What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I built and installed a miniature library at the Sedalia Museum and Gardens for community members and visitors to exchange all of their favorite books, articles, and magazines. The structure looks like a caboose, themed after all of the trains that pass through the town each day. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I live in a very rural area, where the nearest library or book store is at least a half hour away. When I was younger, I did not read many books. Because of that I don’t have much of an interest in reading now, which frustrates me. I think that reading is an incredible skill to have and a great way to learn and pass time, so I would like to make books more easily accessible for younger children in my town so that they can find an interest in reading while they are young like I never did. There are also a lot of working people and elderly folks in my community, who have a hard time getting into the next town whenever they want to check out books or other resources, so my Gold Award project will make books and other reading materials easily accessible for everyone in town. People visiting the Book Caboose will also be able to share any reading materials they want with their friends or other community members through the Book Caboose, and visitors to it will be able to meet new friends who also love exchanging books there. The Book Caboose also brings a lot of attention to the Museum which runs off of the support of the community and volunteers. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My Gold Award project provided a great opportunity for our town to not only share books and magazines with everyone in the community, but also to share friendships with others who visit the Book Caboose and love reading and exchanging books. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? During the construction phase of the project, I had a lot of challenges to overcome and critical thinking to do, which helped me to grow as a carpenter and as a person. I also learned a lot about the importance of planning and budgeting time and money to reach the desired goals and outcomes. Building relationships with my team and focusing a lot on effective communication and collaboration was vital to completing my project the way I wanted to and I will make sure to apply these important ideas to future projects. I was also able to connect more with my community and the people within it which made me feel good to be a part of something bigger. How did you make your project sustainable? The Sedalia Book Caboose is located in front of the Sedalia Museum and Gardens, which is completely run by volunteers. All of the volunteers are still very excited about my project and have offered to check on it during their shifts at the museum to restock books or make repairs if needed. What was your connection to the national or global community? The Museum has a visitor log for people to sign in to and tell where they are from. We encourage people who use the Book Caboose to sign in as well, and so far we have seen that visitors from all around the state and even some from around the country have come to visit and have exchanged books, helping to spread reading materials and culture all around. I also became friends with a Slovakian exchange student this year at school, and told him all about my Gold Award project. He was very intrigued by the idea and intends to take it back to his home country. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will always remember the good feeling of helping my community and becoming a more involved part of it, which I hope to do in my school community and 4-H community in the future, because it feels great to help others. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? I will be able to apply my newly learned or tuned skills from working with people, making plans, keeping records, and building my project to future challenges and projects in life to help me advance in whatever I am doing, even if it is just helping others or myself. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? To me earning the Gold Award represents the summit of a mountain of experiences I have had in Girl Scouts:  earning my first badge; selling my first box of cookies; going to my first camp; earning my Bronze and Silver Awards; and now receiving my 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 #GoldAward #HighestAwards #Sedalia

Guest Post from Vicki Wright, GSUSA Outdoor Initiative Lead, Lifetime Girl Scout, Former CEO of multiple Girl Scout Councils This year, on its 103rd Anniversary, Girl Scouts is celebrating our commitment to providing fun and beneficial outdoor experiences for girls with the launch of a new series of outdoor badges, chosen by Girl Scouts themselves. Outdoor experiences are an integral part of Girl Scouts and are woven into Girl Scout program in such a way that girls feel comfortable trying new things and testing their limits, and gain confidence and acquire new skills in a safe and supportive all-girl environment. From a relaxed nature hike through the forests to teaming up on a wildlife conservation project to high-adventure rock-climbing, Girl Scouts offers girls a variety of opportunities to learn and grow inside and out. My first experience with Girl Scouts was in an outdoor setting where I learned to become comfortable in the outdoors and with myself.  I did not understand at the time all that I was learning while having so much fun.  I can honestly say that my love for the outdoors came from those experiences and truly molded the person I became. In the month of November, GSUSA began the polling process for the Girls’ Choice Outdoor Badges by inviting girls to vote on a diverse option of outdoor badge themes. Outdoor Explorer emerged as the overall theme, with five age specific Badge offerings: Outdoor Adventurer, Horseback Riding, Archery, Paddling and Ultimate Recreation Challenge. But why is this so important to us? According to our research (Girl Scout Research Institute’s study, More Than S’mores), girls benefit immensely from time outdoors. Girls who spend time outdoors eclipse their peers in environmental stewardship, more readily seek challenges, and are better problem solvers, all of which are traits needed for 21st century leadership. Outdoor experiences through Girl Scouting, such as camp, are beneficial to girl leadership development across ethnicities. Latina (38 percent) and African American (40 percent) girls are more likely than their peers (28 percent) to say they overcame a fear of the outdoors through Girl Scouting; seventy-nine percent of Latina girls say they first tried an outdoor activity in Girl Scouts, and an overwhelming 59 percent of Latina girls say Girl Scouts has offered them outdoor activities they would not have otherwise had access to. Simply put, this is important to us because it is important to girls. Once exposed to the outdoors, girls love it.  And, now more than ever, research shows us that getting outdoors is so important to the physical, social and psychological development of our girls and the health of our planet. We want to get more girls outdoors, more often and in varied ways. Please join us in this effort. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GirlsChoice #OutdoorBadges

Submitted by MJ Bishop Commerce City Denver Metro December 2014 Several girls attended Hip Hop & Hoops at Denver University. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #DenverUniversity #Hip #HopHoops

Girl Scouts of Colorado has more places to stay than ever with extended seasons to give your troop lots of reasons to camp at a Girl Scout property. We’re also making it easier to book your trip! New Reservation System! Check out the easy, new properties reservation system! We’ve also got a guide to the new property training info. No passwords required You can make reservations up to one year in advance- properties are getting lots of use, so be sure to plan early and book in advance Book your troop or service unit at Magic Sky Ranch! With no resident camp at Magic Sky Ranch this summer, the beautiful cabins and other facilities are open for troop camp and other groups. Yes, the property is up for sale, but this could take years, and until it sells, it’s yours to use! You can do your own thing for programming and food; using the kitchen in the lodge or the dining hall. We will have at least three month’s notice when the property sells, so renters should have time to book another location for their needs. If a reservation is booked past the closing date, we will either refund fees paid or move the reservation to another property, if available. Extended Summer Season for Property Rental! We have increased our summer season at many properties! Groups can now rent through September 30 rather than September 15 at: Meadow Mountain Ranch Magic Sky Ranch (newer developed part of the property) Lazy Acres Sky High Ranch The extended summer season is weather dependent. Individual areas of properties may be subject to closure due to early freezing temperatures at the discretion of the property manager. Year-Round Options at Property Lodges (think Winter Camp!) Camping is not just for summer! Think of all the awesome outdoor experiences we have for girls in Colorado. We have lodges open year-round now at Meadow Mountain Ranch (near Allenspark) and Sky High Ranch (near Woodland Park). In addition at Sky High, two units with heat are also available year-round and the Homestead House is available for limited dates. Visit our property page to learn more and book now! #LazyAcres #MagicSkyRanch #MeadowMountainRanch #SkyHighRanch

Submitted by Carmen Valdez Pueblo Pueblo and Southeastern Colorado A Daisy and Brownie girl from troop 31613, got a taste of Civic Engagement at Monday’s Pueblo City Council meeting, where Girl Scout Week March 9th-through the March 13th was proclaimed. The seal of the City and County of Pueblo was affixed the proclamation was signed by city councilman at large, Stephen G. Nawrocki and Chair of County Commissioners, Liane Buffie Myfadyen. The girls were smiling and showing interest as the proclamation was read. The proclamation will find a home in the Pueblo Regional Office, 3595 Spaulding Ave., Suite B in Pueblo. All Girl Scouts are welcome to come view this most prestigious honor. What a way to kick off Girl Scout Week? What is your troop doing this week? Please share your stories so we can brag!! This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #GirlScoutWeek

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I addressed an issue in my community that was very important to me. As a proud Indian girl, it is saddening to see a lack of knowledge on Indian heritage and culture, and more specifically, it is saddening to see a lack of knowledge on Indian classical dance. I have been learning Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam) for the past ten years and have come to realize that it is important for people to have an understanding of the art form in order to both be culturally diverse. The reason I think that many people in my community do not know about Bharatanatyam is because there is a lack of resources and opportunities to learn about it. To address these problems, I arranged for two mini projects that went towards the same goal. First, and more prominently, I created an online dance resource (www.ghungroo.info) with information on dance theory, background, and even steps. This part of my project is the more sustainable part of my Gold Award because it will persist even after my involvement. In addition, this part of my project can reach a multitude of people not limited to my direct community. Secondly, I held a community dance night in my local public library where I talked about dance, went over my website, and taught a few basic steps. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? The reason I pursued this as my Gold Award project was to address an underlying problem I observed in my community: lack of cultural knowledge. I am a professional Indian classical Bharatanatyam dancer and over the past ten years, I have noticed that not many people in my community know about this form of dance. Because of that, I wanted to create a project for my Gold Award that could take steps towards solving this problem on both a more local level and on a more global scale as well. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? Due to the nature of my project, it is difficult to effectively evaluate the impact of my project in a quantitative manner. Therefore, feedback is what I have using to determine the difference my project has made. More specifically, I got many positive comments back after my community dance night. Even beyond that though, everyone who attended that event learned something whether that be about dance, Girl Scouts, or even myself. For the website though, I hope that people use the resource as much as possible. I have been advertising my website quite a bit, and I would like it to be used for a long period of time. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I gained many skills through earning my Gold Award. From creating my website for dance, I learned a lot about website development and design. This was a subject that I have always been interested in, but it was not until the Gold Award that I pursued learning more. Also, I learned about myself and my time management skills. It was difficult at times to work on such a large project, but by establishing goals after shorter periods of time, I was able to consistently work on my website. Through my community dance night, I was challenged because I had to create a lesson that would appeal to a large variety of people. This pushed me to be creative and find ways to establish activities that everybody would enjoy. Additionally, I gained more confidence to speak publicly and address a large group of individuals. From both of my projects, I learned about advertisement. Both of my projects required me to contact many people to make certain arrangements and publicize my event and project. This was certainly a challenge for me, but luckily I gained a new skill out of it. How did you make your project sustainable? The main way my project will be sustainable is through the online dance resource I created. This website will continue to exist for years to come for anybody who is interested, and I hope to continue adding features to it as well. What was your connection to the national or global community? Because my online dance resource exists online, it is available to people across the globe. This means that I can potentially reach an audience on a much larger scale. In addition, the whole purpose of my project was to connect my community in the United States with my cultural heritage of India, and I certainly hope that I have done so. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? There is not one particular part of my Gold Award project that I will remember over anything else. I will, however, remember my entire positive experience. I truly enjoyed both parts of my project because they were both so new to me. The community dance night was a lot of fun because I had the chance to physically interact with people who were genuinely interested in dance. The website was a great experience because I was forced to consider my project on a more extensive timeline. Simply put, I had a wonderful time informing people about something I am passionate about and learned a lot in the process. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? I hope that all of the skills and information I have learned throughout the process of my Gold Award will help me in the future. I want to keep working on my project in the future as much as possible so that my website can continue to grow and I can continue to learn more about website development and design. Time management is another skill that I have improved upon through this project and I hope to use that skill in my future endeavors. Also, being able to arrange events, effectively advertise, and speak to a large group of people of different varieties will definitely be helpful. Moreover, this project has reaffirmed my passion for dance and I hope to take this love and translate it to my dance career. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award is a milestone in the Girl Scout experience. As someone who has been a Girl Scout for 13 years, I think it is important to establish certain goals that can be achieved. The Girl Scout can choose for herself what part of the experience she wants to pursue depending on what she wants out of the experience. For me, the Gold Award was important because it was the ultimate final step in my Girl Scout career. This is not my last interaction with Girl Scouts, of course, because if anything, the Gold Award has helped me learn that once you are a Girl Scout, you continue to take the core message of helping your community and bettering yourself for the rest of your life. I am so excited and proud to have completed my Gold Award because I feel that it means that I have achieved my potential and have realized my purpose in the world as a Girl Scout. ***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 #lafayette

Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 “Cookie Rookie” winter challenge! Regions One & Two Isabella Prough of Troop 10674 will receive an iPad mini. Region Three Makayla Taullie and Megan Lofing  of Troop 31747 will each receive an iPad mini. Region Four Emily Ciecalone of Troop 42821 will receive an iPad mini. Meghan Rodriguez of  Troop 43372 will receive custom Girl Scout Converse sneakers. Region Five Aniaya Brenner of Troop 50335 will receive an iPad mini. Claire Connell of  Troop 14595 will receive custom Girl Scout Converse sneakers. Region Six Laura Johnston of Troop 63681 will receive an iPad mini. Lucy Padilla of Troop 63227 and Natalia Zeitlin and Jade DeCamillis of Troop 61154 will each receive custom Girl Scout Converse sneakers. Region Seven Emma Tone of Troop 70413  will receive an iPad mini. Xeska Martinchick of Troop 70006, Charlotte Park of Troop 71683, and Corinne McBride and JuliAnne Herrmann of Troop 74447 will each receive custom Girl Scout Converse sneakers. Service Units also won big as part of this challenge. Service Unit 126 in Region One increased participation 46%. Service Unit 204 in Region Two increased participation 33%. Service Unit 304 in Region Three increased participation 300%. Service Unit 419 in Region Four increased participation 56%. Service Unit 505 in Region Five increased participation 20%. Service Unit 625 in Region Six increased participation 47%. Service Unit 704 in Region Seven increased participation 30%. Each of these service units will receive $250 program credits. #CookieRookie

What did you do for your Gold Award project? My Gold Award project was a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Day for Gunnison Elementary School students. They learned about biology, chemistry, physics, and STEM at the day. First through fourth graders completed the experiments and learned about those topics for thirty minutes. The STEM Day was two complete school days in October. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? My rural town is weak in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education. I went the first seven years of my public schooling without STEM. This caused my great interest in it come high school and helped me decide on pursuing it in college. Other people I know avoided STEM once given the opportunity to pursue it because of its faulty reputation of being challenging. I believe that if students are exposed to it earlier, then they would be more likely to pursue it later in life. Reviewing the school district’s lack of STEM education, I took the initiative and enacted a STEM Day at the Gunnison Elementary School in hopes that the current students would be introduced to STEM at a younger age. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? The many students that experienced the day learned about potential future occupations, courses, and subjects. They may ask questions, read books, or view science fairs put on by university students. They may gain a greater appreciation of the world and want to better understand it. In the future, they will most likely take more science classes when the opportunity arises in high school and college. There will also be an increase of people interested in pursuing STEM as adults. I’ve begun the student’s education and shown them potential paths for the future. STEM is an important occupation with many branches that will always be needed. In the future, these students may hold such occupations. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I don’t particularly enjoy talking with people, especially on the telephone. I discovered that I have excellent interpersonal communication skills. I developed and discovered this through my project. I had to communicate with various adults. I had to discuss with my advisor on how to conduct my day and what projects should be used. I had to discuss my idea with teachers in the Gunnison Elementary School to see their willingness to allow their students to participate. I had to communicate continuously with the elementary school principal in order to establish the day. I also had to communicate with teenagers. I needed student volunteers to assist with my STEM Day. I then had to communicate with the elementary school aged students in first through fourth grade. I was nervous for all this at first and practiced my speeches multiple times, and despite the fact I was sick and could barely talk on the day of my project, I was able to effectively communicate to all age groups. It was an exciting and impacting realization that I’m gifted at interpersonal communications. My improved ability to communicate then furthered me as a leader. I also gained organization skills and planning skills. How did you make your project sustainable? The approximated 500 students that experienced that day learned about potential future occupations, courses, and subjects. According to my statistics and my prediction, they will most likely take more science classes when the opportunity arises in high school and college. Those students are also more likely to pursue an occupation related to STEM. I’ve begun the student’s education and shown them potential ideas for the future. This will assist with their future success. Teachers at the Gunnison Elementary School saw the great success and effect this day had on the students. They intend to make the STEM Day an annual event. The STEM Day was endorsed by the teachers so much; they invited me to host another STEM Day after school on February 18, 2015. This STEM Day reached many students and shows the endorsement the teachers have for it. What was your connection to the national or global community? STEM isn’t only lacking in Gunnison, but also in other towns. Teachers don’t emphasize on such courses or don’t offer them. According to a study done and published on www.usnews.com, by the time students enter fourth grade, a third of them no longer feel interested in science. By eighth grade, nearly fifty percent of students have lost interest in science and deem it unnecessary for their futures. These statistics largely come from the lack of opportunities regarding such subjects. The undereducated teachers in those areas also ineffectively teach as they are untrained in those subjects. The poor limited opportunities granted cause a nationwide need for supplemental STEM education. The result from limiting STEM courses is limiting the education for the students. STEM should be highlighted upon in younger education and made fun for the elementary school students so they enjoy it and get more out of it. STEM, although highly needed, isn’t emphasized in school districts nationally. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I’m very proud of my project for so many reasons. I believe this has been the most influential and beneficial project I’ve ever done. I’m so proud to help the community and the future STEM world with my project and interests. I’m also proud that I influenced  students to now appreciate and like STEM when they formerly didn’t. Another part I’m proud of is that the students still, a few months later, recognize me and talk to me about how fun my STEM Day was. They genuinely enjoyed the day and learned a lot. I’m really proud of the success of my project. The impact was significant. I’m always going to remember its great impact on the elementary students. My goal in life is to help others in all ways, and this is the greatest way I’ve helped people so far. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? Earning my Gold Award helped with my future greatly. It helped me become a better leader, more effective communicator, better organized, and more confident. These are important life skills that will greatly help me in my future. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award was my favorite part of Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts are dedicated to community service. This project allowed me to help my community greatly. Girl Scouts is an amazing experience that provides many opportunities. The Gold Award is another unforgettable and highly revolutionizing part of Girl Scouts that is rewarding and impactful. ***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 #Gunnison #HighestAwards #STEM

Individual or combined Service Units are encouraged to plan celebrations honoring the highest awards recipients. Please contact your local Program Support Specialist for additional support. Our annual spring celebrations are now in full swing! Friends and family are invited to attend any of the following celebrations. Please RSVP for all events online: girlscoutsofcolorado.org/highest-awards-rsvp Northern & Northeastern Colorado (Loveland), April 24th. Bronze, Silver and Gold Recognition, RSVP before April 20th. Northern Colorado (Boulder), April 26th. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Bridging Celebration, RSVP before April 20th. Denver Metro (Arvada), April 28. Silver and Gold Recognition (Bronze encouraged to attend), RSVP before April 15th. Western Slope (Grand Junction), May 1st. Bronze, Silver and Gold Recognition, RSVP before April 24th. Pikes Peak (Colorado Springs), May 15th. Bronze, Silver and Gold Recognition, RSVP before May 5th. Bronze Award Recipients February 2015 Troop10840 – Leadville Krysta Roeder Morgan Holm Troop40740 – Fountain Brody Weese Troop40894 – Colorado Springs Allison Koonce Brenna Terry Eva Baptist Gabby Chiriboga Hailey Tracy Kira Buchanan Marissa Stephen Naga Riya Boppudi Sage Pierce Soumya Devulapalli Taylor Pierce Troop40969 – Colorado Springs Jaydin Gill Troop42821 – Colorado Springs Adeladie Gillham Allison Rose Aubrie Whitcomb Brianna Whitcomb Emily Ciecalone Isabella Tyler Kelly Clark Lily Chasteen Troop43004 – Peyton Cheyenne Stafford Eleanor Michelsen Jordan Starner Kayleigh Escarcega McKenna King Troop43957 – Colorado Springs Annah Dickerson Arissa Griffin Destinie Ortega Emma Mahady Hannah Hall Ivy Sindt Katelyn Foltin Makayla Dillon Mia Martinez Shaylin Peterson Victoria Beasley Zoee Kitajewitz Troop44058 – Colorado Springs Abigail Pinterpe Ashley Paul Ava Thieme Cameo Ward Danielle Bernhart Gracie Klimek Hayley Sorensen Liberty Zavorka Mahriana Benson Olivia Dalfollo-Daley Troop54393 – Commerce City Amber Miller Elise Knoll Elizabeth Blackwell Jazmine Robledo Kaitlyn Pierce Kelly Whitehead Mestlhi Jimenez Regan Butler Serenity Christensen Vanessa Alva Troop62074 – Parker Payton McDonald Troop64280 – Highlands Ranch Abby Conner Allison Myer Ella Bush Emily Campbell Hannah Thomas Kirsten Hogsett Leann Luttkus Morgan Kocher Tami Meyer Troop70219 – Longmont Alyssa Harris Amelia Kim Anna Bartlett Audrey Adler Carly Borchers Daisy O’Brien Ella Mertz Ellarie Bane Emily Lindberg Emma Massey Hannah Karimi Kalia O’Brien Kira Wilhelmi Madisen Milliman Natalie Vanderschaaf Olivia Enright Raven Vogels Taylor Moseley Troop70230 – Loveland Lana Berning Sierra Sikich Troop70557 – Firestone Allison Alderman Charlotte Brennan Erin Schantz Kiersten Communal Mackenzie Ross Troop70720 – Fort Collins Aislyn Deeds Alexa Marshall Avery Hickman Chanah Janzen Korrine Bishop Teilee Brunson-Williams Troop72682 – Fort Collins Alexandra Lagrasta Erin Perotti Haleigh Griggs Jordan Spencer Jordan Stansloski Kelsey Wade Megan Jones Natalie Anderson Sidney Young Troop72996 – Fort Collins Breanna Corbin Caroline Kirkpatrick Gabriele Russell Sydney Wang Troop74446 – Longmont Abigail Spiegel Ashley Kim Hannah Deibert Madelyn Ferry Micaela McFarland Paige Massey Sienna Stoll Sky Lam Troop74447 – Longmont Corinne McBride Hazel Joy Jessica Lehman Jessica Wilson Julia Price JuliAnne Herrmann Kate Jones Kayla Schaefer Kiera Funkhouser Lily Knight Louisa Beckett Lucy Tatterson Madison Shaffer Maura Ashton #HighestAwards #BronzeAward #GirlScoutsinAction #TakeAction #BronzeAwardHonorees20142015

Individual or combined Service Units are encouraged to plan celebrations honoring the highest awards recipients. Please contact your local Program Support Specialist for additional support. Our annual spring celebrations are now in full swing! Friends and family are invited to attend any of the following celebrations. Please RSVP for all events online: girlscoutsofcolorado.org/highest-awards-rsvp Northern & Northeastern Colorado (Loveland), April 24th. Bronze, Silver and Gold Recognition, RSVP before April 20th. Northern Colorado (Boulder), April 26th. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Bridging Celebration, RSVP before April 20th. Denver Metro (Arvada), April 28. Silver and Gold Recognition (Bronze encouraged to attend), RSVP before April 15th. Western Slope (Grand Junction), May 1st. Bronze, Silver and Gold Recognition, RSVP before April 24th. Pikes Peak (Colorado Springs), May 15th. Bronze, Silver and Gold Recognition, RSVP before May 5th. Silver Award Recipients February 2015 Troop10840 – Leadville Abigail Holm Hannah Holm Troop13940 – Grand Junction Anela Cronk Bridget Miller Kamryn Peltier Olivia Burkholder Syvannah Fraser Troop40019 – Colorado Springs Christina Cappiello-Triplett Hannah Jewell Hannah Martin Troop43401 – Colorado Springs Aubree Crockett Troop44262 – Colorado Springs Dorsey Vaughn Faith Carino Jenifer Mortimer Kiley Sharpe Molly Studebaker-Reed Teagan Keeler Troop50596 – Arvada Ashley Hatfield Ashley McFarland Elsa Gerster Lauryn Oldenburg McKenna Kimose Morgan Eash Troop50667 – Denver Anneka Barton Brianna Leieritz Elizabeth Bannister Hanae Leieritz Killian McMahon Victoria Tilden Troop52596 – Evergreen Taylor Crawford Troop60927 – Denver Emily Turner Troop61980 – Highlands Ranch Anabelle Greffard Grace Mayr Sara Arnold Troop62031 – Highlands Ranch Jayne Splichal Kenzie Devening Troop62661 – Castle Pines Taylor Eubanks Troop62967 – Highlands Ranch Hannah Chabin Troop63608 – Centennial Angela Foote Campbell Finch Kaimbry Kugeler Maddie Farr Madison Teller Michelle Wainner Molly Piazza Natalie Parkhurst Troop63869 – Lone Tree Allison Bordeaux Ashley Bordeaux Mckenna Foster Shreya Shubhangi Troop70720 – Fort Collins Alexandria Khalid Arianna Deeds Kristina Howard Sarah Manley Susannah Manley Taye Barney #HighestAwards #SilverAward #SilverAwardHonorees20142015 #GirlScoutsinAction #TakeAction

What did you do for your Gold Award project? Tell Me Your Story was a project that I created with the mission of capturing the historical stories of our older generation. I hosted an event at my church where many of my church members shared their stories about different events in history that they lived through. I then posted all of the stories onto my website that was linked with Douglas County and Denver Public Libraries’ websites. The website was linked to the libraries web pages so that students all over the Denver Metro-Area could use personal accounts of history to make their learning come to life. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I pursued this project because my great grandfather fought in World War II. He was always quiet about his experiences during the war and died when I was in 6th grade before he got to share those stories. When I was a freshman in high school, we were learning about World War II and I thought about how my grandfather had personally experienced what we were reading about in class and what a tragedy it was that his story had never been recorded. I then decided that there needed to be a program in place to document the stories of older generations before they are lost. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? It made a difference through the impact I had on the storytellers in my community, as well as the many students impacted through my event. The storytellers loved to know that someone was actually interested in what they had personally lived through and that they could help out the younger generations in our community. My project also helped out the students in my community. I made sure that my website was easily accessible to the students in my community by linking it to the Douglas County and Denver public libraries’ websites. I also had all of the information on my website for students to MLA cite the interviews so that they could use these personal accounts as sources in their papers. It also brought what they were learning in school to life because it showed how history had actually impacted a person. It showed a face changed by history instead of a date and an event. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I learned how to be self-reliant and time management. Through my Gold Award, I learned how to host an event all by myself and motivate myself to make appointments and meet with people independently. I also learned a lot of time management. I have always considered myself to be fairly organized and that I knew time management fairly well, but my Gold Award taught me a whole new level of time management because I had to balance such a huge project on top of my school work. How did you make your project sustainable? My project was sustainable through my website. I have a link on my website so that people who want to share their stories can through my website. They will be screened by the youth group at my church before it is added to the site. Also, it is sustainable through the links on the websites of the libraries because it will be accessible to students for a long time. Here is the link to my website http://goo.gl/m3olir What was your connection to the national or global community? The connection to the national community was that I connected stories from my church in Cherry Hills Village to students in the Douglas County region as well as the City of Denver. My international connection was through the map I posted on the front of my website. For the students studying a specific region of the world, I put pins where each story happened with links to the story as well as a Wikipedia page of the event. This showed the span of how history affects everyone all over the world. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will remember how much one person can impact the lives of others. It is really empowering to know that I am capable of fitting a need in our community and helping others. I will remember how important my community is to me and how important it is for me to give back to it. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? My Gold Award will help me in the future because it allowed for me to gain skills such as independence and time management that will carry out into all aspects of my life. As I go off to college next year, my Gold Award will help me be more outgoing and confident among large amounts of people because my project required me to have a lot of public speaking skills. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award impacted my Girl Scout experience in countless ways, but the biggest impact it had on me was through empowerment. In 1912 when Juliette Low created Girl Scouts, her main goal was to empower girls to feel that they can do amazing things and change the world. My Gold Award experience did just that. I feel more empowered than I ever had because of my project. It gave me leadership skills and a “go getter” personality that will forever make me feel that I can impact the world around me. I know that my Gold Award experience embodied the goal of the Girl Scouts organization and made me a stronger woman. ***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 #HighlandsRanch

Submitted by Sharyn Gilmore Centennial Denver Metro Troop 61998 from Centennial, Colorado has some amazing things to say about our Cookie Dad, Jeff Holmes! The leaders from Troop 61998 were grateful when we had one of our dads sign up to be in charge of cookie sales. We had no idea the level of commitment and seriousness he would bring to the position. Because of Jeff’s efforts we were able to blow away our sales goal, and teach our Girl Scouts some very valuable lessons. We asked all of our girls and their parents for feedback on cookie sales and this is what we got…with full credit given to Jeff Holmes, the best of the best: organized, patient, calm, and composed (leading both Girl Scout and parent meetings to get the troop ready can be overwhelming for even the most experienced leaders), available 24/7 (at any hour, always ready and willing to supply us with more cookies, current inventory numbers, and updates on personal goals), kind, determined (to get the best cookie booths, to get products to the customers and the scouts), present (at the beginning and end of EVERY cookie booth sale), meticulous (in accounting for every aspect of the cookie selling product), and FUN! In the process there seemed to be no stress or complaint on the part of any parent or Jeff. Because of the amazing leadership and guidance of Jeff, every scout hit their goal and we made enough in donations to provide our charity with some much needed supplies and lots of cookies!! “His communication was endless! And always so upbeat and supportive” -the Troop leader. “He made every aspect of the process seem like no big deal, when in fact, we know it is probably a very tough job” -a Girl Scout dad “I had so much fun especially learning how to ‘sell’ to customers, making change, and meeting my goal”- A Girl Scout “I couldn’t ask for anything better in our inaugural cookie-sales experience!” -A mom This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #bestcookiedad