A number of our volunteers and community members in the Southern Colorado region have expressed concern over the date and time scheduled for the Outdoor Property Town Hall.  We respect and value the feedback of our volunteers and stakeholders, so we have decided to reschedule the event.  Due to other conflicts and our impending deadlines, we are unable to schedule it on another weekend day.  We will instead be offering two sessions on a weekday.  Our hope is that the majority of interested citizens can attend one of the sessions.  We have discussed these options with several volunteers and community members and they agree that they are the best available.  The new meetings will be: Friday, May 2:  11:30 a-12:30 p and 6:30 p-7:30 p at the Pueblo Regional Office (21 Montebello).  Please note that the date and location for the Colorado Springs Town Hall will remain Sunday, April 6:  3:00 p-4:30 p at the Colorado Springs Regional Office.  Thank you for your continued support of GSCO, we look forward to seeing you there! #OutdoorPropertyEvaluationTaskForce #property #GirlScouts #Colorado #LazyAcres

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. Bronze Award Recipients March 2014 Troop42109 – Colorado Springs Abigail Humphries Ava Collins Blakeley Bennett Elizabeth Gumper Ellie Schueler Emma Popkin Gabriella Greenberg Hope Earls Katie Weyant Kellyn Pattee Kennedy Wriedt Mackenzie Walton MyLinh Merkert Ruby Boswell Sarah Wrubel Troop43107 – Monument Kaitlyn Ketchell Sarah Hinton Zoe Johnson Troop43580 – Colorado Springs Jaylee Hepner Troop44189 – Colorado Springs Alison Russo Allison Graham Ashton McKnight-Wilson Avery Lenocker Heidi Johnson Jaiden Jacobs Jaycee Jacobs Mallory Hajek Sadye Hughes Samantha Gregerson Scarlet Lenocker Sydney Hidalgo Troop53289 – Arvada Alyssa Davis Audrey Solis Cora Holguin Emilyann Owens Jocelyn Brown Kaela Bredine Katherine Price Mary Charlotte Landvik Molly Butler Rebecca Stankiewicz Troop53406 – Commerce City Abigail Taugner Emma Bourgeois Gracelyn Adair Isabella Heinmiller Jaelyn Rainwater Jerray Sterling Kalene Nissen Lauren Restrepo Leah Sansom Lydia Jimmerson Madison Speck Sydney Worden Troop54373 – Denver Claudia Horning Ella Brink Ellie Swigle Lyndsey Snowtala Sarah Young Skylar Cole Sofia Martikonis Troop62802 – Aurora Aura Delgado-Chacon Kacey McCutchen Lucy Herrick Madison McCutchen Megan Vazquez Olivia Calderon Troop72147 – Fort Collins Avantika Malvankar Charlotte Gregg Dakota Lavigne Ella Gernert Jessica Robinson Maile Tinker Megan Grube Meghan Williams Nicole Clack Olivia French Troop73392 – Longmont Amber Reichenberg Ashley Reichenberg Beatrice Lin Courtney Haedike Dina Mercier Emma Stenner Gayathri Budamgunta Haeydn Sais Kaelin Smith Kensington Dobbins Sophia Manning Willow Good Troop73961 – Louisville Alexis Stone Aurora Martinez Chloe McCormick Cynthia Vander Meyden Erin Rosenthal Katie Glass Kavita Kellow Kaylin Denny Kya Irish Leila Lauer Maya Baumann Miranda McCoy Natalie Sargent Nicole Schnettler Sruti Durbha #BronzeAward #HighestAwards #TakeAction

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. Silver Award Recipients March 2014 Troop40195 – Colorado Springs Alyssa Scaduto Emily Schaad Madeline Campbell Mikala O’Flynn Troop51219 – Evergreen Bryce Civiello Troop53465 – Denver Elizabeth Meschia Graciela Smet Lauren Deanda Troop62752 – Centennial Audrey Dubler Jessica Pulido Katie Carothers Madison Wacaser Merrilyn Loadman-Copeland Troop69619 – Highlands Ranch Marissa Myer Troop69646 – Northglenn Addison O’Donnell Troop70351 – Lafayette Mikayla Frank-Martin Troop70552 – Frederick Carolanne Allen Troop73488 – Longmont Abigail Denning Georgina Bell Jordyn Blaha Madison Manning Marin Neuhard Megan Bush Sarah Freese Trinity Brubaker #HighestAwards #SilverAward #TakeAction

Ashley Jones Parker Cherokee Trail High School The Great Escape What did you do for your Gold Award project? I created a library for the education center at Urban Peak, a homeless teens shelter. Why did you pursue this Gold Award project? Ever since I was little I have loved to read. I knew from the beginning that I wanted my Gold Award to deal with books. My original goal was to create a library for a hospital but found that there were a lot of obstacles regarding the sanitation of books. So I called different non-profit organizations all over Denver. When I found Urban Peak, I then began to form the specifics of the project around their needs. How did your Gold Award project make a difference? A library isn’t just a collection of books. It can be a common meeting place and a resource for growth. The education center provides GED classes for youth using Urban Peak’s facilities, and I wanted to inspire those youth to pick up something besides a textbook and to discover all the places that reading can take you. Hence why I named my project “The Great Escape.” What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award? I learned a lot about communication. Not just communication with people but also my community. As a leader I learned that often it is better to contact volunteers in person. That way they know that their support is important to you and are less likely to bail last minute on  a project. Leaders are in charge of organizing everything and answering questions. I found that by not putting myself to work in one specific group on the day of I was of more use to all the people who were helping me. This allowed me to bounce between the people sorting existing books, the people putting reading levels on my donated books, and communicating with the Urban Peak employee who donated his time on a Sunday to open the Education Center up for me and my project What will you most remember about your Gold Award project? I will most remember the Saturday that we went into Urban Peak to put everything together. I was slowly seeing my dream come together right in front of my eyes with shelves stuffed to the brim with books. How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future? I will continue to grow in the future due to this project because of the experience I now have. Earning my Gold Award put me in a select group of young women who have successfully earned this honor. Earning the Gold Award requires a high level of responsibility as well as an extremely large amount of time and organization. I feel I am more prepare to take on responsibilities by myself in the professional world. I have Girl Scout friends who are considering earning their Gold Award as well as younger Girl Scouts who are just considering earning their Gold and Silver Awards, and because of my experience I can give encouragement and wisdom on things that went well and went poorly. I know how many volunteers are needed to carry out a Gold Award, so as opportunities arise to help others in the future I will take action to help them through volunteer work and spreading information about their cause and Gold Award. On a more personal side I will always remember the great feeling of pride that comes when you take an idea and turn it into something that will benefit the community and people around you. Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience? Although the Gold Award can be very time consuming and frustrating at times, seeing the finished project taught me that when you finish what you start the rewards are unlimited. My whole Girl Scouts experience was leading up to this project. The relationships I formed and the skills I developed over the years were preparing me for the real-world experience of leadership, creativity and passion that is the Gold Award. #Colorado #GirlScouts #GoldAward #Parker

Let your voice be heard! What’s important about being a Girl Scout? How has Girl Scouts affected you as a person? One girl can make a difference, and, together, girls can change the world! Help us serve more girls by telling us your Girl Scout truths about what you think: Register today for Girl Scout Voices at http://www.girlscoutvoices.org/. Girls 12 and under, get a parent’s help. Take the 2014 GSCO Satisfaction Survey, which goes live in June. If you complete the survey by July 14, 2014 you will be entered in a drawing to a win 50 percent off one session of Summer Camp in 2015. One prize will be awarded for each program level Not a camper? Winners can choose a $65 Amazon gift card instead of the camp discount Prizes are not transferable Prizes are not redeemable for cash All forms must be completed online in CampInTouch to earn the camp discount prize Camp discount prizes must be redeemed by 8/31/15 Questions? Contact: Surveys@gscolorado.org #voicessurvey #feedback #satisfactionsurvey #GirlScouts #survey #Colorado

“A signature Tomahawk Ranch camp program. Campers will visit the barnyard, cook outdoor meals, create camp crafts, dabble in sports, plant in the greenhouse, make and eat homemade ice cream, participate in all-camp programs, hike and plan their own camp adventures.” Register Now for this amazing resident camp opportunity this summer! When: 6/22/14-6/27/14 Where: Tomahawk Ranch Camp Ages: Brownies, Juniors and Cadettes, entering grades 2-8 in the fall Cost: $500 if you pay in full by 11:59pm on April 30, $550 if you pay balance in full May 1 and after This 6-day camp is an amazing way for Brownie, Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts to relish in the camp life at Tomahawk Ranch. #barnyard #summercamp #overnightcamp #CadetteCamp #cookout #browniecamp #juniorcamp #TomahawkRanchCamp #greenhouse

It’s already that time of year when troops are planning end-of-year parties and bridging ceremonies!  Here are a few things you’ll need to do over the next few months to wrap up the 2013-2014 Girl Scout membership year. As soon as you complete your last activity for the year, follow these steps: Annual Troop Report – Submit this form online within 30 days of your group’s last activity for the year. If you gather this information, you should be able to complete the report in 10 minutes! You’ll receive an email with a copy of your report and links to the other checklist items below. ACH Authorization – When you submit your Annual Troop Report, the website will direct you to the ACH Authorization for next year’s Fall Product Sale and Cookie Program (the link will also be in your confirmation email). If you know your group is continuing, go ahead and submit this quick form! Re-register for 2014-2015 – Starting May 1st, you can log in to your online Troop Management Tool to re-register all the girls and adult who plan to continue for the 2014-2015 membership year! GS Voices Survey – Encourage the girls, parents, and volunteers in your troop to register to participate in the Girl Scout Voices survey. Registering ensures the Girl Scout Research Institute sends an age-appropriate survey that provides a chance to share thoughts and feelings about the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Please complete the Get Ready for Summer Checklist by August 1st!  If you have any questions about completing this checklist, contact your Program Support Specialist – or you can contact the GSCO Customer Support team at inquiry@gscolorado.org or (877) 404-5708.  Have a great summer! #troops #SummerChecklist #reregister #voicessurvey #volunteers

Submitted by Genevieve O’Bryan Cottonwood A beloved teacher, Joyce Bustamante, at Stargate Charter School has a granddaughter in need of a heart transplant. Delanee was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome or Shone’s Anomoly before she was born. She had her first open heart surgery when she was just 22 days old. Over the past 12 years Delanee’s condition has deteriorated. Recently, she was placed on the heart donor list and is currently undergoing the necessary work to be ready when there is a heart available. Once a heart is available, the family will need to mobilize quickly to get Delanee to the hospital. Following the surgery, Delanee will need a great deal of care from her entire family. As you can imagine, this is going to cost a great deal of money (early estimates are over $500,000 in medical expenses alone) and much of those expenses will not be covered by insurance. The school has banded together to raise money for Delanee. The eight Daisies from Troop 2714 decided to use their profits from 2014 cookie sales to give to Delanee and her family. They presented her with a check for $225 at a schoolwide assembly on March 14. The school has raised over $17,000 as a community toward Delanee’s medical bills. This story was submitted via the Share Your Stories form. http://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/share You can share your Girl Scout moments too. #Cottonwood #StargateCharterSchool #Troop2714

From Kay Martley, Girl Scouts of Colorado volunteer coordinator for the cookies to the military program (Photos by Colorado Girl Scout volunteer Carol Klein) View more photos from the event The annual Hearts Across the Miles Girl Scout Cookie packaging event for the military took place on Saturday, March 15th, at the Colorado National Guard Armory in Aurora. More than 70 volunteers, many of them Girl Scouts and their families, participated in packing the cookies that will be sent to soldiers who are on deployment. These cookies were sold by the Girl Scouts during the annual cookie program and bought by the public knowing the cookies would be sent to soldiers. A cookie from home gives our soldiers solace and confirms that we are all thinking of them. Hearts is a volunteer group of active and retired military, and they raise the funds to cover the cost of shipping. Approximately 6,500 packages of Girl Scout Cookies were donated to this effort this year. These cookies supported 23 deployed units as well as the Veterans’ Administration, local Colorado National Guard units and Buckley Air Force Base. About 45 packed boxes of cookies were held back and will be shipped off in the coming months to additional deployed units. “It’s obvious this a labor of love for our local community. It’s also obvious that the Girl Scouts are the key to its success,” said Al Gonzalez, President, Hearts Across the Miles. #HeartsAcrosstheMiles #GiftofCaring #GirlScoutCookies #HometownHeroes #military

Submitted by Cricket Hawkins Snowshoe Service Unit Granby/Winterpark/Tabernash Troop 1371 and their Brownie mascot dropped 100 boxes of cookies off to their Hometown Hero, the Mountain Family Center, a local food bank in Grand County, on March 25. The girls were just bubbling with ideas for their Silver Award when they left. The energy and excitement generated by their discussion of doing something good for their community and peers has sparked some fabulous Silver Award considerations according to leader Nicole Robinson! This story was submitted via the Share Your Stories form. http://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/share You can share your Girl Scout moments too.: #MountainFamilyCenter

[slideshow] #camp #KeystoneScienceSchool #STEM

This week’s “Because of Girl Scout Camp” entry is written by Rebecca Kosten “Scribble”- a senior at Arapahoe High School; in summer 2013 she worked on Crew Staff; and in summer 2014 will be a Cabin Counselor. Because of Girl Scout Camp… Camp is a place of belonging without condition, kindness without limit, and new opportunities without fear. And because of camp I believe in the power of small positive actions to make the world a better place. I have been a camper at Tomahawk Ranch for 10 years, throughout which I grew up and grew closer to my home away from home and eventually became a counselor as well.  Over the years, I learned how to ride a horse, shoot a bow and arrow, and discover treasures in nature, but my most important lessons were in how to believe in myself, how to care for others, and how to make a difference in the world. As I look back on my years at camp it is not the activities or the opportunities that stand out the most — it is the way in which each activity and each moment made a difference. I remember the first time I went on a hike at camp. I was jumping with excitement. I remembered hikes with my family when I had learned about the plants or the rocks or the creatures around me. I loved these hikes and I was sure that this would be just as exciting. As we set out, I chattered away noisily about the nature around me. At every stop I gulped water so quickly that some inevitably spilled and ran all over my face. I was eager to see the nature around me, to discover some previously unknown flower. As we got closer to the top of the hike, though, I began to see how much something else mattered. As my excitement was absorbed by the mountain trail, I found that we had brought something with us as important as nature around us. We had brought teamwork and caring with us too. It was a magnificent adventure into the outdoors, but what I remember most is the friendship and the courage I found on that hike. It was a hike, yes, but it also planted seeds of courage, caring, and empathy. Over time I realized how much each moment at camp made a difference. Time and time again I found that seemingly insignificant moments impacted me greatly. I can’t describe camp in a list of years, activities, or lessons learned because, to me, camp is the little actions that have made me the person I am today. I strive to take camp’s strength, kindness, and acceptance with me everywhere I go. It’s not always easy, but if camp had taught me anything it’s that it will be worth it. From these memories, I draw the strength to continue believing, to continue growing, and to continue giving. Because of camp I know that every moment is special, that every person is unique, and that every action we take makes more of a difference than we can possibly know. #arapahoehighschool #Becauseofcamp #BecauseofGirlScoutCamp