volunteers are always welcome! Please email: urbantrailsdenver@gmail.com to volunteer! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #events #MeandMyGal #MetroDenver #TomahawkRanch

What did you do for your Gold Award project? In 2014, the Monarch Butterfly was on the verge of being on the endangered animals watch due to the large decrease in the population size.   After doing some research, I found several articles and learned  that the reason the population is struggling is because farmers and the general population were killing off milkweed. I created a butterfly garden at a horse sanctuary, and made several presentations on how to save the Monarch Butterfly to my sister’s troop and a preschool class.  In addition, I made a sign and website full of information on the Monarch Butterfly based on information from Monarch Watch and why they are endangered. I registered my butterfly garden on their site as a waystation, and it provides a connection and information for others to learn. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? In addition to seeing an increase in butterflies due to the milkweed, I also chose to measure the impact by seeing what the students learned as well as measure their excitement to create their own garden. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? The sustainable aspect of my project relies on the owner of Friends of Horses, the rescue I made the garden, to maintain it. I have also provided the educational materials I used for my presentations to the owner so he would be able to offer the lessons at his summer camps.  In addition to this, the property maintainer and volunteers will take care of the garden. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? The first portion for the global link was I had my sister’s troop create their own mini-milkweed gardens. The second portion is the garden was registered on the national program Monarch Watch. The third portion is the sign and website I created to pass on the ideas and information I used. The last part was teaching younger students about the garden and encouraging them to develop their own garden.  The teacher at the school received a flash drive so this information can be shared annually. What did you learn about yourself? I learned that I am good under a time crunch. I found a way to do many things in the limited time that I had to do it.  In addition to this, I learned to work with different adults and children as I tried to address this issue. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Earning the Gold Award will be useful to show how I had leadership capabilities at a younger age and help me be successful in college and also assist me in getting  a job in the near future. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it was the final part of my journey, and makes me feel like the whole trip led up to this big project. **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 #Aurora #Denvermetro #GoldAward #GrandviewHighSchool

Submitted by Christina Bartholomew, cbarth8432@gmail.com Metro Denver Denver Girl Scout University is a day-long event on Saturday, April 15, 2017 from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on the University of Denver campus to help Girl Scouts earn badges. Alpha Phi Omega (a national service fraternity) at DU will teaching two 2-hour sessions offering the following badges: Cadettes: First-Aid, Budgeting, Finding Common Ground, Comic Artists, and Netiquette Juniors: First-Aid, Drawing, Digital Photographer, Jewelry, Entertainment Technology, and Scribe Brownies: First-Aid, Dancer, My Best Self, Home Scientist, Making Games, and Inventor Girl Scouts can choose one badge to work on in the morning session and another badge in the afternoon session. Cost: $10/Girl Scout for both morning and afternoon sessions $5/Girl Scout for one session (morning or afternoon) Registration: Please contact cbarth8432@gmail.com to sign-up. Registration deadline is April 8, 2017. Girl Scouts staying for both sessions should bring a sack lunch and water bottle. All instruction will be provided by volunteers. Girl Scout volunteers and parents will be needed to maintain safety ratios. A space will be available for parents to hang out during the event if needed. Questions? Email Christina Bartholomew at cbarth8432@gmail.com. #Cadette #UniversityofDenver #Brownie #Junior #MetroDenver #GirlScoutUniversity #events

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I addressed the library functionality at Faith Lutheran Church (FLC) and the shortage of public computer availability in the city of Castle Rock. I removed unwanted books, received new donations, and purchased books and DVDs. In addition, I created an online cataloging/organization system for the library. I also added a public computer that church members, visitors at the church waiting on financial aid, and anyone in the community can use as a resource. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? The biggest example of the project’s impact on the community is the overall turnaround of the library. The library is completely organized and accessible to all members and visitors of the church and anyone in the community. Multiple members and staff of the FLC commented on how grateful they were that I completed this project and how they will be able to use the space in the future. I also reached out to different community organizations to educate them about the new computer and book resources so that they could refer their clients to the church as well. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? A group within FLC will be continuing the maintenance of the library for years to come. I wrote a guide about how to keep the library organized, how the cataloging system works, and how the computer should be kept up to date, so that the group has all of the details and expectations laid out clearly. This will keep the library organized, accessible, modern, and interesting for the congregation and community to use. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? My global link was with the Lutheran Church of South Sudan (LCSS). The LCSS is building the Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Gambella, Ethiopia to train local and regional pastors. One of their most important buildings will be, of course, a library. However, the LCSS does not have the funds to buy thousands of resources for their seminary library. We donated 223 books, VHS, and Bibles that were not being used in the FLC library to the LCSS seminary. These books will help them reach their goal of 10,000 copies, and allow them to train even more pastors in the region. What did you learn about yourself? I learned so many valuable things from doing this project! The most obvious skills I have developed are communication skills. Additionally, I learned more about multi-tasking, organization, and adult-life skills. I also greatly expanded my leadership experience and skills through this project, and discovered that I actually really enjoy leading teams and individuals. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Earning my Gold Award has set me on a road to success. With all the skills I’ve learned, I feel very prepared to enter college and the adult world as a strong and contributing member of society. The Gold Award has also given me an advantage in select college and scholarship programs, which will help advance my knowledge and fund my education. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I have been in Girl Scouts since kindergarten, so earning my Gold Award felt like the greatest culmination to my Girl Scout journey. It was a way to combine all of the skills I had learned in Girl Scouts over the years into one great project that could serve the community. There is not better way to honor and celebrate your time as a Girl Scout than through the Gold Award. **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 #CastleRock #CastleViewHighSchool #Denvermetro #GoldAward

What did you do for your Gold Award project? Bottled water has horrific environmental and health effects, and costs an absurd amount of money for buying water, a liquid that is most often close to free.  An average American uses 167 plastic non-reusable water bottles in one year, however, by being proactive we can reduce our impact on our environment including the air, and oceans specifically.  My role in this issue, was promoting the use of reusable water bottles, as well as uncovering the truth of the harmful effects of bottled water.  I created a 25 minute presentation on the subject that I had researched then I presented in 12 different places, including elementary, middle, and high school classes, as well as clubs, and a business.  I also created a website (www.savingtheworldonebottleatatime.com) and Facebook page. I informed at least 300 people about plastic water bottle pollution, and I gave out stickers with my website domain to people to spread the word about my project. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? The most rewarding aspect of my project is that I have had numerous people come up to me and tell me that they just bought a reusable water bottle and are no longer using bottled water.  I work in an ice cream shop, and little kids whom I have given my presentation to, will come in and recognize me, and their parents have told me that their kids told them about my presentation and that as a family they have been inspired to eliminate their use of plastic water bottles.  The little successes of people telling me that they are thinking about their use of plastic and being conscious of what they are adding the environment shows that I have truly made an impact in people’s lives. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? I have shared my presentation with over 300 people, and given them stickers with my website address.  People will always be able to view my website, and learn about the issue.  I will also be coming out with a short movie soon that I will share.  In addition, I have several presentations scheduled for the future, so I will continue to reach new audiences. One of my presentations was for my school’s garden club in which I am involved.  They have agreed to continue my presentation for years after my involvement in the club.  I have shared my presentation with them and my note cards for each slide with all the information so that they will be able to continue the presentation.  In this club, we typically grow a garden, then harvest our crops in the summer, however in the winter we always try to learn more about the subject, and work to become more eco-friendly, and educated on the subject.  So this is something that they can learn about every year as new members join. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? I have given my website and Facebook page information to friends and family across the United States, so they can research and also become educated on the subject.  I have involved many of my friends and family members to be a part in sharing my project, so it has been able to reach as far as cousins in England, as well as family in Wisconsin, Florida, Chicago, and California.  My website includes information on all the effects that I teach in my presentation, so anybody can easily learn about the subject.  Therefore, it is accessible to anyone who wants to learn more. What did you learn about yourself? I’ve learned that presenting in front of people is not as easy as it looks.  I found that I got really nervous when I started talking in front of people even just family, which is where I practiced first.  I practiced the presentation at least 20 times before I took it to a classroom, and finally my sentences started flowing better and I was able to form coherent sentences without using unnecessary filler words. For the first three presentations I was very nervous, but by practicing in between them, asking people for constructive criticism, and filming myself, I improved in a short amount of time.  After about five presentations, I no longer got nervous, I felt prepared and confident, and I really felt comfortable. I have gotten really great at public speaking, and learned that practice is really important in projects like these. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Next year, I will be studying education at Fort Lewis College, because I want to become a middle school social studies teacher. Now when I have presentations, I feel that I am really great at leading the classrooms.  I have learned how to keep a classroom engaged in the subject I’m teaching, and how to answer questions that students have in a positive way to not steer away from the subject.  These presentations have taught me leadership and given me a taste of what it’s like to speak in front of classrooms and teach my own lesson, similar to what I will be doing when I’m a teacher. In addition, I will be continuing with the subject of bottled water pollution.  I am currently in the process of making a movie about the subject, then planning on sharing it with my Facebook page, and website, where I hope it will reach many more people.  I also have scheduled presentations for the upcoming months, so just because I have completed my Gold Award, does not mean that I have finished making an impact with this project. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? This project has inspired me to know that I really can make a difference in the world!  I have learned that if you have a true passion for something, you can make a change!  Knowing that even just one person listened to my ideas, and bought a reusable water bottle, and wants my sticker to put on it, is the best feeling in the world.  Knowing that I can be the one to get someone to choose to not use bottled water at a party, or school, or any sort of event, and instead bring their reusable water bottle around, shows that I am limiting the amount of bottled water being used, even if it’s just one person.  I feel the momentum that I have with this project, and I do not plan on stopping because I know I can make a larger impact! I have learned that change can start as small as you want it to be, but by being passionate, positive and hopeful, that change can turn into anything you want it to be! **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 #FairviewHighSchool #HighestAwards #NorthernampNortheasternCO #boulder

Below is a great video from Fireside Productions, who volunteered with one of our Girl Scout Outreach Brownie troops in Jefferson County. Volunteers helped the girls with activities from the Brownie Journey, Wonders of Water. Thank you to Amelia Jones for working with Fireside Production staff and coordinating the volunteer activity! Fireside Productions also does video work for our GSCO Women of Distinction events. The company’s culture has a large focus on service and their team does a quarterly service project as a team. We are honored their team choose GSCO’s Outreach Program for this first quarter of 2017! To access the video, click this link –   http://firesideproduction.com/fireside-day-service/ . Enjoy! #FiresideProductions #JeffersonCounty #Outreach #DayofService #MetroDenver

Submitted by Molly M. Northern & Northeastern CO Boulder Are you looking for outdoor fun and adventure? You are in luck! Senior Girl Scout Troop 7 is running outdoor skills days. Get ready for camping fun! The Girl Scout Outdoor Skills day camps on April 22, 2017 (Thornton-regular) and April 29, 2017 (Boulder-advanced) prepare girls for camping and outdoors. Each girl will earn an outdoor skills patch, in addition to learning: Knife craft and safety Compass use Outdoor cooking Fire building Campsite Set-up Tent pitching Emergency first-aid and preparation Regular Camp: April 22 (Thornton) Who: 1st Graders and up. No experience necessary When: 9:30 a.m. — 3:30 p.m. Price: 1 Girl – $17 includes hot lunch and Outdoor Skills patch Additional adults: $5/day Advanced Camp: April 29 (Boulder) Who: 4th Graders and up. Must have prior camping experience When: 9:30 a.m. — 3:30 p.m. Price: 1 Girl – $18 includes hot lunch and Outdoor Skills patch Additional adults: $5/day Register early. A sell-out is expected. Advanced Payment Required Website link to register both scouts and adults: https://sites.google.com/site/gsoutdoorskillsdayscolorado/ Contact Senior / Ambassador Girl Scout Troop 7 at Girlscouttroop70007@gmail.com This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #daycamp #NorthernampNortheasternCO #boulder #MetroDenver #outdoorskillscamp

What did you do for your Gold Award project? Sometimes the families of patients at the hospital can be overlooked, especially if they had to go in an emergency without any advance planning. I tried to make hospital visits easier by meeting the physical needs of families at the hospital by providing them with care packages containing amenities such toothbrushes and toothpaste, warm hats, and entertaining activity booklets or card games. I also created separate brochures for children and adults that informed them on emergency preparedness and gave advice for being ready for an unexpected hospital visit. I distributed brochures at an educational event I created where elementary school students were able to meet with a firefighter and paramedic. Both brochures and talking with the emergency personnel helped to prepare the adults and children for an emergency. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I measured impact by keeping track of the amount of care packages and brochures my project provided to families. I also conducted a survey six months after the educational event to gauge the impact that it had on elementary school students. I found that the care packages were extremely useful for the hospital and that the majority of the students could remember talking with the emergency personnel, who they remembered as helpful, regular people rather than scary figures buried under protective clothing. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? My project has been taken over by the National Honor Society chapter at my high school, where it will continue to provide care packages to a local hospital. In addition, I created a website available to the public (http://epgoldaward.wixsite.com/patientcarepackages) with copies of all the materials I created and used, and instructions for anyone to run a similar project to mine. Both of these increased the impact of my project and will allow it to continue indefinitely. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? The website I created, though in English, provides access to materials for global use. In addition, I personally distributed 800 educational brochures across the United States and Europe for anyone to use. These include globally applicable assistance, such as instructions on performing CPR and advice on supplies to take to the hospital. What did you learn about yourself? I learned how to advocate for myself, team, and, project by stepping outside of my communication comfort zone and talking to strangers for the benefit of my project. I learned how to motivate others to work towards a common goal and I am more confident now in my ability as a leader. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Through my Gold Award Project, I found that I could achieve a high goal once I set my mind to do it. In my future, this will help me set higher and higher goals and strive toward them. It will also help me see more possibilities and opportunities in the world. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? In Girl Scouts, you see everywhere the motto “Courage. Confidence. Character.” I honestly believe that my Gold Award Project helped me grow in each of these areas. Because I forced myself to step out of my comfort zone, I gained the courage to take risks. By accomplishing what I set out to do and more, I gained the confidence to undertake future projects on my own. Finally, by finishing what I started even when there were times that I wanted to quit, I built a determined character that will help me in all future aspects of my life. **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 #ConiferHighSchool #GoldAward #MetroDenver #Morrison

Submitted by Payton Buhler Northern & Northeastern CO Boulder At CU Boulder, we have traditionally hosted GSU, Girl Scout University. Come and join us, we have a maximum of 200 girls. Come hang out. It’ll be lots of fun. It is a day to be on campus and you can earn two badges while you’re at it. You’ll come in the morning and earn the first badge. Then, you’re served lunch on campus, and spend the rest of your day earning your second badge. It will be hosted on April 22, 2017 and it is $35. To register please click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6HGMJHY This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #NorthernampNortheasternCO #boulder #Denvermetro #UniversityofColoradoBoulder #GirlScoutUniversity #events

Way to go Kai from Colorado Springs! She is the winner of the first-ever GSCO contest for Best Cookie Costume and will receive $200 in Cookie Credits. Ashla from Greeley came in second place and plans to use her winnings ($100 in Cookie Credits) to go to Girl Scout Camp. Troop 76119 in Firestone came in third place and will receive $50 in Cookie Credits. #cookiecostumecontest #ColoradoSprings #Firestone #NorthernampNortheasternCO #Greeley #GirlScoutCookies #2017CookieSale #cookiecontests #BestCookieCostume #PikesPeak

Submitted by Claudine Norden Mountain Communities Frisco Town of Frisco Community Service Officer Kyle visited our Daisy troop meeting and helped us learn about “respecting authority.” We did an activity on good and bad manners while we had snack. The girls shared examples of authority figures at home, school, and in our community. Then, Officer Kyle talked about the importance of rules and safety in our community. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Daisy #Frisco #mountaincommunities #police