Submitted by Kristin Coulter Denver Denver Metro Erika was one of the customers Fiona always looked forward to seeing during cookie season. Even though they only saw each other once a year, Erika always greeted Fiona by name and rewarded her with a good size order of cookies. When Fiona started selling cookies she was a Daisy and Erika was pregnant with her first child. When she returned as a Cadette last year, Erika by now had two children – two girls – and also had the news that they might be moving. Fiona took Erika’s email address and this year she contacted her at the beginning of cookie season. Last night Fiona and her mom drove the very large order of cookies from Park Hill to Centennial. Ramona, Erika’s now 4 year-old, was enchanted with all of the badges on Fiona’s vest. She had watched the cookie selling video Fiona had made and sent her mother many times so Ramona felt like she knew Fiona too. Fiona thanked them for continuing to buy cookies from her to which they replied that they will always be loyal because “you are our Girl Scout.” This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Cadette #ParkHill

Submitted by Allison Ellington Grand Junction Western Slope Troop 33 from Grand Junction had some great ideas on what they wanted to learn about at an older girl conference. I met with them, we brainstormed and this Healthy Living Conference was the result. Thanks for the fantastic ideas! We had so many community partners ready to come to this and share their expertise, it was fantastic. We also had a great turnout – 35 Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors from all over the Western Slope. We started the day off with some Crossfit training and dancing with some coaches from Kaia Fitness. The girls learned about healthy skin and how to protect themselves from the harsh sun from Rodan and Fields representative, Kristin. We had a psychologist come in and do a workshop on dealing with emotions and stress. They followed that up with making stress balls and doing some meditative relaxation. Thanks for that, Dr. Amy. The girls loved making their own healthy lunch together while trying out some fun tools from Pampered Chef helper, Laura. Lunch was all purchased at Natural Grocers who also sent their Nutritionist, Dustin. The girls had a ton of questions for him! We ended the day with some relaxing and centering yoga with our favorite yoga instructor, Maegan. What a blast! I have heard back from girls and parents that this was a very impactful day – they had a great time and learned a ton. All of our community partners can’t wait to do this again. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #KaiaFitness #oldergirls #RodanandFields #GrandJunction #HealthyLiving #yoga #NaturalGrocers #DrAmy #PamperedChef

For one father-daughter duo, Girl Scout Cookie time means lots of time together in the kitchen. That’s right: the kitchen! Evyn and Robert Batie love coming up with delicious dishes using Girl Scout Cookies. This year, Girl Scouts of Colorado asked them to create exciting recipes with our two new cookies, Rah-Rah Raisin and gluten-free Toffee-Tastic. Using the Toffee-Tastic, the two created “Gluten-Free Asian Chicken Meatball Stacks.” It is a ground-chicken meatball covered with a teriyaki ginger glaze. It is served on top of the cookie to add a crunchy texture. “We tried the meatball by itself, and it was OK. When we combined it with the cookie, it was so much better,” Robert Batie told reporter Jessica Benes of the Loveland Reporter-Herald. The two also made “Rah-Rah Pumpkin Cheesecakes,” using Rah-Rah Raisins. On February 9, 2015, Evyn and Robert appeared on the 9News morning show to talk about their recipes and how much they enjoy working together. They also showed Gary Shapiro and Corey Rose how to make the “Gluten Free Asian Chicken Meatball Stacks.” At the end, Gary tried the meatballs. Corey went right for the cheesecakes. Both passed the taste test!

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I taught children in my community about poverty and what they can do to help this issue by running drives for local organizations in need. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I enjoy teaching youth, and it was even more enjoyable to teach about this pressing issue. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? Not only was this project able to show a group of youth about an issue they might not have previously known about, but it showed them how they could help their community and globe. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I learned organizational skills, perseverance, and improved my leadership. What was your connection to the national or global community? Poverty is a global issue, so by teaching this I was able to connect an issue both present in my hometown and worldwide. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will most prominently remember the time I had teaching the youth about poverty; they were so eager to learn and participate that I became inspired by them. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? My Gold Award taught me a lot about myself and others that will be very helpful in my future, especially about communication and hard work. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? This project was an important milestone for me to complete. I had been looking forward to completing my Gold Award since I was a little Brownie, and finally finishing was accomplishing a goal that I have had for the majority of my life. ***IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org #GoldAward #HighestAwards

There are so many ways for you to win BIG during this year’s Girl Scout Cookies sale. We’re hosting a variety of contests, including one for best sweet and savory recipes using Girl Scout Cookies and one for the Best Cookie Dad. Each contest is listed below along with a brief description. To learn more about the rules, deadlines, etc., click on the contest name. It will take you to the blog announcing the contest. Keep in mind, the deadline for some contests is February 22, 2015. For others, the deadline is March 27, 2015, which is the end of the sale. Best Cookie Video Contest For years, we’ve seen just how creative you can be when making videos to promote the Girl Scout Cookies sale. Now, we want to reward those of you who come up with the best cookie video for your Digital Cookie website. The videos with the most votes win! Share Your Awesome Cookie-Earnings Stories We’re so excited to hear about all of the amazing things you will do with your cookie money! Help us celebrate girls and inspire cookie customers to support you by sharing your cookie-earnings stories with us. Submit yours by March 27, 2015 and you will get a free, fun patch. Colorado Girl Scouts: Bling Your Booth The “Bling Your Booth” Challenge is your chance to come up with fun and creative ways to attract more customers to your cookie booth and increase sales. The photo with the most votes wins! Cooking with Girl Scout Cookies: Recipe Contest Girl Scouts of Colorado is hosting a recipe contest for those of you, who like to cook with Girl Scout Cookies. It is open to Girl Scouts of all ages. The only restriction is that you must be a registered Colorado Girl Scout. A panel of Girl Scouts of Colorado staff members, whose roles are not directly tied to volunteers, will select winners for both sweet and savory dishes. Why is your Cookie Dad the best? Dads are an important part of the Girl Scouts of Colorado Cookie Team. That’s why this selling season we want to honor dads, who help cookie bosses all across Colorado meet their sales goals. If your Cookie Dad is the best, write a short essay about what he does that is so awesome and submit it through Share Your Stories on the Girl Scouts of Colorado web-site. The best stories will be shared here on blog and social media networks. We also have a special prize for the best submissions to show dad just how much we appreciate him for being part of the Girl Scouts of Colorado Cookie Team. If you have questions, please email Girl Scouts of Colorado Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper. #contests #cookies

Selling Girl Scout Cookies on Digital Cookie? If so, make sure you’re taking advantage of all the tools, which Digital Cookie gives you to be creative and customize your website, like uploading a video. For years, we’ve seen just how creative you can be when making videos to promote the Girl Scout Cookies sale. Now, we want to reward those of you who come up with the best cookie video for your Digital Cookie website through a contest. Girl Scouts 12-years-old and younger can have a parent help them make their video. Videos submitted by Girl Scouts 13-years-old and older must be girl-done. To enter, submit a link to the Vimeo video you created for your personal site and a brief story about it through Share Your Stories on the Girl Scouts of Colorado website. This contest is for Girl Scouts of Colorado girl members only, and entries must be received by February 22, 2015. All of the entries have been uploaded to our YouTube Channel and are part of the playlist: Best Cookie Video Contest 2015. If you like a video, simply click the “thumbs up” icon beneath it. The video that receives the most “thumbs up” by Wednesday, March 4 at 9 a.m. wins! First Prize: $100 in cookie credits Second Prize: $50 in cookie credits Third Prize: $25 in cookie credits If you have questions, please email Girl Scouts of Colorado Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper. #contest #cookies

Girl Scouts showcased  theSamoa cookies during Chocolate Indulgence at the Pueblo Convention Center held on February 6. Participants enjoyed delicious homemade Samoa popcorn. For recipe, click Chocolate Samoa Popcorn. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Pueblo #Samoapopcorn

Outdoor Skills Day Camps Back by popular demand! An annual favorite event for Girl Scouts is coming back – Outdoor Skills Day camps are being hosted in Longmont, Thornton and Boulder. Who: 1st Graders and up When: 9:45am—3:45pm  after Scouts Own (exact times will be sent) On Sale Price/Girl: $16 includes hot Sat. lunch and Outdoor Skills patch Adults: free up to required ratios—(1 adult: 4 Brownies or 1 adult: 6 Juniors or 1 adult: 10 Cadettes) Additional adults: $5/day Event Maximum: Up to 100 girls (register early). Bring a friend. Sample of Outdoor Skills to Learn and Improve Knife Craft and Safety Knot Tying Compass Use Outdoor Cooking Fire Building and Campsite Set-up / Tent Pitching Emergency First Aid and Preparation Each girl will earn ‘Outdoor Skills’ patch. Brownies/Juniors/Cadettes may do activities that are part of other awards. Each girl should bring a washed/peeled veggie for the lunch Stone Soup. Come with your troop or on your own. Please register NOW: https://sites.google.com/site/gsoutdoorskillsdayscolorado/ Questions to:  girlscouttroop70007@gmail.com Girl Scout Senior/Ambassador Troop 70007 is running this event to help Girl Scouts learn Outdoor Skills and as a fundraiser for their big summer trip to California.DateRegistration and Payment DeadlineLocationSat Feb 28Feb 24United Methodist Church, 350 11th Avenue, Longmont, CO 80501Sat Mar 7Mar 3Good Shepherd UMC, 3690 East 128th Avenue, Thornton, Colorado 80241Sat Mar 14Mar 10Mountain View United Methodist Church, 355 Ponca Place, Boulder, Co 80303 Download Outdoor Skills Day Camps Flyer 2015 final.pdf #boulder #Longmont #outdoorskills #Thornton

We’ve moved and improved the GSCO Blog. Now at gscoblog.org, the blog is an online gathering place where you’ll find important news, Girl Scout stories, troop tips, contests and cool opportunities for your girls. Subscribe to the blog, so you don’t miss a beat. You can choose daily, weekly or monthly digest emails. (See the subscription form in the footer.) Comment on posts, share your own stories and photos and now place a Classified all in one place. If you’ve got materials to give away or need an expert to help your girls complete a badge, place a Classified. Browse the Classifieds for a ride share to camp or for swapping cookie varieties. It’s free and easy to use. Keep up on all the great things Girl Scouts are doing across Colorado. You’ll see our Instagram feed, Twitter timeline and more. Visit gscoblog.org and let us know what you think. We’re excited to see you there!

Submitted by Deyanira Smith Colorado Springs Pikes Peak It’s my first year as a Girl Scout, and I’m already so grateful and happy. My daddy is in the Army and he takes care of my brother while Mommy and I spend time together at meetings. He makes my favorite meals for dinner, usually extra Sloppy Joes and has it ready for when we get home after meetings. He is the best, because I know he’s tired from work, but he loves me and wants me to be the best I can and better the world by bettering myself. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #BestDadContest #ColoradoSprings

Have you ever wanted to leave a legacy?  Are you creative, and Pinterest is your version of Candy Land?  During SH18 Sky High Legends, you will spend the week building and designing all kinds of large and small permanent craft projects at Sky High Ranch.  The activities will be decided by the girls when they get to camp, and here are some exciting examples of what they may decide to create: This camp is a chance for older girls (high school ages) to gain useful practical life skills with tools and planning, while exercising their creativity.  With popular small-business opportunities such as Etsy and Pinterest, girls will broaden their preconceptions about what running a small business looks like.  The world of high-quality, hand-made and repurposed crafts and projects is gaining popularity and camp is a great place to hone that skill set! In addition to learning these valuable skills, girls will gain a sense of ownership and responsibility at Sky High Ranch.  They will need to work hard to ensure that their project is sustainable and of good quality to survive camp for years to come.  Hard work and dedication can go a long way in helping develop a girl’s sense of accomplishment and value in herself.  Leave a legacy today! This and many other Resident (at Sky High Ranch and Tomahawk Ranch), Day, Troop and Family Camp sessions are available through Girl Scouts of Colorado this summer. Learn more about our summer camp sessions and register your girl today! #Etsy #daycamp #legacy #summercamp #overnightcamp #oldergirls #troopcamp #GirlScoutsofColorado #TomahawkRanch #pinterest #camp #leadership #craftcamp

What did you do for your Gold Award project? I made and organized others to make pillowcase dresses and collected underwear for girls living in tent cities in Haiti. I made directions for people to sew dresses, collected materials, and organized sewing parties. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? I pursued this Gold Award project because I wanted to help people in Haiti. I started brainstorming when my Dad was planning on going to a mission trip to Haiti. I asked the coordinator of the mission team if there was anything I could do to help the Haitians, and he suggested making pillowcase dresses. I liked this idea because I enjoy sewing. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? 578 dresses have been made and 664 pairs of underwear have been collected for my Gold Award project. What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? • Sewing—I learned to sew dresses in order to make dresses and teach others how to make the dresses. • Communication—I emailed, talked, and made Facebook posts in order to communicate with people. • Knowledge about spreadsheets—I made my plan, kept track of the time I spent on my project, made a list of volunteers and people who donated, and kept track of my progress in spreadsheets, which helped me stay more organized. How did you make your project sustainable? Beyond my direct involvement, my project will be sustained through continued dressmaking. I donated the leftover materials from my project to Spiritual Threads, a sewing group that makes pillowcase dresses for Haiti. Also, I taught a lady going on a mission trip to Haiti how to make a pillowcase dress so that she could teach three girls at an orphanage to make dresses so that they can clothe themselves. What was your connection to the national or global community? The dresses were made for girls in Haiti. What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will most remember making dresses. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? Because I did my Gold Award, I learned about management and the steps it takes to complete a big project. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award is the most prestigious award a Girl Scout can earn, so earning the Gold Award is the biggest project I’ve ever done 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 #GirlScout #oldergirls #Lakewood #GirlScoutsofColorado #girls #MetroDenver #GirlScouts