Submitted by Sarah Scalise Denver Metro Denver Girl Scout camp was a life changing experience for me as a young child. My troop was able to offer many outdoor opportunities, and as an adult I have a deep appreciation for nature. When I was a troop leader in a major urban center, many of my Girl Scouts experienced hiking, bird watching, and campfires for the very first time! Living in Colorado we might assume every girl has the opportunity to camp; but without an introduction through Girl Scouts, some kids never get the chance to “try on” the great outdoors. Calling all past, current, and future Girl Scouts who are students or residents of Jefferson County! Rosewood & North Jeffco Service Units and are co-hosting a “try on” Girl Scout Camp Kick-Off at Tomahawk Ranch on Saturday, September 3 from 1:30-7:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for girls to experience a sampling of what Girl Scout camp has to offer. Campers will arrive at 1:30 p.m. for check-in. Current Girl Scout members will need to attend with a troop leader or a caregiver. Not a member yet? No worries! This “try on” event is open to girls K-12 who are residents or students of Jefferson County with their accompanying caregiver. Our activities begin at 2:00 p.m. and campers will make new friends, geocache, and tour Tomahawk Ranch. We’ll share a hot meal in the dining hall starting at 5:30 p.m. Save room afterwards for a s’more at our campfire! Our programming ends at 7:30 p.m. with a friendship circle. The cost is $10/per girl and $7/per adult, this includes all activities, dinner, s’more and a patch. This event is co-sponsored by Allison Scheider, Volunteer Support Specialist; Sarah Scalise, Recruitment Specialist; and Toni Dondero, Volunteer Support Specialist. We’ll be there to connect with adult volunteers, support new leaders, and have on-site registration for new Girl Scout members. Registration for this event ends August 19 and space is limited, so don’t wait to sign-up. See you at Girl Scout camp! Photo is a life-long Girl Scout friend and myself as Juniors at Girl Scout camp in Northern Michigan. #Jeffco #JeffersonCounty

Submitted by Carol Lucero Thornton Metro Denver Girl Scouts from troops 63979, 62131 and 63687 got together for a Star Party, working in conjunction with the North Metro Fire Rescue Department and Broomfield Police Department to honor our heroes. These girls have become ‘Star Makers’ with www.starsforourtroops.org, which collects embroidered stars from used, tattered, or faded American flags and repurposes them as pocket-sized mementos for veterans and first responders. These star packets are then given to heroes as a thank you for their service. Nothing beats the heartwarming feeling of patriotism and support when a veteran smiles back after being thanked for their sacrifice and handed a star! The NMFR has collected 134 retired flags with embroidered stars, which translates into 6,700 stars for packets– that is a huge number of heroes to thank! So far this month, star packets have been given to police officers in Broomfield, Aurora, Englewood, Adams County, Thornton and Arapahoe County. Stars have also gone to members of The Patriot Guard at a recent funeral of a retired Englewood Police Department member. The three troops got together this weekend to bag another 3,500 stars that will be delivered to the Dallas Police Department on Sunday, July 24, 2016 in memory of their officers recently murdered. Plans are underway to send a shipment to Baton Rouge. These girls are learning not only to collaborate on important projects and give selflessly, but to support and honor those who sacrifice so much for our freedom. Many of these girls have veterans and first responders in their own families– and they of course got stars too! We’re happy to collect any flags or stars you wish to contribute to their efforts! Please call to arrange a pick up at 303-726-0128. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Starsforourtroops #Thornton

Submitted by Rebecca Farris Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Rebecca created a short video with links to help others learn about Epilepsy and how to help someone if they have a seizure for her Bronze Award. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #BronzeAward #epilepsy

What did you do for your Gold Award project? Connecting & Protecting addressed the problem of the lack of connection between the military and the general public. People who have never served in the military themselves have such a hard time understanding and talking to the men and women in the military. My project made it so much easier to communicate and start closing the gap of understanding between the general public and the military. My project involved 6 parts, most of which benefitted the US Marine Corps Memorial in Golden, CO.  A 430 foot pathway was installed and an event took place for the public to meet the local service members in October 2015. I also set up a maintenance group and created a manual to take care of Memorial. Then I gathered information and pictures of the Memorial to create a pamphlet telling others about the history behind the US Marine Corps Memorial.  Finally, I created a website, connectingprotecting.com, and Facebook Page (Connecting & Protecting) for the general public to have access to information about the military branches easily and for service members’ stories to be offered to the public. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I had surveys at the Connecting & Protecting event at the Memorial for everyone who attended. Out of the 76 who attended, 95% walked away feeling more connected to the military and learned something new and fun.  There is also a survey on my website that visitors have taken. 10 total surveys have been taken so far and all came back with positive results. Finally, my website has a total of 13 positive comments as well. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? The pathway that I created at the Memorial is self-sustaining, it will be there forever. It will not need to be dug up and reconstructed. AMCI Wireless and the Memorial Board will be replenishing the pathway material as needed. I also created and provided a manual to maintain the Memorial and presented it to employees at AMCI Wireless. AMCI Wireless made a commitment to maintain the Memorial for a minimum of one year. Since I am not graduating until Spring 2017 I decided to continue to maintain the website and Facebook page until I am ready to step away. If the time comes when I will no longer maintain the project’s website and page, I will find someone to replace me, and they will use the Standard Operating Procedures that I developed during my project. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? There are three national and global links within my project: I sent 300 folded Pocket Flags from the Pocket Flag Project to men and women stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). With each flag there was a small card, with my website link and email address on it, so they can learn about my project. My project’s website is open to the world. I have over 20 viewers from other countries (Saudi Arabia, Canada, France, etc…) and 600+ viewers nationally. Many of my viewers share my website and Facebook page. Military men and women are stationed all over the world. What did you learn about yourself? When faced with obstacles, I learned to move around them. I would take a deep breath and stay positive. My family and two project advisers would listen to me and give me confidence to keep going. I would look for another way to do the activity or find the positives in the suggestion. I learned that creating and managing a website is a lot of work and time. It also improved my communication skills and my ability to write. Along with that, transcribing a recorded interview is very challenging, but the end result is well worth the time-consuming process. Lastly, interview questions need to be asked clearly and you have to really listen to the interviewee’s answers. Staff Sergeant Carter, one of my project advisers, taught me that when you strive for success and face the toughest of challenges, you will be unstoppable. I understand what that means now and agree with him. Before this project, I did not think I was capable of accomplishing something this large and touching so many people’s hearts. I gained confidence and determination – the keys to get what you want. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? I want to go to college to study fashion design. In college, I will improve the team building, event planning, and website designing skills learned in my project. In the highly competitive fashion designing industry, you have to be strong, persistent, and independent. My project improved these skills and made me recognize them, so I can use them in the future. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? It’s the last highest award a girl can earn in Girl Scouts. I found it important in the last chapter of my journey to earn Gold because it’s like the last “hoorah” for me.  The end of a great story in 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 #Arvada #Denvermetro #GoldAward #military

Join us for Scout Day with the Denver Outlaws! Girl Scouts, friends, and family are invited to this fun Lacrosse event! This is a great opportunity for Girl Scouts, friends, and family to enjoy a Major League Lacrosse game. Girl Scouts can participate in a patch design contest at the game and are also welcome to join the Outlaws for a pre-game color guard demonstration before the national anthem. Tickets are $14 per person with a portion of tickets sales donated back to GSCO. To purchase tickets and for more information about the patch design contest, please contact Drew Schneider at 720-258-3608 or Drew.Schneider@DenverOutlaws.com. Please note that this ticket offer is not available at Sports Authority Field at Mile High box office and there are no refunds for tickets. The Denver Outlaws are a Major League Lacrosse professional men’s field lacrosse team that play at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The team began playing in the MLL in 2006. The Outlaws won the MLL Championship in 2014 and have appeared in the championship five times. They are one of the most successful teams in the league and have the most fans attend games on average. We hope to see you there cheering on the Outlaws! #DenverOutlaws

The Centennial Kickoff Celebration is packed with great badge activities and special guests to help us celebrate 100 years of Girl Scouting in Colorado, and look forward to the next generation of making the world a better place. Two days will feature unique content for the whole family, with opportunities to earn up to 12 badges! Check out our FAQ for more details about the event, and don’t forget to come prepared for an all day, outdoor event, with sunscreen, hats, snacks, and water bottles. Saturday 9 a.m. – Registration opens 10 – 10:15 a.m. Formal Flag Ceremony being done by Honorary Troop 4 with National Anthem sung by Girl Scout Mackenzie Balagot 10:15 – 10:20 a.m Opening remarks by Girl Scouts of Colorado President & CEO Stephanie Foote 10:20 – 10:25 a.m. Special guest Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers 10:25 – 10:45 a.m. Keynote address by Gabrielle Rochino of Think Like a Girl Engineering Kits 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Badge activities start with a rotation schedule at one-hour increments. · First Aid (with our partners at Ft. Carson) · Athlete (Spear throwing with our partner Reebok Spartan) · Outdoor Adventures (including Zorb bubble soccer, rock climbing exposure and drywater rafting) · GS Way · Animals (full-size horse/interactive displays) · Sewing · Artist (outdoor painting and comic artist) 11 a.m. – Food trucks on site (who will sell lunches and refreshments. Attendees may bring own lunch, snacks, and are encouraged to bring water) 6 – 6:30 p. m. Actress portraying Juliette Gordon Low 6:30 p.m. – Pizza dinner 6:30 – 7:15 p.m. Musical performance by special guest Miguel Dakota 7:30 – 7:45 p.m. Retiring of the colors for the day Sunday 9 a.m. – Registration opens 10 – 10:15 a.m. Formal Flag Ceremony being done by Honorary Troop 4 10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Investment/Rededication Ceremony 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Badge activities start with a rotation schedule at one-hour increments. Badge activities today include: · First Aid · Outdoor Adventures (including Zorb bubble soccer, rock climbing exposure and drywater rafting) · GS Way · Animals (Meet miniature horses) · Archery · ASL Interpretation (Learn the Girl Scout promise in ASL) · Community Safety (with our partners from Red Cross) · Beekeeping · Aviation · Conservation · Artistry (Older girls learn about digital photography) 11 a.m. – Food trucks on site (who will sell lunches and refreshments. Attendees may bring own lunch, snacks, and are encouraged to bring water) 5:30 – 6 p.m. Formal Closing Ceremony #Statewide #PikesPeak #GSCOCentennialKickoffCelebration #GSCOCentennial #CentennialKickoffCelebration

Submitted by Katie Singleton Beginning in the 2017 membership year, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to apply to join a new Older Girl Advisory Board! This board will serve as the voice for Girl Scouts across Colorado. Advisory Board members will have the opportunity to provide direct feedback to staff regarding current and future programming and events, participate in leadership and professional development workshops, and connect with the GSCO Board of Directors. Board members will participate in monthly web meetings and attend four camp retreats held at Tomahawk Ranch each year. The first camp retreat is scheduled for December 20-21, 2016. Transportation assistance may be available. Girls interested in participating in this Advisory Board are invited to submit their application at https://gscolorado.formstack.com/forms/ogab2016. All applicants must provide contact information for two references who will be emailed a link to an online reference form. All applications and reference forms are due by September 5, 2016. More information can be found at www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/ogab. Contact Katie Singleton at katie.singleton@gscolorado.org with any questions. #GirlScoutsofColorado #OlderGirlAdvisoryBoard #oldergirls #Statewide

Submitted by Kathy Nester Littleton Metro Denver Two years ago, Ambassador troop 62662 began discussing a trip to Europe to visit the two World Centers there. In the end, four members of Troop 62662 and one girl from another troop went on this adventure. We started in Switzerland at Our Chalet, spending two nights. Our Chalet was a big hit. From Our Chalet, we traveled to Lucerne and explored the city. The next day, we were off to Italy to spend time in Verona, Vienna, Florence, Pisa, Assisi, and Rome. Then it was off to London for the last 3 days of our trip, concluding with a visit to Pax Lodge. It was a nonstop 14-day trip that the girls will never forget! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #OurChalet #PaxLodge #travel

Submitted by Mickki Langston Signing is a joyous part of the Girl Scout experience. For many girls, learning and signing songs is one of the most memorable experiences at camp. Singing Girl Scout songs brings us together and weaves tradition throughout the many generations of Girl Scouts. The first Girl Scout song book was published in 1925! Singing can be used to open and close meetings, punctuate ceremonies, and make work more pleasurable. Here’s a great photo of Senior Girl Scouts singing in 1959. President Obama and the First Lady recently joined Girl Scouts in singing around a campfire. If you’re looking for great resources for Girl Scout songs, check out the Girl Scout Pocket Songbook for purchase from the GSUSA shop, and the many songs found on the Girl Scouts Songs youtube channel. Not everyone has to have a songbird voice to have a good time, however. That’s why we’re excited Miguel Dakota, a Colorado singer who was a finalist on America’s Got Talent, is joining us for the Centennial Celebration on July 23, 2016. He’ll be singing around our campfire at 6:30 p.m. Here’s a video of Miguel covering “Do I Wanna Know” in the Garden of the Gods. The event is less than a month away, so use this link to get your tickets now: http://bit.ly/1snj0uw Spread the word to all your Girl Scout sisters using our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1786101614959355/ See you around the campfire! #ColoradoSprings #Centennial #PikesPeak #GSCOCentennial #CentennialCelebration #CentennialKickoffCelebration

Submitted by Chris Kucera Steamboat Springs Mountain Communities Seven troops joined together at Fetcher Barn with views of Hahn’s Peak and Steamboat Lake this weekend to camp as a service unit, learn new outdoor skills, and ride horses. We earned the Cadette Field Day, Junior Camper and Brownie Outdoor Adventurer badges. We visited Dells Triangle Ranch for an amazing trail ride with million dollar views, including multiple elk sightings. They also treated us with a tour of the ranch, taught us about 4-H projects with turkeys, chickens, and goats, horse grooming, history of the horse and knots used with horses. We can’t thank them enough! After our exciting trail ride experience, Cadettes from Troop 54313 taught girls ranging from Daisies through Cadettes compass, knots, lashing and fire building. We couldn’t have been more proud of everyone when they all learned how to lash a tripod and navigate a compass course. The girls even taught their leaders how to lash! Personally, the highlight of the weekend was sitting under the stars, gazing into the milky way while singing traditional and new Girl Scout songs well into the night. It couldn’t have been more inspiring when a shooting star streaked across the sky during On My Honor. I need to give a special round of applause for our Brownies and Daisies. They kept up with all the big girls and not only participated in everything, but excelled. They carried gear, setup tents, lashed tripods, ran the compass course, washed dishes and stayed up late at the campfire. I am so proud of them! Every girl came away from the event with new skills, new friends and special memories. It was an amazing event. We will have to work hard to top it for next year! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #DellsTriangleRanch #SteamboatSprings

Submitted by Carol Bolt Steamboat Springs Mountain Communities Our girls were so impressive with their skills and I could see their apprehensiveness slip away with practice. What a confidence builder! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #archerybadge #SteamboatSprings

Submitted by Becky Leach Elizabeth Pikes Peak Our combined troop of Brownies and Juniors set their goals like every other troop for their cookie sales. They live in a semi-rural area, with only a couple of stores available to sell cookies from, so they had some obstacles to overcome. The girls discussed the merits of selling cookies for our servicemen and women instead of actual boxes. They set a goal of 750 boxes via donations to sell through “Gift of Caring”. They met with women in the active military stationed in our area to learn about what it was like for women to be in the U.S. Army and Air Force. They received photos from troops serving overseas who had benefitted from getting Girl Scout Cookies. The girls made special vests to wear at their cookie booth events that promoted the GOC cause and had many good conversations with customers who wouldn’t have bought cookies for themselves. Every customer was asked to donate their change to help buy just one more box for our military! In the end, they surpassed their goal and were able to donate 1174 boxes to our military troops! They were very excited to learn that they were the top Gift of Caring contributor in the state of Colorado! A special thank you for our Co-Leader and Cookie Sale Manager, Renee Carroll-Jarboe, for her hard work and dedication to this cause! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Elizabeth #GiftofCaring #PikesPeak