What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I created a sustainable pet food pantry within St. Andrew United Methodist Church. I coordinated with four non-profit organizations: Colorado AIDS Project, Denver Urban Ministries, Denver Inner City Parish, and Interfaith Community Services. I also worked with volunteers to hand out pet food in Denver Civic Center Park through the AfterHours organization. I advertised my pet food pantry, formulated a delivery schedule, added pet food to sack lunches delivered to the homeless, ran a blog, and created informational brochures. So far, my pet food pantry has collected over 600 pounds of pet food, which is equivalent to over 2,500 pet meals. Furthermore, I created and educated various community members about my “business plan,” an outline consisting of instructions on how to construct a similarly-designed donation pantry. I spoke to four school clubs: National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Peace Jam, and Peer Counseling. In total, I educated about 125 students at ThunderRidge High School, who now have the knowledge to establish sustainable donation pantries for any product, whether it occurs in the school or further out in the community. I also spoke to a donation representative at a local recreation center, who also possesses the knowledge to set up my “business plan.” Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I pursued this Gold Award project for two main reasons. To begin, I have a yellow labrador retriever named Jake. Although Jake will not retrieve, I love and adore him more than anything. I have a love for most animals, especially dogs, and I desired to help them. I also wanted to help fight financial hardship, an issue facing many families. Local families are still emerging from the Great Recession, a time when many Americans lost their jobs and relative prices on goods rose. Additionally, wildfires and floods have impacted many Coloradans the past few years. By needing more money to buy essential products and rebuild lifestyles, many people had to give up their pets or cut back on feeding them. I wanted to address this issue by providing pet food for the community, so its citizens can focus on feeding themselves and putting their money towards other important necessities. Additionally, pet food donations can be coordinated with human food donations, so an entire family can be fed at once. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? So far, my pantry has collected over 500 pounds of pet food, which is equivalent to about 2,000 pet meals. This pet food has been distributed through various organizations, so many can feel its benefits. I estimate that I have helped approximately 1,000 families provide food for their pets. In addition, I estimate that I educated about 125 people on the effects of poverty on pets, which some may be unfamiliar with, and how they can set up donation pantries to help any target audience. I found many people who love and support their pets, and were happy to help so others could do the same. Finally, earning my Gold Award allowed me to educate my community about the Girl Scout Gold Award. Most community members are unaware of the award and its requirements, so I was able to further promote the positive benefits of Girl Scouts. Recently, my school newspaper interviewed me about earning my Gold Award. I am proud of my accomplishments and hope to inspire other people, whether they are Girl Scouts or not, to make a difference in their local communities. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I learned many skills from completing my Gold Award project. First, I learned balance. My project was solely my responsibility, and if I did not work on it for a period of time, then my project would not progress. I learned to find a balance between school, my extracurricular activities, and my Gold Award. By learning a proper balance, I also improved my time management skills. I determined the times I needed to work on my project and how to use my time wisely to complete the maximum amount of activities possible. I also learned communication skills. I was forced to step out of my comfort zone and communicate with a variety of adults from the community in a professional manner. This skill was new to me, and I sometimes did not want to make phone calls. However, my communication skills with adults have improved immensely and I am confident that they will be of great assistance as I head into college. My public speaking and persuasion skills improved because I spoke at public events and various school clubs, encouraging people to donate to my cause. Finally, I learned how to be a leader. I followed my project from planning to execution, having to lead community members in ways to construct, advertise, and operate the most successful pet food pantry possible. I also led various individuals through my “business plan” so they could accomplish the same things themselves. I learned that I can really accomplish whatever I set my mind to, no matter how daunting the task may appear. How did you make your project sustainable? Sadly, my pet food pantry is sustainable because the issue of poverty will remain an ongoing issue. My pantry has a permanent location in my church’s Outreach Depot (a location in my church which accepts donations for various causes). When I leave for college, St. Andrew’s Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Titus and Outreach Depot Organizer Jill Kucera have agreed to continue my project. Mrs. Titus and Mrs. Kucera will include donation requests in the regular church newsletter along with any needed pantry changes. I have scheduled the pet food donations to be delivered every week to specific organizations (Colorado AIDS Project, Denver Inner City Parish, Interfaith Community Services, Denver Urban Ministries, and AfterHours in Civic Center Park) along with any human food the church is delivering that week. My siblings have also agreed to keep the pet food pantry organized. St. Andrew’s youth coordinator, Cindy Klick, has agreed to distribute pet food to various mission trip locations every summer to help maintain my global connection. This upcoming summer, my church is planning to bring pet food on mission trips to Utah and another state (still to be determined) and possibly Mexico. Finally, I will maintain my project until I leave for college (and on school breaks and summers). What was your connection to the national or global community? My project is connected through my speeches to my community. I gave educational speeches to students at my high school and the local recreation center on how they can create a donation pantry similar to mine. Essentially, I donated my “pet food pantry” business plan. By educating people on how to start these pantries, they have the skills to make an impact in their community and spread the business plan to other organizations and citizens. If these people choose to establish donation pantries, the Denver community can continue to solve many issues affecting its citizens. My project is also globally connected through mission trips. The youth director has agreed to distribute some pet food to various mission trips throughout the state and nation, allowing my pet food pantry to affect pets in need outside of my immediate community. Finally, my project is globally linked through my blog. I created my blog through Google sites, http://www.loversthatloveusgs.blogspot.com/, and anyone can view it. I can trace where people accessed my blog, and to date, the blog has been viewed from Texas and North Carolina. On my blog, I posted tips about running a pantry, earning the Gold Award, and proper pet care. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will remember my education component the most. I genuinely enjoyed speaking at St. Andrew’s “Blessing of the Pets Ceremony.” I was able to talk about my love for my dog, who was part of my inspiration for my project, and about my Gold Award as a whole. After speaking, I helped bless the pets with a pastor from my church. It was an amazing feeling to speak at an entire event of pet lovers and inspire them to continue making a difference in the lives of pets. Besides speaking at this event, I also delivered my “business plan” to many clubs at school. These clubs were inspired to perform fundraising and lasting donation events similar to mine. Finally, I enjoyed running my blog and inspiring people all over the nation about Girl Scouts and pet care. I really felt that I was teaching and inspiring the world around me. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? My leadership skills will continue to grow as a result of this project. I now have developed confidence, time management, communication, presentation and organization skills, so I feel that I can be an appropriate leader in any setting. Currently, through school, I am utilizing my leadership skills in soccer, National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, LINK Crew, Peer Counseling and many other clubs. I am also beginning my Senior Project, a large project required for graduation. I used to fear these projects, but now I am excited after earning my Gold Award! My communication, presentation, and leadership skills will also be used in this project. I will extend my leadership skills in college by participating in similar clubs and to continue being a role model for my younger sister. I also want to remain a leader in my community through church events, such as mission trips, and volunteer more for non-profit organizations to improve my community. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award is an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it represents the culmination of my childhood efforts. I have been a Girl Scout in the same troop since Daisies in kindergarten. Throughout my Girl Scouting career, I have learned important life skills, including leadership, organization, and more. Girl Scouts has also provided me with some of my closest friends and blessed me a member of the loving Girl Scout community. I feel the Gold Award represents my peak accomplishment of all my Girl Scouting years and all my hard work. Additionally, my Gold Award instilled immense confidence and independence within me. After earning a prestigious award, I feel confident to enter the professional world as a woman. I believe in myself and know what I can accomplish. This award made me realize how big of an impact I can make and what I truly can accomplish. ***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

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I initiated a S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) introduction course for minority students at the Horizons Summer Program, a non-profit enrichment summer program, at Colorado Academy. I taught 3rd grade minority students Scratch programming for games and animations, Robot construction/programming, and mini-science experiments. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? In the United States, there is a shortage of minorities in S.T.E.M. education and careers. The goals of my Gold Award project were two-fold: To introduce minority children to S.T.E.M. topics, specifically technology and computer programming. To explore the role of high school students as S.T.E.M. Mentors for elementary school students. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? With pre- and post-questionnaires, the students reported a two-point increase on a five point scale for their ability to program a game, how to program a drawing pen, and their ability to make and program a robot. It is my hope that the students I taught have access to further enrichment throughout their schooling and to develop positive attitudes to S.T.E.M. education and careers. I wanted to leave a legacy for my school and for my community in developing Project S.T.E.M. Student Mentors. As a result of the project, Horizons Summer Program is working to incorporate S.T.E.M. into their yearly summer program curriculum, both locally and nationally. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I learned valuable life-skills of collaboration with my mentors and with experts in the S.T.E.M. field which enhanced my communication skills. Time management of juggling my Gold Award project, my academics, and sports sharpened my organization skills. I learned confidence and the value of preparation in planning the course. I had to use emotional intelligence skills of interfacing with diverse cultures, genders, and races and learned to appreciate diversity and inclusivity in my school and community. How did you make your project sustainable? I developed a web site (www.projectstemstudentmentors.com) and compiled an in-depth manual to guide future high school S.T.E.M. student mentors desiring to pursue this project. There are many S.T.E.M. volunteers, but most are adults. This project is unique because it encompasses a mutually beneficial guiding and teaching relationship of high school students and elementary students. I obtained a Proclamation from Governor John Hickenlooper proclaiming January 2015 as S.T.E.M. mentoring month. I donated $500.00 from my prior scholarship awards to cover future expenses for science experiments, instruction guides, posters, and folders. This donation is intended for Horizons to continue my vision for S.T.E.M. enrichment for minority students for at least the next five years. What was your connection to the national or global community? My project addresses a national problem, which specifically is a lack of adequate graduates in S.T.E.M. fields needed to maintain America’s economic success and national security. An aim of my project was to help lessen the achievement gap and S.T.E.M. disparities all across the United States for race, gender, and socioeconomic status. From a global perspective, a diverse work force in S.T.E.M. leads to creativity and collaboration, which ultimately leads to innovation. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? Three things come to mind. I discovered the scope of my project was too large when I initially planned it. Focusing on a smaller slice helped to contain the project and make it impactful. I also learned the impact in a project to create change in my community can be measured objectively (via questionnaires) and subjectively (teacher commendation). Lastly, the challenge of making a project sustainable is subject to many variables and therefore an in-depth manual and web site are reasonable methods for sustainability. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? The leadership skills I learned of collaboration, time management, adaptability, and inclusivity will help me to manage future projects with resilience and confidence. Knowing that I can scale a project to a small slice and still be a change agent for something I believe in is empowering. After reflecting on the impact of my pilot project, I envision scaling up the project for greater utility in S.T.E.M. mentorship. The process of the Gold Award, with the guidance of dedicated and nurturing mentors, has taught me to communicate with respect and accountability. I am grateful to the Girl Scouts of Colorado for inspiring me to become a leader in my community. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award teaches valuable concepts of impact and sustainability that are not usually a part of projects that I do. As a result, I believe I can create lasting change that can improve my community. My coming of age has been dramatically and positively affected by the responsibilities required to complete a Gold Award. Most importantly, the Gold Award unexpectedly helped me to establish a lasting legacy to my school and community. ***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 #Golden #GoldAward #HighestAwards #Lakewood #Denver

Submitted by Emily Kleinsasser Greeley Northern and Northeastern Colorado We were running a booth at King Soopers and one of the employees stopped by when we were setting up and asked how much our troop gets for the cookies and what our girls wanted to do with the money. We explained we get a portion of the money and our Daisy Girl Scouts wanted to go learn to cook in a kitchen and give back to the community. He said he would be back later to buy some cookies. He would check on us periodically to see how our sales were going. He was genuinely interested in our girls selling a lot of cookies. Towards the end he asked how much longer we would be there and we said about 15 minutes. He said he would be right back. He was a man of his word and said he really didn’t want to buy any cookies but he wanted to make a donation to make sure the girls got to learn how to cook and had fun. He gave us a $60 donation. It made every one of us stop in disbelief. What an amazing act of kindness that all our girls got to witness and we got to be a part of. We have later found out more information on him and plan on sending him a thank you note to let him know our girls met their goal. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #boothsale #donation #Greeley

Submitted by Brynn Butler Denver Denver Metro My dad, Tim Butler, is a great cookie dad because he is a hard worker and he always has a great attitude. Troop 51207 has sold almost 45,000 boxes of cookies over 8 years and we couldn’t have done that without him. His work ethic and outlook on life are great qualities to have in a cookie dad because he can always be there for the troop and me. My dad is one of the hardest workers that I have ever known. He gives all that he has to everything that he does, including cookies. He does almost anything for the troop, including bringing cookies in a U-Haul to our house and loading them into the dining room. Additionally, he helps my mom count the money every night after we have a booth. He’s also set up and taken down countless booths that he didn’t work at. When he’s working a booth, he always lightens the mood by telling jokes to make people laugh. He loves to talk to everyone, including the customers. He helps to make people not feel as cold by joking about how cold he is and making everyone laugh. Overall, my dad is always there to help the troop feel better when we need to, which is important with teenage girls. The Girl Scout community needs dads like mine to help the older and younger Girl Scouts become women of courage, confidence and character that make the world a better place, and I am very lucky to have him. If you know an awesome Cookie Dad, use this link to tell us about him: http://bit.ly/1vj3gZW #bestcookiedad #Denver

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I worked with kids who have Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system and the children who have it spend a lot of time in hospitals or clinics receiving treatment. I wanted to create something fun for the kids to do while they were in the hospital, so I made kits that had activities, like string bracelets, paper bag monsters, stickers, and coloring pages. I hoped to bring some fun to the time they spend in the hospital receiving treatment. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? A family friend works with children who have Cystic Fibrosis and raises money for research for the disease. When she told me about it, I had never heard of Cystic Fibrosis. So, I pursued this project to learn more about the disease and people impacted and to make a difference in the lives of the kids who have this disease. The entire project was a huge learning experience with kids, the hospital and nurses, and learning about how people are improving the lives of people who suffer from the disease. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My Gold Award project provided children with Cystic Fibrosis an opportunity to be less bored in the hospital. Kids with CF aren’t allowed to spend time with other CF kids because of a fatal disease that can only be transferred between CF patients. Therefore, when they are at the hospital, they don’t get to spend time with other kids. By making these kits, I created fun activities to do that will hopefully curb some of the boredom that comes with long hospital visits. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? From this project, I learned three main things: how to talk to people and inspire them to help, how to share my ideas in a way people understand, and how to make an idea into a reality. Those three things can’t happen without a sense of leadership, and I feel I improved my leadership skills immensely. If I had taken the easy way and let people who are more experienced than me figure out the project, I never would have developed the fundraising and project management skills. How did you make your project sustainable? I reached out to the Cystic Fibrosis Ambassadors (college students who work closely with the Board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) and asked if they would take on the project. They agreed to take it on annually and I plan to help them whenever they decide to make more kits. What was your connection to the national or global community? Nationally, I contacted the National Cystic Fibrosis Board in hopes that this project idea could be implemented in hospitals across the nation. I also posted comments on the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts website informing other girls about my project and expressing my hope that they will consider doing a similar idea in their country and put it out on Twitter. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will remember seeing the look on an eight-year old girl’s face when she was playing with my kits. Seeing her happy to be playing with the bracelets and the coloring pages really inspired me to keep going. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? This project helped me learn how much planning has to be done to make something happen. I know my future will have many times where I need to plan something, and this project has helped me understand the organization it takes to put something into action. I also will be able to use my improved public speaking skills in interviews, like when I apply for college or when I get a job. Another thing that will help me in my future is knowing how much you have to thank people when they help you with something, no matter how little. Thanking people can go a long way. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I’ve been a Girl Scout for 11 years. I was lucky to have leaders that helped me grow and progress so that I could meet the challenges of earning the Gold Award. There were challenges and obstacles, and sometimes I wanted to quit, and I feel a real sense of achievement to be earning the Gold Award. ***IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org #GoldAward #Golden #HighestAwards

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I refurbished the garden at the Medallion Retirement Center for the staff, residents, and Ms. Elsa Bailey, also a resident and founder of the garden. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I pursued this Gold Award project because I felt that the outcome would have a positive impact on a large amount of people. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My Gold Award project made a difference in multiple ways. One way my project made a difference was through the residents, resident families, and the staff. The residents were so appreciative towards the hard work we put into the garden. Every time my team and I went back to complete further tasks, we witnessed the growth in residents, residents’ families, and staff outside enjoying the garden. Another way my project made a difference was through the appearance of the garden. The appearance of the garden is significant because the garden can help with advertisement of the retirement center in brochures, online advertisement, and personal experience . What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? Through earning this Gold Award, I gained multiple skills. I gained skills such as leadership skills, taking action and making things happen skills, and just skills to help me be more open to connecting with my community. How did you make your project sustainable? In order to keep my project sustainable, I made a list of instructions on “How to Keep the Garden Clean” that the staff and maintenance can follow. What was your connection to the national or global community? We have personally taken pictures and we shared those pictures on Facebook and other social media to promote the idea socially. Also, we requested for them to be included in the updated brochure for the Medallion Retirement Center. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? The amount of hard, long, hot summer days we spent completing this project. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? I believe my leadership skills will develop in a positive way. I now know how to discover, connect, take action, and actually make things happen. I also believe this project provided great amounts of experience that I may need later on in life. I believe that because I had to go to the next level to overcome each obstacle, I ended up learning a lot about improvising, and working with what you are given to work with. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I feel the Gold Award is one of the most important tasks of a Girl Scout experience for multiple reasons. One reason is because this task is a huge responsibility. Girl Scouts is mainly about teaching responsibility, courage, respect, and many other attributes to build a girl’s character. This project required all of those skills and more. Another reason is because the amount of change that my project made. Another lesson we learn as Girl Scouts is to make a change in order to make the world a better place. I definitely feel that this project made a huge change. ***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 #ColoradoSprings #GoldAward #HighestAwards

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I decided to address the need for blood and blood products by starting up ongoing blood drives at a local hospital that was currently not able to sustain a successful drive. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I pursued this project because I have always been interested in the medical field. Currently, I volunteer weekly at North Suburban Medical Center, where they do not currently host blood drives yet there is a great need for blood products to save lives. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My Gold Award made a difference by setting up a donor base for the hospital to continue regular blood drives. There is now a direct link between Bonfils Blood Center and the hospital staff. With the donations received from the first drive, we were able to save 72 lives! It made a difference for Bonfils, the hospital, and the lives saved through our drive. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? The skills I gained during the Gold Award process include taking on leadership, creating a team, and restoring confidence in myself. Through the process of contacting businesses by phone, email, and having face-to-face meetings with team members, I learned that I have the ability to lead a group and have the confidence to do it. I also gained the skill of time management and learning to set goals for myself. How did you make your project sustainable? My project will be sustained beyond my involvement indefinitely by creating contacts between the hospital and Bonfils to get back in touch and continue to organize blood drives. After the first drive, we now have a donor base system set up that allows us to contact potential donors. What was your connection to the national or global community? Not only are these blood drives helping the community and the hospital, but if more blood donations take place locally, that will decrease the need to obtain products from other areas. If Bonfils and other associations such as the Red Cross have an abundance of blood products, then they can better assist other areas both nationally and internationally when there is need. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will always remember the day of the first blood drive when people were donating and I got to converse with many of them about the lives they were saving. The donors being excited about having future blood drives inspired me to continue this project even after receiving the Gold Award. The next blood drive is already scheduled and I am excited at the thought that this will help save more lives. Although I won’t meet those who receive the blood, I am thrilled that I have helped make a difference in their lives. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? Earning my Gold Award has taught me that when I identify a problem or issue, I have the confidence and skills to create a solution. This will help me with future challenges I will face in school and in my career. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? This award is an important part of my Girl Scout experience because I was able to make a huge difference. Over all my years as a Girl Scout, from Kindergarten through 11th grade, I now realize that I have developed important skills through earning badges and my Bronze and Silver Awards. I was able to fine tune them and apply them towards a greater cause. The Gold Award helped me to appreciate everything that Girl Scouts has provided me from confidence, to character, to courage. ***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 #erie #GoldAward #HighestAwards

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I built a dug out for a school’s sports team, in need of a new home, and held a clinic to teach kids about how to stay safe and healthy during physical activities. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I wanted to pursue the project because I felt that my school’s softball field was not safe enough for visiting teams and my team to play on. Also, I feel that it is important for younger kids to learn how to take care of themselves and why its important. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My project made a difference by allowing softball teams to feel safer as they play on our field, and educating kids on their health. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? Leadership skills, communication, organizational, financial, and time management. How did you make your project sustainable? I built a structure that will stand for years to come and provide protection for athletes that preform on that field. What was your connection to the national or global community? I was unable to make these connections to my national and global community. However, I was able to make a connection through my city and state. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? The most memorable part of my project will be that I am able to see my project for years to come. Also, how much fun I had working with a team on a hands on project. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? My Gold Award will help my future by helping me see what kind of engineering fields are out there and helping me further my decision on what path I will take. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I feel that my Gold Award is an important part of my Girl Scout experience because I was able to use all of the laws that I have learned and grow up with since the starting my my Girl scouting experience. ***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 #ColoradoSprings #GoldAward #HighestAwards

Each year Girl Scouts and Girl Guides celebrate World Thinking Day as a way to embrace sisterhood around the world and learn about other countries.  Join Girl Scouts from Jefferson County and Metro-Denver in the celebration this year at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.  Troops will help girls look at the culture and lives of girls in these countries through music, food, games, and activities. Each troop participating will be expected to create a display about the country they choose. Age: All Where: Jefferson County Fairgrounds Address: 15200 W 6th Ave, Golden, CO 80401 Date: April 12th, 2015 Time:1:00-4:00 PM Price per booth: $15 per booth (every girl/adult in your troop gets in under the cost, patches/pins are not included in this cost.) Price per Person with no booth: $3 per girl and $4 per Family members/friends/public, children under 3yrs old are free. Register at: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0F45AAAF2AA1FA7-world Questions contact:  jeffcoworldthinkingday@gmail.com #JeffersonCounty #WorldThinkingDay

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I gathered a team of volunteers to refurbish the existing benches at the Camp Alexander Chapel. We also built five new benches and applied a weather resistant coating to all of the benches. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I chose this project because my family and I have been very involved with the Pikes Peak Boy Scout Council and Camp Alexander. Through Venturing, I worked and volunteered at Camp Alexander for three summers and had some incredible experiences. This project was something I could be passionate about pursuing. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My Gold Award project has the potential to reach the hundreds of kids that visit Camp Alexander each summer. It is used for weekly chapel services, award ceremonies, and other meetings. The once broken benches are now usable, and the addition of more benches will allow more people to use the space. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? Throughout the planning process of the Gold Award, I gained leadership, planning, time management, and budgeting skills. How did you make your project sustainable? I documented every step in planning my project and created a presentation with the information. The presentation gave an overview of my own project, but also demonstrated how the process and skills needed could be applied to the planning of other service projects. I then shared this presentation with the Pikes Peak Boy Scout council, the Girl Scouts of Colorado, the YMCA of the Rockies, and Camp Elam. What was your connection to the national or global community? The Scouts that use the chapel at Camp Alexander are not only from Colorado, but come from around the nation and globe. Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas troops come to the camp regularly, but there have also been staff and scouts from China, Poland, Indonesia, Tunisia, El Salvador, and Pakistan. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? The support I received from my family, friends, co-workers, and community surpassed anything I had expected. This support gave me the motivation to succeed. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? Because of my Gold Award project, I have more experience with planning and leadership. These are skills that will be important in any career I pursue. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I was able to use all of the skills I learned in Girl Scouts and other places through the years and apply them to a project that would benefit others. ***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 #ColoradoSprings #GoldAward #HighestAwards

What did you do for your Gold Award project? Background: Acres of Opportunity Ranch (AOR) is a not-for-profit organization which partners with horses that have been rescued or retired to educate the community about horses through outreach and onsite opportunities. Their emphasis is on horse education and life skills rather than riding. This effort helps minimize the number of horses that are “thrown away” due to lack of understanding and financial means to take care of a horse. In addition, AOR has a hippotherapy program. In hippotherapy, movements of the horses are used to provide motor and sensory input to people with physical or mental challenges. Global Issue: There is a need to educate people on animal ownership (care, cost, and responsibility) so that animals are less likely to be “thrown away” because an owner didn’t know what all was involved with owning an animal. Local Issue: The ranch has other barnyard animals including chickens that were occupying a horse stall that was needed for the program horses. This horse stall-chicken coop was not predator proof, so the chickens occasionally went missing. Solution: Design and build a proper chicken coop with a secure chicken run, and then relocate the chickens. The horse stall will also need to be cleaned and readied for a horse. Additional Benefits: The chickens will also be used to educate and stimulate clients of all kinds and ages, including clients with physical or mental challenges. Interestingly, many people are afraid of chickens, and some people don’t truly understand where an egg comes from. Seeing chickens and being able to interact with them will help with this understanding. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I pursued this project because I am passionate about animals and making sure they are properly treated. A major reason animals are abandoned is because people don’t know how to properly care for them or how much it really costs. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My Gold Award project will impact and educate people of all ages for many years. My target audience includes kids and teens of Acres of Opportunity Ranch. They will learn the basics of how to care for and treat horses and chickens so that in the future, if they get a pet, it will not be “thrown away” because they don’t know how to properly care for them or how much it really costs. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I gained practical life skills. I learned how to properly speak on the phone, connect with people via email, make meeting dates, and speak publicly. I developed critical thinking. I had to find ways to work in tight situations, using the environment and people around me. I grew as a leader when I promoted cooperation and team building. I had many volunteers throughout my project, and some of them did not know each other. I had team meetings every time I met with volunteers to go over names and safety. I advocated for myself and others, locally and globally – when looking for donations and volunteers, I had to explain who I was, what my project was, and where my project was being built. By doing this, I advocated myself, Girl Scouts, Hens for Friends, and Acres of Opportunity Ranch. How did you make your project sustainable? The chickens have become a permanent part of the AOR education program. AOR will continue to feed and care for the chickens. An immediate impact my project had was that the chickens were able to move out of the horse stall, and that a horse was immediately able to move into that vacant horse stall. A long-term impact of my project will be that the chickens will have a proper and safe chicken coop to stay. Eggs will also be gathered from the hens and sold to buy chicken feed and other chicken necessities. What was your connection to the national or global community? The chickens will be used to educate and stimulate clients of all kinds and ages, having physical or mental challenges or not. Many people are afraid of chickens, and some people don’t truly understand where an egg comes from. Seeing chickens and being able to interact with them will help people’s understanding. People need to be properly educated on animal ownership so that animals are less likely to be “thrown away” because the owner didn’t know the responsibilities of owning an animal. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? How well the coop turned out in the end. The chickens were so happy with their new coop that they started to lay eggs the day they moved in, which is very uncommon. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? Having completed my Gold Award, I have learned some important skills that will help me in the future. I will not be afraid to complete big challenges and I will be able to lead in large groups. I learned time management and organizational skills that will help me be a good leader. These skills will help me in college and in future careers. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I have been a Girl Scout for 11 years and it has been an amazing experience. I earned the Bronze and Silver Awards, and it was always a goal to earn my Gold Award – the top honor of Girl Scouts. Earning the Gold Award was a huge milestone in my scouting career. ***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

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I organized, supplied and decorated a library for a low income private school called St. Elizabeth’s School, Denver. I also organized an annual book swap to give the students a chance to take home books for the summer. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I am a very avid reader and I’ve found that has a direct impact on what I understand in the world around me and what I am able to learn in school. I believe that all kids should have opportunities to read in a kid-friendly, encouraging environment and to have access to both library books and books of their own. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? My Gold Award project gave approximately 100 students in low income families and neighborhoods a place to read, a library to check out books from and gave them books to own. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I learned communication and planning from my work with volunteers and administrators at the school. I also learned how to work with adults from my work on the actual library and how to work with my peers from organizing the book swap. Additionally, I learned how to manage time and resources and how to get things done. How did you make your project sustainable? The book swap I organized is in conjunction with the school’s Spring Festival, which is an annual event. In addition, I talked to one of the school’s after school clubs about continuing the swap and gave them instructions on how to do it. The organization of the library and the library itself will be part of the school for years to come. What was your connection to the national or global community? The Spring Festival that the school hosts is a community event, in addition to a school event, which is why I combined my book swap with that event. There were kids from around the community that brought books and swapped for books to take home. I also gave the students’ parents information on reading at home and summer reading and how it helps children be successful in school in the future. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will remember all of the wonderful kids I met. There were some really great kids that were in the library and at the festival. They even wrote me a whole bunch of thank you notes! How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? My Gold Award will help me to know that I have the ability to do anything I want in the future. I will be able to apply all the skills I learned to other tasks to make sure I can get them done. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award is really the culmination of all the skills you take away from Girl Scouts. Leadership, communication, organization and the many other skills you learn from badges and other activities really come into play when you try to put together this scale of a project. It’s crucial to see all of this come together because it gives you such a different perspective on what Girl Scouts is all about and really helps you become a better, stronger person. ***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 #Centennial #GoldAward #HighestAwards