The Fall Sale will be here before you know it! It starts October 3, 2015 and this year, Girl Scouts have a lot to be excited about, including new fun/interactive tools to help girls to reach their goals. Girls can choose to sell in-person or online only and girls can choose to participate online, even if their troop is not. When: There has been a technical delay in the upload of our council’s data to the Fall Sale system. To insure that the start of our Fall Sale campaign runs smoothly, volunteers will not receive emails with log in/access info for the Fall Sale system until the week of September 28, 2015. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to an amazing season! Girls and parents will receive an email with a link to the Fall Sale system on October 3, 2015 to set up their personalized storefronts, the same day in-person and online order taking begins. In-person order taking ends October 25, 2015. Girls will be able to sell online until November 13, 2015. Girls, who make any sales through that date, will earn rewards and proceeds. Why should your girl/troop participate in the Fall Sale? Girls can earn start-up money for their troop and rewards for themselves. This year, participation in the Fall Sale is even easier for girls, parents/guardians, and volunteers! Troops and girls can participate by selling in-person and online. Or, if they choose, they can sell only online. Most importantly, they start practicing the 5 Skills. Goal Setting –Girls learn to set and reach goals Decision Making –Girls learn to make their own choices People Skills –Girls learn how to communicate with others and work as a team Money Management –Girls learn to budget and handle money Business Ethics –Girls learn to be honest and fair What’s new for the 2015 Fall Sale? This year’s Fall Sale includes a variety of magazines and nut and chocolate products including: Mint Trefoils in a Limited Edition Girl Scout “Branch Out” tin! Peppermint Bark in a decorative snowman tin; a perfect gift for the holidays! The Giant Nut Mix that comes in a special Bow Box, perfect for business/corporate gift giving! Two new Snack Packs, perfect for lunches or snacks on the go! And, of course, chocolate choices, such as the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels and Peanut Butter Monkeys! As part of their personal storefronts, girls can build their own avatars! They can also participate in online learning activities and earn virtual rewards. Once your girl reaches $175 in online sales, she will get a personalized patch with her name and avatar on it. As soon as the goal is reached an email is sent to the parents/guardians to order the patch. Once ordered, the patch will be mailed directly to your girl. Girls can also post pictures and videos to their online storefronts, send emails to prospective customers, and share their storefronts on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. Online customers can pay online and then choose to have their merchandise shipped or delivered in-person. For any questions regarding participating in the Fall Sale, troop leaders should contact their Service Unit Fall Sale Manager. #GirlScoutsProductSales #ProductSales #FallSale #2015FallSale #Avatar

Submitted by Cassidy, a Girl Scout working to earn her Gold Award with a project called “Imagination Station.”  This blog is the latest update on her progress. To read her previous blog, click here. “I wanna read this one! Can we please read this one?” A pair of sparkling brown eyes looks up at me. I smile back and giggle to myself; I’m in the middle of organizing stacks upon stacks of children’s books, and the colorful piles swallow up my new friend. She stares at the book in her hands as if she’s discovered a buried treasure. I bend down to peek at her rare gem. “Hey, you found a classic! ‘Oh, the places you’ll go’ by Dr. Suess…let’s read!” My summer was one for the books (literally!) I spent most of my days working on my Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, by creating a fruitful, up-to-date library for the children living at Joshua Station, a faith-based housing facility in downtown Denver that assists families as they transition out of homelessness. Tattered Cover Aspen Grove served as a donation drop-site for books, and the store gave me a matching donation of 290 brand new books. My library is finally finished – I collected just over 2,900 books in donations! About 1,800 of these are organized on the shelves at Joshua Station, and the rest of the books I gave to four Seeds of Hope schools in the Denver area. In addition to the library, I designed a reading nook near the front entrance of Joshua Station and ran (and will continue to run) a children’s book club. I’m incredibly blown away and humbled by the overwhelming response to my project, which I titled “Imagination Station.” Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to everyone who donated to my library. On Sept. 10 I hosted a “Library Grand-Opening” party at Joshua Station, complete with bookworm-themed crafts and treats, and a special guest, Clifford the Big Red Dog (Thanks, Scholastic!) The party itself was a blast, and it meant the world to me to have the people who supported me there too. Taking on the Gold Award is an intimidating feat. It requires a great deal of work: the project must be sustainable and have a tangible impact. When I first started, I was afraid of not getting enough book donations to make the library worthwhile. I’m happy to say I collected 20 times my original goal of 150 books! This is all thanks to my live interview with KUSA’s Colorado & Company and articles in the Denver Post and Highlands Ranch Herald, which helped spread the word. So far I’ve spent over 200 hours on this project alone, from planning book club to sending emails to transporting books. Even so, I’ve loved almost every minute of it. This project has been a journey brimming with invaluable experiences. No matter how many hours I spent buried in books this summer, the reward for my work is absolutely priceless. The children’s sheer excitement over all the brand new books, their brand new books, has made my heart dance with hope. Those children astound me because they’ve endured so much, but they shine brighter and smile bigger than anything that could ever try to limit them. #GoldAward #HighestAwards #JoshuaStation #HighlandsRanch #GoldAwardCentennial #Denvermetro

WHO: Girl Scouts of Colorado honors ten extraordinary women as 2015 Women of Distinction: Shirley Amore, Retired City Librarian, Denver Public Library Kim Bimestefer, President & General Manager, Cigna Mountain States Laura J. Davis, Former Director of Environmental, Health & Safety and Systems Safety Engineering, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Cheryl Haggstrom, Executive Vice President, Community First Foundation M.L. Hanson, President, Idyll Cravings, LLC Djuana Harvell, PhD, be well/be EPIC Project Manager, The Stapleton Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities Tasha L. Jones, Director of Marketing, Forest City Stapleton, Inc. Loretta P. Martinez, General Counsel & Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Metropolitan State University of Denver Vicki Scott, Program Manager, Aurora Youth Options, Aurora Mental Health Center Debbie Trujillo, Community Relations Director, KeyBank WHAT: This year’s honorees were selected by a committee of their peers led by Selection Chair Alice Kelly, 2002 Woman of Distinction, and chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally. They are shining examples of corporate, civic and philanthropic leadership and serve as role models for our female leaders of tomorrow. The Oct. 20 event includes a three-course dinner and creative dessert featuring Girl Scout Cookies. Girl Scout Christina Bear, who recently earned the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, is the Keynote Speaker. Event co-chairs are Luella Chavez D’Angelo, Chief Communications Officer, The Western Union Company, 2005 Woman of Distinction; and Donna Lynne, President, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado, 2006 Woman of Distinction. WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 5:30-8:30 p.m. WHERE: Sheraton Denver Downtown, 1550 Court Place, Denver For more information, contact Heidi Books at 303-607-4833 or heidi.books@gscolorado.org. For media, RSVP by Oct. 7 to AnneMarie Harper at 303-607-4844 or annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. Western Union is this year’s presenting sponsor. Other sponsors include: UMB, Lockheed Martin, Arrow Electronics, Davita HealthCare Partners, Delta Dental, EKS&H Management LLC, Forest City Stapleton, Hogan Lovells, Molson Coors and Volunteers of America. #Denver #funddevelopment #WomenofDistinction #Denvermetro #WomenofDistinctionDenver

Submitted by Susan Jarosch Mountain Communities My name is Susie. I’m an engineer, turned stay-at-home mom of twin girls, turned new Daisy Girl Scout leader. My girls started Kindergarten this year, and I was encouraged by a friend to join Daisy Girl Scouts and become a leader. I’m so excited to begin this fun adventure with lots of beautiful, smiling new faces. Through my recent training, I’ve learned a lot about the fundamental principles of Girl Scouts. I’m thrilled how these fundamentals resonate with our family values. One of the overlying themes is “Courage, Confidence, Character”, and I loved how this summed up all for which Girl Scouts stands. As girls registered for our newly formed Daisy troop, I wanted to give each of them a fun, personalized welcome. I figured an e-card was the best option, but in my search online, nothing seemed quite right. Hence, I decided to make my own greeting. The daisies were still blooming in my garden, and I wanted to utilize those in a few photographs for my welcome greeting. I noticed the different stages of the flower from buds to fully bloomed daisies. This reminded me of the Girl Scout overlying theme of which I was so fond. The buds symbolized the Courage to begin. The partially blossomed flower symbolized Confidence to break out and keep growing. The full daisy symbolized a beautiful flower blossoming with Character. And from there, I was able to formulate a plan. I made a few printouts, took a few photographs, and let my computer application take care of the rest. I soon had a little video to welcome each new Daisy registrant based on the theme of “Courage, Confidence, Character”. I can even personalize the videos and change the name at the beginning for each little girl to welcome her into the troop. I was invited to share the video with all of you, and I hope you enjoy it! Have a wonderful Girl Scout season! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too #Daisies #Daisy #mountaincommunities

Silver Award Recipients August 2015 Troop10825 Rebeka Schneider Troop42012 Emma Downing Lauren Sutz Madison Hebrink Troop51206 Alia Feltes-Deyapp Amanda McCray Troop62521 Landry Johnston Sadie Krause Troop22619 Alexx Earley Scott Earley Troop13712 Emily Bonger Juliana Ryan Natalie Huerta Zyra Ramirez TROOP50333 Ava Erickson TROOP62521 Abigail Gonzales Clare Finnegan Danielle Armitage Mariam Dhunna Paige Montgomery Caitlin Loughry Troop11519 Abbey Hoefer Holli Acree Piadara Hill Troop49403 Kristine Guy Troop73370 Rachel Jager Eden Maddy Perrin Ahlers Troop71960 Julianna Foy Katherine Hranko Savannah McCarrick Emma Gibbs Troop50679 Devyn Dhieux Kailyn Pashman Heather Juliano Troop71724 Bailey Jones Shelby Lewis Troop10825 Isabella Spano Tessa Griffith #HighestAwards #SilverAward #TakeAction

Bronze Award Recipients August 2015 Troop79747 Lindsay Black Kate Horst Eva Katopodis Clara Pavel Taylor Rhea Troop54595 Anneliese Overstreet Claire Connell Eliza Bodden Ella Stroock Emily Watson Liesel Wilkinson Veronika Simonsen Troop50633 Amelia Dupaul Charlotte Combe Holly Bunce Megan Barlow Meghan Falconer Mishon Stephans Troop50554 Brett Potts Julia Pacheco Kaylee Jensen Sophie Hood Taylor Campbell Troop44390 Alexis St.Clair Kerydwen Lane Kirsten Gohlke Lauren D’Agrella Nora Gohlke Regan Vrana Rhiannon Wall Troop43581 Crystal Usher Emily Esser Rhianna Carlson Sara Larvie Troop52017 Abigail Haddon Ayla Pierce Emma Williams Kaitlyn Lanigan Karina Li Lauren Sommer Lily Stephens Stephanie White Tavia New Torrye Hosier Troop52017 Hellen Zhao Troop62548 Analise Almazan Aspen Werelus Daphne Alexander Kathleen Foote Maggi O’Donnell Troop62060 Cara Colwell Jada Sherrill Kate Baumgartner Kira Gilliland Sosie Buck Tallulah Blender TROOP80909 Ashely Miller Erin Minton TROOP80909 Kassadee Dickey Lena Johnson Takota Wood Sydney Dickey Troop22619 Katalina Moran Sarah Spore Troop44146 Ashley Dominic Emily Woyte Grace Konz Kinsey Zeigner Shanleigh Glide Troop51053 Alex Mahoney Brynn Stevens Delaney Williams Jessie Gossett Karle Sandifer Lily Escobedo Olivia Hain Sydney Sandifer Troop51053 Sophia Vietti Troop41983 Emily Ruzicka Marin Stevens Sophia Krska Troop54522 Alexandra Swenson Amanda Stillman Grace Luciano Hannah Miller Katherine Nickum Kiely Lerette Rose Valdez Sarah Holmes Sasha Bruner Stella Shoaf Troop54522 Cheyenne Trujillo Rylee Finnigan Zoe Finnigan Troop71724 Emma Schneeberger Troop73123 Melissa Alvarez Ellen Benz Morgan Jenkins Amber Kranz Dakota Moon Josephine Trinen Troop73123 Madeline Dame Troop79747 Brooklyn Gefre Troop73123 Abigail Robertson Troop79747 Ashley Sanchez #BronzeAward #HighestAwards #TakeAction

The Fall Sale will be here before you know it! It starts October 3, 2015 and this year, Girl Scouts have a lot to be excited about, including new fun/interactive tools to help girls to reach their goals. Girls can choose to sell in-person or online only and girls can choose to participate online, even if their troop is not. When: Starting September 21, 2015 all Troop Fall Sale Managers and Service Unit Fall Sale Managers registered for the 2016 year will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to access the website that will allow them to manage their sales campaigns for the 2015 Fall Product Sale. Girls and parents will not be able to access the system to set up their personalized storefronts until October 3, 2015,  the same day in-person and online order taking begins. In-person order taking ends October 25, 2015. Girls will be able to sell online until November 13, 2015. Girls, who make any sales through that date, will earn rewards and proceeds. Why should your girl/troop participate in the Fall Sale? Girls can earn start-up money for their troop and rewards for themselves. This year, participation in the Fall Sale is even easier for girls, parents/guardians, and volunteers! Troops and girls can participate by selling in-person and online. Or, if they choose, they can sell only online. Most importantly, they start practicing the 5 Skills. Goal Setting –Girls learn to set and reach goals Decision Making –Girls learn to make their own choices People Skills –Girls learn how to communicate with others and work as a team Money Management –Girls learn to budget and handle money Business Ethics –Girls learn to be honest and fair What’s new for the 2015 Fall Sale? Any girl can participate by selling online, even if her troop chooses not to. As part of their personal storefronts, girls can build their own avatars! They can also participate in online learning activities and earn virtual rewards. Once your girl reaches $175 in online sales, she will get a personalized patch with her name and avatar on it. As soon as the goal is reached an email is sent to the parents/guardians to order the patch. Once ordered, the patch will be mailed directly to your girl. Girls can also post pictures and videos to their online storefronts, send emails to prospective customers, and share their storefronts on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. Online customers can choose to have their merchandise shipped or delivered in-person. For any questions regarding participating in the Fall Sale, troop leaders should contact their Service Unit Fall Sale Manager. #2015FallSale #Avatar #FallSale

Are you social media-savvy? Do you love sharing news about Girl Scouts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn? If so, then Girl Scouts of Colorado needs YOU to join our new social media team! We’re looking for adult volunteers and girls (13 and older) to engage with us and share/retweet/repost Girl Scout stories, news of upcoming activities, support opportunities and more. We also need members of this team to share with us what they’re doing so all of our friends and followers can see and read about all the awesome things Colorado Girl Scouts do. How to find GSCO on social media: On the Girl Scouts of Colorado Facebook page, we share statewide Girl Scout news/stories, events/activities, photos and videos, and more. The following camp Facebook pages are managed by camp staff: Tomahawk Ranch Sky High Ranch Camp Programs These pages are primarily for camp news, photos and updates. Under the Twitter handle and Instagram username GSColo, we share news, photos and videos of Girl Scouts participating in Take Action projects, community events, enjoying camp, selling cookies and more. LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking service, mainly used by professionals. The Girl Scouts of Colorado LinkedIn page focuses on making connections with volunteers, donors and corporate sponsors by showcasing how our organization gives young girls the confidence to become leaders. We also use LinkedIn to spread the word about the latest research regarding the health and well-being of girls in Colorado and across the country. We encourage everyone to connect and engage with us on all of our social media networks. By becoming a member of the Social Media Team, you can help GSCO spread the word about our organization even further. To join the GSCO Social Media Team, email Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org Please include your name, hometown, contact information and preferred social media network. #Twitter #Facebook #socialmedia #LinkedIn #Instagram #GSCOsocialmediateam

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwTAGMZV2nM] Submitted by Jody Clair Colorado Springs Pikes Peak It took a year of planning, but we got a few Girl Scouts from different parts of Colorado to Belize this summer of 2015! We had a wonderful time. We visited Mayan Ruins, trekked through the jungle, learned some jungle survival skills, went on a riverboat tour, snorkeled in the second largest barrier reef, swam with nurse sharks and huge stingrays and we went scuba diving under the sea. We took many modes of transportation: planes, water taxis, ferry, coach buses and more! We also had the opportunity to visit a Belizian school and took them much-needed supplies as community service. Looking for a fun trip? Call or email Jody about The California Adventure coming in summer of 2016 at girlscoutjody@gmail.com or 719-433-8489 This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Belize #ColoradoSprings

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I founded a youth chapter for a nonprofit organization which works for the cause of underprivileged children around the world. The GyaNidhi Youth Chapter held booths at different local events to spread awareness of the problems that face underprivileged children. At these booths, we passed out pamphlets, talked to the people about the problems, and how they could be solved. At a few events, we gave a speeches or presentations to educate the public further on the rising obstacles that overcome children in India. I also had a demonstration booth at a cultural event, that included Henna, traditional attire and general information on India and how to help Akshaya Patra. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? The impact was measured in terms of the increase in number of volunteers for the organization chosen to be highlighted this year and also in the number of people showing interest to contribute.Through the different events, I was able to reach out to over 3,000 people from very diverse demographics and age groups. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? The leadership position will rotate after time, so that the committee continues to work based on the bylaws prepared for the chapter. I have left bylaws for the GyaNidhi Youth Chapter to continue, starting with my brother as the leadership for this year. The GyaNidhi Youth Chapter will chose an organization to highlight for the year, that works to help people with such obstacles, and support and spread awareness for a year. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? GyaNidhi Foundation focuses on different local and international organizations each year. This year, we chose Akshaya Patra, which is based in India. Akshaya Patra provides a midday meal to children in rural schools of India.The organizations that are chosen in later years can focus on different countries or different poverty-related issues. What did you learn about yourself? I found the leader in me by working on this project. I had several presentations and different types of events to diversify the audience I was talking to. This required me to start from scratch and build a team and be able to retain it through whole execution. I was able to do it successfully. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Personally, I feel that I have just matured in many aspects. I developed a stronger sense of self, healthy relationships, and critical thinking. It will help me in my professional life also as achieving the highest status of Gold Award will always stay with me and on my resume. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The outcomes of Girls Scouts is defined by Discover, Connect, and Take Action to become a leader. Through this project of mine, I discovered a problem, connected with people to make them aware about it, and took action to spread the awareness. I built a long lasting impression. ***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 #GoldAwardee #Denvermet #HighlandsRanch #GoldAwardCentennial #GoldAwardees

In 1982, Girl Scouts of Colorado collaborated with the Division of Youth Corrections and began the Girls Looking Forward (GLF) program for girls in alternative schools and facilities. GLF is targeted to a specific population of girls that may not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in Girl Scouts. Meetings at the Marler Center are held every other week. Aligned with Girl Scout objectives, GLF is determined to increase self-confidence as well as help young women make better life decisions. Lessons and activities include, self-esteem building, effective communication, goalsetting and expressive arts. (exerted from Betty Marler newsletter, http://bettykmarlercenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Marler-Center-Newsletter.pdf) Recently, the girls have been participating in an expressive art form called art journals.  Art journals are visual journals. It is similar to having a diary, except there are images and few words. Each page consists of a different prompt. For example, “Where do you want to be in five years?” or “Journal about things that inspire you”. Keeping an art journal can support self-care, nurture your dreams, and help you connect with your creative side. Art journaling gives these girls an opportunity to have total control over the outcome of their project. They are provided with different mediums (markers, stickers, magazines, oil pastels, ribbon) and they are given all creative liberty over their project. They just must follow a prompt, be reflective and respectful. There are no rules to art journaling—just to create in a way that inspires you. Art journaling is never perfect. It helps teach that we all make mistakes along the way, but that is still doesn’t have to affect our final outcome. At the end of the day, the girls love their journals and are proud of what they created! #girlslookingforward #Outreach

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I established a recycling program at Pikes Peak Christian School, PPCS. I did this because, through the few years I attended this school, I discovered a lack of recycling, the school wasting money on trash disposal, tons of recyclable items being thrown away, and a desire by students and teachers for a recycling program. I addressed this issue head on, educated the students and staff and developed a recycling program. I connected with not only the school’s leadership and student body, but also connected with community partners like Waste Management. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? There is less trash and more recycling due to students learning about recycling benefits and they seem to be excited helping out the environment. The school even was able to save money by now having a recycling program. I also measured by the students using the program and encouraging others to use it. It is now student and staff self-sustained, which was one of my biggest goals. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? Pikes Peak Christian School student council/student body, staff, and classes have embraced the program. The staff and students will continue to recycle. We have a staff advocate in place and the Student Council promotes recycling in every class. They appoint individuals in every class to assist in taking out the recycling. The students and volunteers are also more than happy to pitch in and take out the recycling. We have a contract in place with Waste Management and they pick up the recycling dumpster every Monday. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? Reducing waste is good for the environment because it conserves natural resources. Solid waste reduction and recycling also have an impact on global climate change. The manufacture, distribution, and use of products, as well as management of the resulting waste, all produce greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the upper atmosphere, occur naturally and help create climates that sustain life on earth. Increased concentrations of these gases can contribute to rising global temperatures, sea level changes, and other climate changes. Waste prevention and recycling, or what we call waste reduction, helps us better manage the solid waste we generate. Reducing waste is a start and strategy for reducing greenhouse gases because it can: Reduce emissions from energy consumption. Recycling saves energy. Through my project, I was able to save PPCS hundreds of dollars in trash expense, educate not only the student body, but also the staff in recycling. This now allows them the chance to do more for our community and the environment with the knowledge they now have.  I was also able to reach beyond my school and spread the word through my recycling project binders at libraries in the area. What did you learn about yourself? Throughout this project, I used a lot of leadership in the form of public speaking. Over the course of my project, I had to overcome my fear of public speaking and had to realize that I should not be afraid to let my voice be heard when it benefits others. I also realized that it does not matter if you are alone or how old you are, you can still influence others in a positive way. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? The leadership skills that I acquired in Girl Scouts, and throughout my Gold Award Project have helped me face even my simplest of fears, from public speaking to standing up for something I believe in. These skills and the courage, and confidence I learned will also help in my future journeys and aspirations. I believe they will help me stand up more and fight for what is right and what I believe in, whether in a job, interview, or any situation I may face. 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 journey and experience, it helped me to find courage, confidence, and character within my journey and myself. ***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 #GoldAwardee #ColoradoSprings #GoldAwardCentennial #GoldAwardees #PikesPeak