Acknowledging the 100th anniversary of Juliette’s birth (1960) and the 50th anniversary of Girl Scouting starting in the United States, Girl Scouts celebrated a 3-year triennium (October 1960 – 1963.) The Birthday Years theme announced by the 35th National Council meeting was “Honor the Past –Serving the Future.”  Among the celebrations were Heritage Hikes, a gala was held at the at Juliette’s birthplace in Savannah, a Centennial patch, and as a tribute to Girl Scouting, a special floribunda yellow rose was developed by Jackson and Perkins. Traditional activities to celebrate Founders Day range from singing songs, performing skits, arts & crafts, playing games, or having a birthday or tea party. Kim’s Game, is classic Girl Scout game, is based on an activity from Rudyard Kipling’s (who was a friend of Juliette Low’s) novel, Kim. In the book, Kim is training to be a spy. He plays this game to practice his observation skills. https://sites.google.com/site/gsleaderinfo/traditions/games-to-teach/kims-game Here are some suggestions from the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Host a “throwback” Girl Scout meeting or event. Check out some old Girl Scout badges or watch The Golden Eagletwith your girls and try out some of the activities the first Girl Scouts might have learned from Daisy. You could also invite a Girl Scout alumna to your meeting to share some of her stories about badges and activities she did as a young Girl Scout. Go fishing. Daisy loved to fish and was not one to let her attire stop her from one of her favorite outdoor hobbies. She once talked Rudyard Kipling into going salmon fishing with her during a large formal party despite the fact they were both dressed in evening clothes. Stand on your head! One of Daisy’s special skills was standing on her head. She stood on her head every year on her birthday to prove she could still do it, and celebrated nieces’ and nephews’ birthdays by standing on her head. Once, she even stood on her head in the board room at National Headquarters to show off the new Girl Scout shoes. Throw a birthday bash. Need ideas? Google Juliette Gordon Low birthday party ideas or check out Pinterest. You’ll find songs, crafts, stories, ceremonies, and many more ways to celebrate this important day. Let the girls get involved in planning the party. Daisy was the first to promote girl-led in Girl Scouts. She famously replied when asked what the girls should do, “What do the girls WANT to do?” We like your style, Daisy! Help someone else. Daisy was an advocate of doing a good turn daily and she would be ecstatic to know that girls and women the world over still consider helping others a part of their essential Girl Scout duties. So lend a helping hand in her honor this year. Give a gift basket to the first girl born on October 31! Put together gift baskets for the first girl born on October 31 at your local hospital. Check with the hospital to make sure it’s okay, and either drop the basket off in advance or make preparations for some of the girls to deliver it in person that day. Wear a strand of pearls. Have you heard the story of Juliette’s pearls? In 1914, she sold a strand of rare matched pearls to pay the rent for the national Girl Scout office. She said, “Jewels are not important, but my Girl Scouts are, they need money more than I need pearls.” In her honor, wear a strand of pearls for her birthday (fake ones are perfectly fine)! My favorite collection of ideas comes from the Girl Scouts of Maine with how to host a Virtual Founders Day complete with BINGO centered around the history of Juliette’s life. https://www.girlscoutsofmaine.org/content/dam/girlscouts-girlscoutsofmaine/documents/Virtual-Founders-Day.pdf Happy founders Day from the GSCO History Center in Loveland!  We have vintage uniforms to lend should your Service Unit want to host a “fashion show” while you serve birthday cupcakes to celebrate Founders Day. Email the GSCO History Center at gscohistory@gmail.com.

Our junior Girl Scouts had a beautiful and calming yoga session outdoors earlier this month.

Girl Scouts of Colorado will be participating in the Oct. 23 Broncos Trick or Treat. Every October, Empower Field at Mile High is transformed into a family-friendly haunted house with candy stations. Tickets are available for $5/person (for children 12 and under and their caregiver)and  there is still availability for the 11:45 and 1:15 time slots.  Tickets to participate can be purchased here and the event will likely sell out. Volunteers are needed to help hand out candy. Girl Scouts 14 and older are welcome to help out.   Click here to sign up to volunteer. Volunteer sign-up is until Thursday at 10 or when we hit 30 volunteers, whichever comes first.

REGISTER TODAY! Can’t make the live event? Don’t worry! We will have the recording and worksheet available after the event on our anytime activities site. Girl Scouts can earn this patch by watching the recording and completing the worksheet before August 2022. #STEM #STEMcareers

On Sept. 29 at the Denver Botanic Gardens, more than 600 guests gathered, despite a rainy afternoon, to celebrate 10 amazing women for their contributions to the community and to show their support and champion the dreams of girls and women everywhere. More than $230,000 was raised at the reimagined event, which was back after a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Event chairs were Kelly Brough, Women of Distinction ’14, Donna Evans, Women of Distinction ’09, Luella Chavez D’Angelo, Women of Distinction ’05, and M.L. Hanson, Woman of Distinction ’15. This year, more than 30 Girl Scouts were involved in the event, connecting Women of Distinction and other community leaders to the impact of Girl Scouting. Four stations – STEM, entrepreneurship, outdoors, and life skills — gave guests an opportunity to try some hands-on, Girl Scout-style learning. 2021 Class of Women of Distinction Akasha Absher, President, Syntrinsic Investment Counsel– Named to the Who’s Who in Impact Investing and one of Colorado’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women, Akasha has put her finance background to work consulting for nonprofit organizations and philanthropic private clients. She has influenced investment decisions for $500 million in assets by educating and empowering clients and their Boards of Directors. Dr. Katie Bakes, Medical Director and ER Physician, Denver Health and Hospital Authority- Dr. Katie Bakes is an emergency physician at Denver Health and a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine. Her work as an emergency physician in Colorado’s primary safety net institution fostered her efforts in the areas of violence intervention and prevention, children’s needs, diversity, and social justice. Kristen Blessman, President and CEO, Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce- Kristen spearheads the organization’s mission of advancing women in business; she was hired in 2017 to bring value to membership through innovation, brand awareness and long-term vision. Through the creation of a new leadership program, mentoring program and unique peer group programming, Kristen has overhauled programming and curriculum at the CWCC and brought a new value proposition to CWCC members and the community. Kristin Bronson, City Attorney, City of Denver– As the chief legal officer for the City of Denver, Kristin provides policy and legal advice to the Mayor, City Council, the City Auditor and the Clerk and Recorder, all city agencies, departments, boards and commissions. She is the final decision maker on critical legal decisions facing the city and manages the Department of Law, a public law firm of more than 220 attorneys, paralegals, victim advocates, and staff. Katie Kramer, President and CEO, Boettcher Foundation– Katie was selected as a Boettcher Scholar in 1993 and has been at the foundation in various roles since 1997, including as the director of the scholarship program and vice president — a title she assumed at the age of 26. She’s been recognized as one of Colorado’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women, is known as an expert in the field of scholarship, and has served the community on various boards. Kasia Iwaniczko MacLeod, Vice President Community and Government Engagement, Cigna– Named as one of Colorado’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women, Kasia is known as a visionary community thought leader, successfully cultivating relationships across private, public and nonprofit sectors. She leads the expansion of Cigna’s community engagement activities across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico by deepening civic and governmental relationships, and developing a philanthropic strategy that deploys local community investments where the need is greatest. Roberta Robinette, President, AT&T– For more than 20 years, Roberta has been a leader in the telecommunications industry and business community, with extensive experience developing and executing public policy strategies for large corporations, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations. As president, Roberta leads AT&T’s government and community affairs and supports their new technology deployment and infrastructure investment. Lola Salazar, President, Salazar Family Foundation– Lola, with her husband Rob, founded Salazar Family Foundation in 1999 with a mission to encourage Denver-area students to achieve their educational dreams. The Salazar Family Foundation has supported hundreds of organizations through scholarships, literacy programs, and classroom grants, totaling more than $20 million gifted to our community. LaDawn Sullivan, Director, The Black Resilience in Colorado (BRIC) Fund, Denver Foundation– LaDawn has organized and supported social justice and racial equity through her various roles at The Denver Foundation for more than 23 years.  She created and directs the recently established Black Resilience in Colorado Fund. She also leads programs that support emerging leaders of color including the Executive Directors of Color Institute, The Landscape Project, and national Black philanthropic networks. Sylvia Young, President and CEO, HCA Healthcare and HealthONE- Sylvia, a veteran of hospital administration since 1985, has been named both an Outstanding Women in Business in health care and a Most Admired CEO. As president and CEO, Sylvia oversees 10 hospitals, 9 freestanding emergency departments, 20 ambulatory centers, and dozens of physician care and urgent care clinics. In 2019, Sylvia was appointed At-Large Trustee of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees. View photos from the event. The Western Slope Women of Distinction event is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Nov. 4 and will honor three extraordinary women in that region.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF4AD31wrPU #WomenofDistinction

Girl Scouts will retain use of property for six weeks each summer Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to announce a partnership with the University of Denver that includes the sale of Magic Sky Ranch to DU, as well as significant collaboration opportunities between these two, like-minded organizations. After six years of listing Magic Sky Ranch on the market, GSCO was approached by DU with an interest to purchase the property and evolve it into a mountain location to complement its urban campus. With nearly 12,000 graduate and undergraduate students, DU wants to provide outdoor opportunities and curriculum to enhance the student experience. The funds from the sale allow Girl Scouts of Colorado to invest in a sustainable future and increase its ability to deliver the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to girls across the state. In addition, DU appreciates the importance of the outdoors and camp traditions within Girl Scouting and has agreed to enable GSCO and its statewide girl membership to continue to access the property outside of Red Feather Lakes for up to six weeks each summer for at least the next seven years. Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Board of Directors and DU’s Board of Trustees have agreed to the deal, which transfers ownership of Magic Sky Ranch to DU for $11.25 million. The transfer of land will be complemented by significant partnership opportunities between the two organizations, including: collaborating on outdoor equity and education curriculum as well as programing related to the advancement of women and girls; mentorship and leadership opportunities for our girls with DU students; access to DU’s Denver campus facilities for programing and other opportunities; the ability to partner with relevant academic programs; internships, fieldwork, and research opportunities for DU students that Girl Scouts can participate in and learn from. “We are overjoyed to be entrusting Magic Sky Ranch to an organization that shares our passion for youth development and education,” said Leanna Clark, CEO of Girl Scouts of Colorado.  “The fact that our girls can continue to have access to Magic Sky, coupled with the extensive partnership opportunities we are exploring with DU, means we are jointly creating a legacy the benefits of which will be felt by our girls and DU’s students for decades to come.” The Magic Sky Ranch property was purchased in the 1960s by the Girl Scouts Mile High Council. It was operated as a resident camp from 2007 to 2013, during which time it incurred losses of about $750,000 annually; in recent years, Magic Sky Ranch has been used on average only 68 days out of each year. In 2014, the Girl Scouts of Colorado Board of Directors voted to put the property on the market based on the recommendation of the council’s Outdoor Property Task Force. Since then, Newmark Knight Frank and Deloitte Consulting have both conducted additional property studies for GSCO that corroborate the benefits of a sale of Magic Sky Ranch. Funds from the proceeds of the sale will be held in a separate Girl Scouts of Colorado financial account. A committee of key stakeholders, including members, volunteers, board, and staff, will have input into how the funds will be reinvested in Girl Scout properties and to support delivery of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. About $3 million from the sale has been approved for expenditure on deferred maintenance projects at GSCO’s other properties. These projects, which will be determined through a property strategic planning process, will take place over several years and include technology and security upgrades, winterizing to ensure year-round access, and upgrades to accommodations. GSCO will work closely with the Membership Connection Committee to solicit input from members and volunteers on the potential of adding other amenities to our properties as well as exploring ways in which the sale can enable us to reach and serve more girls across the state. #MagicSkyRanch

Submitted by Bella Gigoux, Western Slope What did you do for your Gold Award project? Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD, is a very misdiagnosed disorder mainly due to the lack of understanding of what it actually is. People with SPD are often assumed to be either on the autism spectrum or as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) because a lot of times it looks similar to these recognizable diagnoses. However, it is different! Jean Ayers, Ph.D., an Occupational Therapist, Neuroscientist and Psychologist, likens SPD to a “traffic jam” in the neurological system that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving information needed to correctly interpret sensory information, in any or all the the body’s 7 sensory systems- visual (sight), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), tactile (touch), auditory (hearing), proprioception (kinesthesia), and vestibular (sense of balance and interpretation/ internal state of the body). The exact cause of SPD has not yet been identified but as many as 1 in 20 people in the general population may be affected. Because SPD can impact every sensory system of the human body as it manifests itself in a different way for each person afflicted, thus making it challenging to diagnose. But, with as many resources as possible in a community, the easier it is for someone with SPD to feel included in their community. To earn my Gold Award, I wanted to create awareness and resources for the community of Grand Junction, CO regarding Sensory Processing Disorder. By working in collaboration with Eureka! McConnell Science Museum, I made a sensory exhibit which provided a basic resource and information about Sensory Processing Disorder. The signage for the exhibit gave a brief description of SPD, the function of the contents of the exhibit (sensory items/ toys) and offered a link to a website I created that went into more detail about SPD and ways to help an individual who has been diagnosed. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? Impact can be measured by the number of hits to my website. This helps track anyone who has clicked in to gather information about SPD and my project either when they have seen a hyperlink and/or QR code through social media or when they have visited Eureka! McConnell Science Museum. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? The project advisor at Eureka has written a letter of sustainability stating that the museum will continue to use my project and advertise it during their regular exhibit rotation. The website I built will also remain open, and is also able to be shared and posted through other platforms, such as linking through social media of family and friends, around my community and beyond (either through hyperlinks or QR codes). What is your project’s global and/or national connection? By offering a hands-on experience through my exhibit, I believe my target audience will gain awareness, understanding, compassion, empathy, and knowledge to help them take continued action in our community and beyond. The simple exhibit I created is not only beneficial to people with Sensory Processing Disorder but is also a tool for the community at-large to learn about this disorder and similar spectrum disorders in a fun way. Because it is simple, I think it is easily replicated, so I reached out to the top 22 similar children’s/community facilities in the United States to ask if they had similar resources, as the exhibit I created, in their facility and to encourage them to do one, if they didn’t. It is my hope that resources like this continue to pop up in communities all over the globe so kids like my sister and families like my own are never again at a loss for understanding and always gave helpful resources at their fingertips. What did you learn about yourself? What I learned about myself is the importance of self accountability. I struggled with lack of motivation but also not wanting to disappoint the many people that I had contact with during this process. I learned that in order to make things I am passionate about happen, I need to buckle down and push through the slumps. Most importantly, I learned that I needed to have grace for myself, to not stress about wanting to do everything at once. Once I allowed myself to focus on only a couple components of my project, I could break it down into more manageable pieces. Then, lo and behold, a project comes to fruition that you can be proud of! How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? The biggest lifelong skill I learned was project management. I think in order to be effective at managing projects of any scale, you also must put these other skills into practice – Effective time management – PLANNING…setting goals and backing into a timeline that works for you Effective communication – Professionalism in how to write emails, make phone calls and communicating with various people, across generations and community groups is a lifelong tool in my tool box Adaptation – My parents call this “change management” and sometimes you have to adapt and that is ok Asking for assistance – I realized it was ok to ask for help and a good leader doesn’t always (assume they) have to know everything. Using all the resources and subject matter experts at your disposal makes for a better leader. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I feel that the Gold Award project is a good way to challenge yourself. As a Girl Scout, I spent a lot of time with my Girl Scout sisters and got to experience a lot of the world around me. I think that going through the process to earn your Gold Award helps to shape yourself as an individual rather than being dependent on the rest of your troop. As the final project in your time as a Girl Scout, the Gold Award helps to form leadership skills, independent thinking and planning, and project management. In my Girl Scout experience, I learned many skills that I ended up using during my Gold Award process. The Gold Award, to me, seems like a final exam that tests all of the knowledge that you learned throughout your Girl Scout journey. My Gold Award experience taught me many things, but it also helped to show me things that I knew how to do, and just didn’t know. The experience helped me to experience what living in the real world would be like. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? If I could start over, the lowest hanging fruit would be to focus on the addition of sensory bags to the resources developed for use at Eureka!. The sensory bags were an element that I had originally incorporated into my plans, but eventually had to exclude due to too many components. The sensory bags are easy to make and would be a wonderful addition for Eureka to have in their facility. Secondly, if Covid/inability to meet in person/travel onto campuses hadn’t been a factor for 18+ months of the time I was working on my project, I would have also liked to partner with Colorado Mesa University (CMU) on an an educational session with a target audience of those students taking early childhood development and early education classes/majors. While working on my CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) component of my International Baccalaureate diploma with school, I was trying to tie that requirement into this Gold Award so I could have expanded my community outreach/education. Suffice to say, adapting all this along the way is what makes me a Gold Award G.I.R.L. Go-getting after what I could accomplish with what resources (time, funds, people, etc) I had at my disposal. Innovating, making changes, when things weren’t always going my way and thinking about how to improve at each step. Taking the risk in the first place, asking the questions, and digging deeper even when it wasn’t easy. Leading the way by being the first to bring a resource to the community and spreading the word by sharing this and some of my other, unused, ideas so someone else can take the baton and run! #GirlScoutGoldAward

This year for my Silver Award project I am doing Beads of Courage. Beads of Courage stand for the story of an individual’s bravery on the journey to recovery. They are not really jewelry; the beads are actually a story of strength, honor, and hope told in many colors and shapes, strung one after another. Individuals going through cancer or chronic diseases are put on a waiting list and caught up from past treatments, using a 100 Bead Club Bead for every 100 past moments of courage. Depending on the patient population, Beads of Courage cost $3,000 to $5,000 annually. Question: What can you do with Beads of Courage? Answer: I assume you can do lots of creative things with your beads! Question: What are Beads of Courage made of? Answer: donated beads are made of polymer clay and some of them are even made out of glass! Question: Who founded beads of courage? Answer:Jean Baruch Question: What are Beads of Courage? Answer: Beads of Courage are a way for children and teens with chronic or life threatening illnesses to show their stories of the treatments they went through. Question: How can I help beads of courage? Answer: By donating your own polymer clay beads. To learn more about the Beads of Courage or to buy kits to donate your own beads please go to the Beads of Courage website. Please donate your own polymer clay beads! Beads need to be: 1 inch wide and 1½  inches tall Hole size:at least 2 mm Thickness of a round toothpick There can not be anything coming off the beads. I made my own beads. Mine are the ones that look like donuts! The difference between some of these beads are pictured below. Thank you! Alice McNeely GSCO Cadette For more information about beads of courage, https://beadsofcourage.org https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/home/departments/issues-in-cancer-survivorship/beads-of-courage-a-linear-story-of-a-childs-bravery-on-the-journ ey-to-recovery/ Kids automatically get their names on their beads in order to personalize them more; also to make the beads theirs. #GirlScoutSilverAward #GirlScoutSilverAwardproject

Submitted by Helena Sizemore, Metro Denver On Saturday, September 18, Girl Scout Daisies gathered at Denver Botanic Gardens for a Between Earth and Sky Journey. The Gardens was so excited to welcome all of the scouts that attended, many of whom were visiting Denver Botanic Gardens for the first time! While at the Gardens, Girl Scouts took a journey through nature. Using a scavenger hunt, they identified different types of plants and explored what plants need to grow. Following the scavenger hunt, Girl Scouts visited activity stations to use their senses to explore colors and textures in nature, complete a seed dissection, learn more about what plants need to grow, and plant their very own spider plant to take home! For more information about Scout Programs at Denver Botanic Gardens and for upcoming dates, please visit https://www.botanicgardens.org/education/children-family-programs/scout-community-programs

Girl Scouts – let’s hear those voices and make them louder! In October, Girl Scouts of Colorado has several programs focused around understanding our government, how to make change, and how to elevate your voice! GSCO on the Go! Programming (virtual) Badge Series Kick Off,  October 4: Daisies – Democracy for Daisies and Good Neighbor Brownies – Democracy for Brownies and Celebrating Community Juniors – Democracy for Juniors and Inside Government Cadettes – Democracy for Cadettes and Finding Common Ground Seniors – Democracy for Seniors and Behind the Ballot Ambassadors – Democracy for Ambassadors and Public Policy Asserting Your Power as a Changemaker, October 7 International Day of the Girl, October 11 Pitch Perfect, October 18 National Events Girl Scouts Change the World, October 9 Bystander Intervention Training, October 16 Awesome Girls: Tackling Global Public Health Challenges, October 21 #Cadette #Daisy #Civics #CivicsMonth #Brownie #Ambassador #Junior #senior

Submitted by Aimee Rogers, Metro Denver Brownies in the Juniper Trail Service Unit earned their Bugs badge while enjoying the outdoors at the Morrison Nature Center Star K Ranch in Aurora. The girls had a quick lesson in catching bugs then hiked out. Once the girls caught bugs, they were able to inspect them up close before releasing them.

Submitted by Aimee Dorman, Metro Denver The Seniors and Ambassadors in Troop 60350 are hosting a Halloween-themed axe-throwing training event on October 30, 2021 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at The Bad Hatchet in Westminster. Older Scouts will learn safe throwing techniques with real axes, while Brownies and Juniors can try their hand at throwing using special blunt plastic tools and targets. Cadettes will complete Step 4 of the Primitive Camper badge at this event. There will be four one-hour sessions. The cost is $25 per person, which includes instruction by The Bad Hatchet staff and plenty of practice time, plus a fun patch. Adult volunteer chaperones who do not wish to try their hand at throwing can attend for free. (Please do not bring any unregistered tagalongs – the venue does not have enough space to accommodate them.) Since this event is being held on Halloween weekend, Scouts are allowed to participate in costume, BUT all costumes must meet the following safety guidelines: NO gloves, NO loose clothing or capes, NO masks that obstruct vision, and long hair must be secured away from the face. Closed toe shoes and COVID masks are required. Register your troop online.  Contact Aimee Dorman at 720-939-7164 or girlscouts_60290@hotmail.com if you have questions.