Submitted by Sharon Manning Longmont Northern and Northeastern Colorado Troop 73392 in Longmont is hosting the Second Annual Girl Scout Holiday Bazaar on November 21 in Longmont. This is an opportunity for girl scout troops and individual girl scouts to show off their creative/artistic/entrepreneurial side. Girls are invited to display and sell hand crafted items. The event is open to fellow Girl Scouts, troops, family, friends and the public and is free. There is a $5/table fee with all table proceeds supporting Service Unit 750. Last year girls sold jewelry, sugar scrubs, clothing for American Girl dolls, ornaments, baked goods and much more. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Longmont #NorthernandNortheasternCO

People generally love to know about their past. Even if it’s disreputable. (My friend Lexxa tells a casual story about going to Scotland to look at the document that mentioned thievery and exiled her entire clan.) Even if it’s far away and only means wearing a ‘Kiss Me, I’m Irish’ button once a year. We like to know where we came from. We like to point at that place on the globe, we like to bring out the family bible or those faded letters and photos, we like to share our ancestors’ stories of adversity and triumph. We don’t want to be entirely melted down in the melting pot. We like that touch of difference almost as much as we like knowing from where we came. As Girl Scouts, we have a double history.   We share an incredible Girl Scout heritage that began in 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low, a fifty-one year old woman who was born in the same year as Abraham Lincoln, started an organization that changed the entire world. Yes, the entire world. Have you ever asked yourself how the world would be different without Girl Scouting? I know how my world would have been different. I wouldn’t know how to lay a fire. I wouldn’t have looked out at Colorado from the summit of Mount Yale.  I wouldn’t know how to react in a crisis situation involving twenty girls, a night of rain and a torn tarp, skills that have served me well in every crisis I’ve ever weathered since that night. Most importantly, I wouldn’t have met the woman who is my best friend to this very day.  Girl Scouting was my solace in a world that was unkind to girls who were different. Girl Scouting was the one place in my life where wanting to be assertive and creative and in charge was nurtured rather than crushed. Without Girl Scouting I might have been a girl who did things she later regretted in order to fit in and be liked. But although I know how firmly my personal Girl Scouting experience figured into the formation of the woman I am today, I didn’t really start thinking about the importance of teaching today’s girls about their Girl Scout History until I went to the Girl Scouts of Colorado History Center.  My Girl Scouting experience was never connected to my Girl Scouting heritage.  I had no idea Girl Guides had been a part of the French Resistance, that Girl Scouts trained as plane spotters during WWII, that their uniforms were unique for being part of the women’s clothing reform movement, that they were there at the polls when American woman cast their first ballots. Are you excited now? Do you want to call the library and check out The First Girl Scout? (You totally should. It is well worth it if for no other reason than the heart wrenching photograph of the 200 uniformed Girl Scouts who formed the color guard at Juliette Low’s funeral.) Do you wish there was an easy way to start introducing your troop to their Girl Scout heritage? There is! Are you going to a “Palooza” training this fall? Swing by the table run by the History Center and pick up an historical hand book pack. Fifty years of scouting in handbooks. A window to changing uniforms, badges, projects and promises. Each page contains ten or more hand and guide books, divided into program levels and a list of questions to provoke research and discussion. As a nation, we have traditionally tended to write our history books from the view point of the white male. Although this is changing, Girl Scouts are still not mentioned in our classrooms and history books.  That’s going to be up to us. The Historical Book Bag (which you get to keep and share with others in your area) is a wonderful tool not only for teaching researching skills, but also for displays, reports, power points and exhibits. Located in Loveland, Colorado, the project is housed in an office suite overflowing with Girl Scout artifacts and is run entirely by volunteers. Please come and visit, or contact us at gscohistory@gmail.com. Jane Severance is the author of Ghost Pains and Lots of Mommies. Please contact her at janieappleseed@hotmail.com . I would love to hear your areas about sparking interest in Girl Scout Heritage. #GirlScoutsofColoradoHistoryCenter #JulietteGordonLow #Loveland

Submitted by Alaine Butterly Colorado Springs Pikes Peak Submitted by: Emma Downing, Lauren Sutz, and Madison Hebrink For our troop’s Silver Award this year, we decided to revitalize the greenhouse at Douglass Valley Elementary school, which had been vandalized. The greenhouse was built a few years ago by the older brother of one of our troop members for his Eagle Scout project. When it was vandalized last summer, with the side dented and beds overturned, we saw an opportunity to help. Our troop not only fixed the greenhouse, but we also improved the usability of the space in and around it so that it will continue to benefit the science program of Douglass Valley Elementary, as it was originally intended. Learn more about our project here! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #ColoradoSprings #douglassvalleyelementary #PikesPeak

Submitted by Jessica Jager Erie Northern and Northeastern Colorado The link below shows how three 8th grade Cadettes got a whole cross country high school team and other volunteers to help clean up the local high school and the memory garden and plant some flowers. Congratulations, Perrin, Eden, and Rachel for working hard on your Silver Award project! Jessica Jager – Cadette Leader Ruthie Ahlers – Co-Leader Learn more about our project here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NnBG8sRsuVVtr9V-3waeEzV1aISQVkmC_aYNREAH5HI/pub?start=true&loop=false&delayms=5000 This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #HighestAwards #SilverAward #SilverAwardees #erie #NorthernandNortheasternColorado

Submitted by Stacy Tone Frederick Northern and Northeastern Colorado Join Troop 77911 for the Northern Colorado Honor Flight. Wear your uniform and bring your American flag.  See the attached flyer for more information. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #HonorFlight #NorthernandNortheasternColorado

Submitted by Linda Robinson I became a Brownie Girl Scout in 1963.  It was the first year with four program levels and I remember looking through my bright orange handbook whenever I had the chance.  Monday afternoons were Brownie Girl Scout day at my elementary school.  Our troop met right after school in the multi-purpose room.  Our troop leaders were Mrs. Pharris and Mrs. Bolter and they continued with the troop all the way through Juniors and into Cadettes. Some of my favorite girl memories are making butter and doing crafts as a Brownie.  In Juniors, we were able to sell cookies, go camping and do service projects in our community.  I grew up in Palo Alto, California and our Junior and Cadette troop meetings were held at the Lou Henry Hoover Girl Scout House in one of our local parks.  It was great fun learning how to cook (both indoors and out) at the GS House.  After my first campout, I came home and announced that we need to go camping as a family.  We borrowed equipment from friends, loaded up the station wagon and our family went on our first camping trip to Big Basin State Park.  It was the first of a lifetime of campouts. As an adult, I got back into Girl Scouts when a friend asked if I knew of a brand-new program for kindergarten age girls.  Our oldest daughters were in preschool and would start kindergarten in the fall.  It was 1985 when we started our Daisy troop.  All three of my daughters went through Girl Scouts from Daisies through Seniors, earned their Gold Awards and became lifetime members upon graduating high school.  We had many great adventures as I led their troops through those 20 years. During the 10 years I spent as an advisor to older girls we traveled, earned money to travel, led programs for younger girls, did community service projects, and became great friends. I spent many hours on the service unit team leading day camps, international festivals, and other community events in Loveland as well as becoming a Master Trainer in Mountain Prairie Council. Most of my volunteer Girl Scout time is spent on the history committee.  We meet every Tuesday in Loveland at the GSCO History Center.   Our time there is spent organizing, inventorying and cataloging the vast collection of historic Girl Scout items that council has.  It is great fun finding a new treasure in an unopened box and looking through old catalogs to find out when it was available and how much it cost at the time. I also am a member of the Northern Colorado Gold Award Committee.  I truly enjoy working with the amazing young women who are working on their Gold Awards.  As the president of Promise Partners, the Northern Colorado Girl Scout alumnae group, I arrange meeting s about four times a year where we meet for fun, fellowship and service. My most recent volunteer role has been volunteer registrar for Core Camp at Meadow Mountain Ranch.  We had a great weekend putting on a volunteer run resident camp like program for troops.  I can’t wait to do it again next year. I have done many amazing things as a Girl Scout and traveled to many wonderful places, both with girls and adults.  Some of my more memorable trips include Belize, Nova Scotia and Maine, England, Savannah, and to Our Cabana in Mexico to see the Monarch Butterflies. My life outside of Girl Scouts includes enjoying my two young grandsons, gardening, quilting and traveling with my husband of 37 years.  Although he is not a Girl Scout, he has always been a great support to me in my volunteer roles. My advice to adults is to stay active in Girl Scouts and encourage your girls to continue with Girl Scouts into high school and beyond.  The world will open up to you.  Find your passion and let Girl Scouts help you fulfill it.  You won’t regret it. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #alumnaestories #GirlScoutalumnae #LindaRobinson

Submitted by Heidi Books Denver Northern and Northeastern Colorado In July, the GSCO history volunteers welcomed Girl Scout alumnae and friends for a tour of the GSCO history collection.  Alumnae came from all across the Front Range – Fort Collins to the south Denver area.  They were very impressed with the vast collection owned by Girl Scouts of Colorado and lovingly cared for by the GSCO history committee. Displays of uniforms, books, badges, and collectibles were set up by the committee.  Also highlighted were activities that troops can do when they visit the history center, as well as uniforms and books that can be checked out and returned. After the tour, the group traveled to Linda Robinson’s house for a picnic potluck in the shade of Linda’s cottonwood tree.  Wonderful food and fellowship were enjoyed, along with the great views of the Front Range and Northern Colorado from Linda’s backyard. Total number of Girl Scout membership years was 540.  The youngest member at 29-years-old joined us for lunch; the oldest members have been Girl Scouts for 6 or more decades. For more information on the GSCO History Center, please email gscohistory@gmail.com. For more information on Girl Scout alumnae activities in Northern Colorado, please email promisepartners@gmail.com. For more information on Girl Scout alumnae activities statewide, please email Heidi Books at Heidi.books@gscolorado.org. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Loveland #history #LovelandHistoryCenter #GirlScoutsofColoradoHistoryCenter #GirlScouthistory #denvermetronorthernandnortheasterncolorado

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. Hello! I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that my library at Joshua Station is almost complete! Thank you so much to everyone who brought books into Tattered Cover this summer. These books are making an extraordinary difference for the kids at Joshua Station. Seeing them get excited about reading has made my project absolutely worthwhile! I feel incredibly humbled and blessed by the overwhelming response and support for my project. Overall, I collected just over 2,900 books in donations! Most of these books are on the shelves at Joshua Station right now. Tattered Cover will be giving me a matching donation of 290 brand-new books! I requested that most of these be young adult books so I can build up that section for the teens there. I will be getting these very soon! 🙂 Over the summer, we had two sessions of kids’ book club that met weekly. For the second session, we read The One and Only Ivan and did fun activities that went along with the book. I will continue to do a book club throughout the year that will meet monthly. This past Thursday, Joshua Station hosted their annual Back to School party where they gave each kid a backpack full of school supplies, and they did different activities and crafts for back to school. Each kid also got to pick out a book to keep to get them started for the school year. I got to help them choose a book, and they were super excited to see so many fun new books! So thanks again for the book donations, they are making a huge difference! Finally, I’d like to invite everyone who donated books or who would like to see my finished library to the “Library Grand Opening” party on Thursday, September 10 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Joshua Station. Clifford will be there, and we will have other fun activities for the kids. This will also be a time for people to see the reading nook near the front entrance and see Joshua Station as a whole because it’s an amazing place! It will be a wonderful evening, I can’t wait! 🙂 Thanks again for the book donations! My project has turned out more amazing than I ever could’ve imagined! #GoldAward #HighestAwards #JoshuaStation #HighlandsRanch #MetroDenver #Denvermetro

Silver Award Recipients July 2015 Troop40920 Carmen Allen Troop84074 Courtney Ross TROOP52634 Malana Crawford Rachel Poe TROOP52904 Annabelle Strauss Bridget Gwyn Emma Johnson Franchesca Ocasio-Smith Gianna Hertel Heather Robles Katelyn Caperton Mackenzie Collins Marissa Hart Troop69624 Hailey Forar TROOP52904 Madelynn Sanchez Troop53301 Charlotte Blish Gillian Torchia Madison Walker Maria Curtis Trynide Bulander Brittany Blish #HighestAwards #SilverAward #TakeAction

Bronze Award Recipients July 2015 Troop40920 Alexia Vis Eleanor Rugh Megan Allen Rilee Dillon Troop74292 Annabelle Maceachern Troop74180 Autumn Hartman Ava Flake Caroline Menten Christina Fernandez Madison Roberts Morgan Doyle Olivia Frost Summer Bode Sydney Fields Avery Sanchez Troop51569 Audrey Cvietusa Erin Harwood Fatimah Ashor Julia Benko Rhiana Jeffcoat Troop40250 Megan Smith Troop63955 Kailey Purta Laura Steadman Trinity Brown Troop60583 Greta Olson Kenzie Fox Regan McDougalle Troop64536 Carleigh Sherry Elke Bailes Ellie Winninger Hayleigh Price McKayla Katz Rachel Dillon Taylor Caton Veronica Willey Zoe Farris Troop64536 Hannah McGee #BronzeAward #HighestAwards #TakeAction

WHO: Girl Scouts of Colorado honors Pikes Peak Women of Distinction on Sept. 10, 2015 at Thin Mint Dinner. Kathy Boe, CEO, Boecore, Inc. Brigadier General Dana M. Capozzella, ARNG, Retired, Compliance Officer/Partner, Cascade Investment Group Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Chief of Organizational Excellence, United States Olympic Committee Karla Grazier, CEO and President, Discover Goodwill of Southern & Western Colorado Phoebe Lostroh, PhD, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of Feminist and Gender Studies, Colorado College Mia Ramirez, MPH, Senior Community Health Specialist, Kaiser Permanente WHAT: The six honorees were selected by a committee of their peers led by Selection Chair Lynne Telford, President/CEO of Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado and Woman of Distinction 2014. They women were chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally. The Sept. 10 event includes a three-course dinner and creative desserts featuring Girl Scout Cookies. Girl Scout Christina Bear, who recently earned the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, is the Keynote Speaker. Alicia McConnell, Director of Training Sites and Community Partnerships at the United States Olympic Committee and Woman of Distinction 2007, is the event chair. Sponsors include Delta Dental, El Pomar Foundation, Ent Federal Credit Union, Kaiser Permanente, Cascade Investment Group, Colorado College, Colorado Springs Health Partners, Discover Goodwill, Garden of the Gods Club and Resort, Health You, United States Olympic Committee, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and The Eastern Colorado Bank. Special thanks to Jym Fair, American Made Film & Media, for the event video. WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 10, 5:30-8:30 p.m. WHERE: Antlers Hilton, 4 S. Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs For more information, contact Karen Burghart at 719-304-8322 or karen.burghart@gscolorado.org. For media, RSVP by Sept. 7 to AnneMarie Harper at 303-607-4844 or annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org. #ColoradoSprings #funddevelopment #PikesPeak #WomenofDistinction

What did you do for your Gold Award project? My project addressed senior citizens and their connection to technology. Because most of the older generations aren’t as familiar with technology as my generation is, my goal was to increase their knowledge about different electronics in our world today.  I set up multiple open-house technology sessions at Holly Creek Retirement Community. Along with the help of my volunteers, we were able to help over 33 residents with their technology questions. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I created surveys for residents in the Skylark Adult Day Care to complete at the end of every session. This helped me get feedback from the residents. It was a way to help me improve my sessions to ensure all their questions were getting answered.  I also was able to learn what different technology they were having difficulties with and they ranged from cordless phones to iPads. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? After I completed my sessions at Holly Creek, I spoke with several members of my community, sent emails to multiple church youth groups, presented my project to the Centennial Star Service Unit leaders, and posted in the Facebook page for the service unit. Through these efforts, I was able to come in contact with Junior Girl Scout Troop 62599 to carry on my project with Holly Creek. I am so excited that others in my community will be able to see what a rewarding experience this can be. I have also left manuals at Holly Creek so the residents can refer to them on a daily basis. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? Technology is present everywhere in our world today and the need for assistance with it is not only present in my community, but it is also present in other communities across the nation, and across the globe. One resident that my team and I helped was able to connect with his grandson on the east coast whom he hadn’t seen in many years. By giving the residents access to this technology, and knowing how to use it, they can be better connected to our society. What did you learn about yourself? I learned a lot about myself while doing this project. I had to figure a lot of things out on my own and sometimes I would get to the end of the rope and think it was the end, but I continued to motivate myself and get the job done. I also used leadership skills like being open-minded to other’s opinions and ideas. When things wouldn’t go how I expected them to, I had to be open to ways around the obstacle. I worked on communication as I worked with a variety of different people and their styles of dealing with others. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? This project gave me the experience and tools to be able to take on group projects with multiple people. It gave me confidence to take on long-term projects and follow through to the end. It proved my communication skills because of my interactions with older adults, presentations and speaking with people I haven’t worked with before. Using these skills will allow me to be an effective leader and to accomplish my goals despite setbacks I might face. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? Earning my Gold Award was a way to finish out my Girl Scout career. I have been in Girl Scouts since I was 5 and throughout my 13 years I have been able to complete many things, including my Bronze and Silver Awards, so earning the Gold Award was a way to complete the missing pieces to my puzzle in Girl Scouting. ***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 #Denver #MetroDenver #GoldAwardees