You’re invited to join Girl Scouts of Colorado online to honor the 2021 recipients of Volunteer Recognition Awards! All Girl Scouts, including adult volunteers, girl members, families, and friends, can join GSCO Chief Executive Officer Leanna Clark on May 27 at 7 p.m. for this special celebration. No need to register or even RSVP! Just log on to the  Girl Scouts of Colorado Facebook page or YouTube channel. Can’t join us on May 27? The videos will be available to watch at your convenience or share with others. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #2021VolunteerRecognitionAwards #GSCOevents #VolunteerNews #Volunteerrecognitionawards

Submitted by Kendra Neal Metro Denver Roxborough Troop 68098 collected donated cookies for the teachers and staff of Roxborough Intermediate School. They felt the teachers and staff had been working extra hard with all of the challenges the pandemic brought and they wanted to give them a treat! The girls also used some of their cookie proceeds to make blankets to donate to kids in need of a little extra comfort. They made the blankets while listening to Michelle Obama talk about community service and other wonderful points. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #DouglasCountySchools #RoxboroughIntermediateSchool #GirlScoutCookie #2021GirlScoutCookieProgram #cookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #HometownHeroes #MetroDenver #Roxborough #MichelleObama

Submitted by Anna H., Girl Scout Gold Award candidate Metro Denver Westminster Hello everybody! My name is Anna and I am a Girl Scout Ambassador working on my Gold Award. My project is on bird conservation. My goal is to make the world a more bird-friendly place. I’m excited to announce the launch of my project website, https://www.conservebirdsathome.org! On my website, you will learn: How to protect birds from windows How to let cats safely outside while not hurting bird populations Why birds run into windows Why native plants are beneficial Proper birdhouses, birdbaths, and birdfeeders More information on my project Links to trusted resources for further information If you know anyone who would benefit from my website or would like to share it with others, feel free! The more people that can see my website, the better for the birds. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #GoldAward #Westminster #birds #GirlScoutGoldAward #MetroDenver #GirlScoutGoldAwardcandidate

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I created a patch packet for Girl Scouts of different ages, ranging from Brownies to Ambassadors, and designed and produced an actual patch that can be purchased at the GSCO Retail Shop. I also developed a few workshops for teachers and created a website that shares these resources, as well as testimonies of women in biotech with the purpose of addressing the local, national, and global issue of the gender barrier in different science fields. I addressed this issue by creating and sharing fun educational activities that allow students to explore some of the mysteries of biotechnology and hopefully, make them want to become future scientists in this field of science. I hope that the testimonies on my website will spark an interest in young girls and help them decide if a career in biotechnology is for them and what path they should take in college. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? To measure the impact of my Gold Award project, I created two different surveys. One is answered by students/girls in the beginning of the workshop, and the other is taken at the end. I was able to assess the knowledge they gained after comparing their answers before and after. I also used the data from my website’s dashboard that allows me to see that my website was visited more than 200 times from 27 different states, eight different countries, and three continents in less than a month. I am also receiving feedback through the contact me page on my website. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? My project is being sustained by the TSA (Technology Student Association) club at Castle View High School. They will introduce my workshops and website to incoming club members every year, as well as promote the Exploring Biotech website during eighth grade nights at CVHS. The Exploring Biotech Website is on a free website platform, so no financial maintenance is required for the project. The website resource can be accessed by people around the world for the foreseeable future, https://sophier314.wixsite.com/exploring-biotech What is your project’s global and/or national connection? The issue of the gender barrier in the science field is noticed around the globe in numerous ways, and there are a lot of institutions that support the idea of empowering more women in science. I contacted a lecturer at the University of Kentucky who shared my website link with the AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) K-12 team, as well as on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I emailed the SUCM (service unit cookie manager) in Castle Rock, and she shared the link on the service unit’s Facebook, as well as on the Service Unit 652 website. I also contacted a senior research associate at Twist Bioscience, who shared my website and patch packet with two Girl Scout troops in Northern California. I emailed a former Gold Award Girl Scout and a CU Boulder student, who shared my link on her website and with a Biochem club at the campus. What did you learn about yourself? Working on the Girl Scout Gold Award has been an absolutely wonderful and enriching experience for me. During this process, I definitely improved my leadership skills, communication skills, and my business etiquette skills. While working with my team members, I learned what it means to be a leader, and I tried to do my best.  A good leader is a good listener and is able to make executive decisions while coordinating and delegating different tasks. Though I still have room to grow in perfecting my leadership skills, I believe I learned a lot. I also gained confidence in myself and learned to be more patient. While working on my project, I realized that I am better at handling stressful situations than I thought I was. I am sure the skills I learned from working on this project will help me in the future. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Through earning my Gold Award, I have learned more about the branch of science that intrigued me since I took the biotech class a couple of years ago. It helped me decide what career I want to pursue. I interviewed numerous women in biotech and realized that working in this field includes a wider variety of jobs than I initially knew about. I also realized that if you want to see a change in the world, you need to act to help this happen. I want to study biochemistry or biomedical engineering in college, and use my leadership skills and experiences in science to hopefully one day inspire girls find their passion in science. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I believe the Gold Award was a wonderful culmination of my Girl Scout years. It gave me the opportunity to demonstrate the tech skills I had previously known as well as improve some of my leadership skills. I am so happy that I was able to create a project that comes from my experiences and can help others. While working on my Gold Award, I was able to utilize the skills I learned at camps and from earning badges. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? This project definitely helped me become a G.I.R.L.! It inspired me to become an innovator. For this project, I created a website about biotech. This is something that I haven’t done before. To succeed, I had to learn new technical skills. Also, I had to get creative about how I could present it to the participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that I grew as a go-getter, as I didn’t give up when I met numerous obstacles during my project due to the constantly changing pandemic environment. I am definitely a risk-taker, as I dove in to the issue of gender bias that I believe is a relevant problem in our society. I improved my leadership skills and learned that a good leader must listen to others and delegate. I am very thankful for the help I received from my team. I hope this project will empower more girls to follow their dreams, and I am certain I will use the skills I learned from working on my project in the future. I love being a G.I.R.L.! **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 #STEM #CastleViewHighSchool #Biotech #GoldAwardGirlScout #GirlScoutGoldAward #MetroDenver #TakeAction #CastleRock #DouglasCountySchoolDistrict

What did you do for your Gold Award project? My Girl Scout Gold Award is a website created Your Level Reading that is intended to demonstrate ratings for teachers, parents, and students to know if the material is appropriate for their own or others’ reading level and age. In particular, some parents feel they are not informed enough about material their children are reading and are sometimes unsettled by this. Using the website created in this project, parents can simply look up the title of the book their child is reading and see its maturity. Likewise, the project addressed students – middle schoolers in majority – who may feel uncomfortable reading certain material. They too can look up the book title or author to prepare themselves for what may be in that novel. The website also benefits teachers because they can decide on appropriate reading material when choosing novels. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? My audience now has an understanding of book ratings for four, distinct age groups. Teachers, parents, and students learned that they can use the website as a resource to prepare themselves for books. I measured the impact using Google Analytics to count how many views my website gathered in one month; I wanted 20 views. Another measurement was having 15 volunteers read and rate books for my project in order to involve the National Honor Society community in my project as much as possible. In order to spread the word, I needed one Girl Scout troop to commit to my website as a resource for a minimum of one year. I measured the website Analytics after one month to see the website view count. To measure the amount of volunteers, I held Zoom meetings and kept track of each person who attended the training and rated at least one book – one volunteer read seven books. Once the website was running, I sent the link for the website to my Girl Scout service unit and waited for a response from a troop saying they would use the website as a resource. My goals were to have 15 student volunteers, 20 views on my website in one month, create an accessible and easy to use website, involve the National English Honor Society (NEHS) in the sustainment of the project, and gain commitment from one Girl Scout troop to use the website as a resource for one year. To measure the ease-of-use of the website, Chuck Blish, a formal information technology worker, helped me look over and format the website. NEHS agreed to maintain my project by directing student volunteers to the website where they can fill out a Google Form to rate books. The commitment from the Girl Scout troop (Troop 63227) was written in an email. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? The National English Honor Society (NEHS) at Cherry Creek High School (CCHS) plans to help sustain my project for at least one year by sending volunteers to read books through the viewers rate books option on the website. The rubric is available on the Google Form for them to look at while they fill in information for a variety of questions. They are required to enter the author’s first and last name, title of the book, overall age range, and levels for all categories of profanity thorough drugs/alcohol/smoking that are in the rubric. It is very simple and straightforward, so anyone can use it, even middle school students. As NEHS keeps adding books onto the website, viewers will be able to access a wider variety of books that have been rated. In addition, it will help with subjectivity in ratings since more than one person may rate one book. Also, Keats Community Library in London, England is going to promote the website. I sent them an email asking for their help in the global connection and sustainability of my project, and they were extremely interested in my project. It was very exciting because many libraries are reluctant to introduce a rating system to their members due to the prospect of creating banned books. Thankfully, Keats Community Library was excited to endorse my project and agreed to publish the link to my website for their members to see. I am going to send them a few poster designs over email for the website for them to print out and put up on their library walls once they are open to the public again. Lastly, Girl Scout Troop 63227 has promised to use the website as a resource. The members of the troop are going to use the website to look up book titles for upcoming literature in their school’s curriculums. Furthermore, I informed them that they can add ratings to the website if the book they are planning to read is currently unrated. That way, the next student who needs to read that book can see a rating left by a previous reader of that book. The troop can search for new books to read based on their appropriate age range. For girls who are 11-years-old, they can use the “young” books filter to find an arrangement of books that are appropriate for their reading level. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? I wrote to Keats Community Library in London, England to promote my website and the importance of age appropriate reading material in a different country. They plan to present my website to their library members by mentioning it in a newsletter, and I sent them poster designs that they can print and put up in the library once they are open to the public again. Also, I will have the help of the Cherry Creek High School (CCHS) National English Honor Society (NEHS) to promote and continue the project among their volunteers across the nation. The head coordinators at CCHS of NEHS are going to send the link for the website to their eager volunteers, so they can rate books and keep the project thriving. On the website, the volunteers can find buttons saying, “Take action! Rate your own books” or a tab on the homepage that says, “Rate your own books”. It is a simple, easy to use Google Forms Survey that anyone on the website can fill out. The responses automatically transfer onto a google sheet that is on the website – under the tab, “Other viewers’ book ratings”. What did you learn about yourself? Through this project I learned that I can be an exemplary leader and strive to succeed when I put my mind to it. Ever since I began Girl Scouts eight years ago, I have learned many leadership skills. I can speak up for my beliefs and make genuine changes in my community. One of my beliefs is books have the potential to be inappropriate; and currently, there are no large organizations that create a warning system, or rating, for those books. So, I took initiative and put my leadership skills to good use. I worked hard and finished this project that I knew would make a difference. By seeking to make a change, I discovered that I do have what it takes to be a leader and put a plan into action. The hardest thing was discovering my perseverance. It was a very long road to finish this project, but a very rewarding one. At one point, when the website was not working, and I had no idea how to write the code, I came to a brick wall. I actually considered quitting the entire project and switching to a new one. But, as they say, when the door closes, a window opens. My Girl Scout mentor gave me the contact for a previous Girl Scout, Delaney Fitzsimmons, who introduced me to a different way of creating the website. I needed to persevere and keep my head up for this project in order to finish it. So, I switched my focus and strove to succeed at a different kind of website making. After switching over to Google Sites, I created a beautiful website and kept up my hard work on the project all the way until I finished it. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? I hope that the leadership skills I learned from my Gold Award will help me in my future. The leadership skills I apprehended from my project were ambition, perseverance, boldness, optimism, and compassion. My project was founded on my ambition to succeed and lead a team of willing and able volunteers to self and team success. I harnessed my ambition to create this project out of passion for reading and understanding for the unpleasant experience of non-appropriate material. I pushed myself to persevere when training my volunteers because of my social anxiety. Often, I find myself getting shaken up at the idea of public speaking, but I put that behind my and stood up to the task of leading my volunteers to success. In order to persevere, I had to be bold and put my fears to the test. I cannot say the first training session went 100 percent smoothly because it simply did not. But, the more I practiced and put myself in front of the amiable volunteers, the more confident and bold I became until I was able to speak and train them with excellence and excitement. The whole time throughout the project, I maintained my optimism that I would succeed; that I would achieve my goal of manifesting a searchable database for many people to exploit. At the end, I was compassionate towards everyone who existed as a part of my team. I know I could not have done it without them. Each person who took the time to listen to and help me made my project materialize into the amazing resource that it thrives as now. All of these skills will help me in the future with any profession I may choose, working with a team on projects, and to simply be a helpful and involved person in my communities. I hope that all of the great work I demonstrated in my project will assist me in my college admissions process. The requirement officers will see the dedication, excellence, and leadership that I demonstrated in this project, and hopefully be more inclined to invite me into their college. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? For anyone considering if they should complete their Gold Award, I say go for it. I have been a Girl Scout for the past eight years, and never before have I had the opportunity to experience something as great as the Gold Award. The Gold Award showed me that I can do whatever I set my mind to, even if it seems impossible. I never could have predicted that I would make an entire, functioning, and searchable website, and I know I could not have done it without the Gold Award behind me. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience that taught me many skills and built on the skills I already have. Most of my time in Girl Scouts was spent camping or earning badges, but to have the honor of working on my Gold Award was by far the best thing that I ever did as a Girl Scout. It simply made me feel important and worthy of wearing the Girl Scout title. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Earning my Gold Award helped me become a G.I.R.L, and more specifically, an innovator because I had to use more creativity than I have ever used before in my life. Ever since I was little, I have loved to create. This project helped me bring that to the next level. Not only did I have to be creative by coming up with the project to begin with, – book rating levels are not exactly common – I had to keep the dearivity going throughout the entire time I worked on it. I had a lot of struggles and obstacles in my Girl Scout project: having too many books and not an equal amount of volunteers, not knowing how to code using HTML, and many other things. Nonetheless, everytime I hit a brick wall, I looked for another approach. I completely innovated the website using a template I found on Google Sites after the HTML coding came to a stop, and I can say that I crushed it. It took me many hours to make the website clean and professional, but I did it. This project helped me expand on my ability to innovate and demonstrate my creativity. **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 #Centennial #NationalHonorSociety #GoldAwardGirlScout #CherryCreekHighSchool #literacy #GirlScoutGoldAward #CherryCreekSchools #TakeAction #NationalEnglishHonorSocietyNEHS #KeatsCommunityLibrary

The Women of Distinction honor is bestowed annually upon 10 exceptional women in our community. This year’s honorees were selected by a committee of their peers led by Selection Chair Becky Takeda-Tinker, Woman of Distinction ‘18, and chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally. These women join a network of more than 500 alums and are shining examples of corporate, civic, and philanthropic leadership, who serve as role models for our female leaders of tomorrow. The Women of Distinction event combined with the newly formed Women of Distinction Network brings together a network of outstanding women who serve as mentors, guides, and examples of leadership to inspire our girls. 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. Girl Scouts of Colorado will welcome the Class of 2021 honorees on September 29 at the Denver Botanic Gardens from 4:30 – 8 p.m. The event has been reimagined with honorees and guests invited to engage in a comfortable, outdoor setting, allowing for safe social distancing. “I am honored to welcome this year’s class of Women of Distinction. They are strong, bold, empowered women who represent the leadership and excellence that powers today’s world,” said Leanna Clark, Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Chief Executive Officer. Proceeds from the event will support Girl Scouts of Colorado’s crucial leadership development programs in entrepreneurship, outdoors, STEM, and life skills for more than 20,000 members across Colorado. Event chairs are 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. For information regarding tickets and sponsorships, visit www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/ or contact Ashley Walsh at ashley.walsh@gscolorado.org. #2021WomenofDistinction #2021WomenofDistinctionMetroDenver #WomenofDistinctionMetroDenver #alumnews #WomenofDistinction #CouncilNews

From Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed are collaborating to celebrate the power of girls. The two brands will uplift a shared mission to promote self-expression, community, inclusion, integrity, and discovery around the new feature film, in theaters June 4, 2021. For more than a century, Girl Scouts has built girls of courage, confidence, and character, who discover their passions and use their voices to pave their own paths and to make change. These themes closely resonate with Spirit Untamed, which is written, produced, and directed by women. The film’s female lead, Lucky Prescott, is searching for a sense of belonging and crosses paths with two other brave, independent girls her age, Abigail Stone and Pru Granger. Together, this trio embarks on an epic adventure, uncovering a newfound sense of freedom and forging lifelong friendships. Spirit Untamed and Girl Scouts are all about encouraging girls to use their voices and strengths to make the world a better place. In that same spirit, Girl Scouts and Spirit Untamed are bridging their shared values and joining forces to bring new interactive and experiential activities to Girl Scouts across the country, tied to the journey Lucky and her friends take in the film. GSUSA and Spirit Untamed are supporting Girl Scouts in using their strengths to make the world a better place by providing them with a downloadable activity book that includes an interactive scavenger hunt, coloring pages, and more, featuring artwork from the film. Girl Scouts who complete the Girl Scout Law Scavenger Hunt within the activity book are eligible to earn a limited-edition Spirit Untamed fun patch. In addition, on May 1, Spirit Untamed and GSUSA premiered the Find Your Adventure with Girl Scoutspublic service announcement (PSA) that celebrates the film’s diverse characters and positive, empowering themes that mirror Girl Scout values. The PSA amplifies GSUSA’s message to girls, parents, and volunteers: whether you have courage to spare or skills worth showing off, or you just want to make new friends, there is always a home for you at Girl Scouts—where every spirit is encouraged to shine. “We’re thrilled to partner with DreamWorks Animation to develop interactive opportunities tied to DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed,” shared GSUSA’s Chief Strategic Partnerships and New Ventures Officer Sapreet Kaur Saluja. “Not only does the film champion diverse characters and girl representation in lead roles, the PSA demonstrates that our organization exemplifies the values reflected in the movie and shows to girls and parents how Girl Scouts is a place that supports and celebrates bold, courageous girls who make a difference in their communities.” To further celebrate the launch of the PSA, GSUSA is giving away special swag bags to twenty-five lucky Girl Scout winners. The swag bags, valued at $125, are filled with Spirit Untamed merchandise and four Fandango codes. Girl Scouts can digitally download the activity book and earn the fun patch, as well as enter the swag bag sweepstakes, by visiting girlscouts.org/spirit. To learn more about Girl Scouts and how to join, visit girlscouts.org/spirit, and learn more about Spirit Untamed by visiting dreamworks.com/movies/spirit-untamed. #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #GSUSA #SpiritUntamed #GirlScoutsoftheUSAGSUSA #DreamWorks

Bring joy to community heroes and nonprofits on the frontline while investing in girls who change the world! Our Girl Scout entrepreneurs did an amazing job running their cookie businesses this year, but the pandemic made an impact on the number of girls selling and left us with some extra cookie inventory. You can purchase a case of cookies at a discount (12 boxes of cookies for $40 per case) that will be donated to your choice of four nonprofit organizations serving our communities. Don’t delay, this is a limited, one-time-only opportunity available only through June 15 to help Girl Scouts and the nonprofit(s) of your choice by helping those who help others. Select from: Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, building strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver plans to give packages of Girl Scout Cookies as a thank you to their volunteers and also tuck a few packages into the cupboards for new Habitat homeowners. Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity, building strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity of Pikes Peak plans to give the cookies to volunteers while on the construction site, as well as those helping in the ReStore. Food Bank of the Rockies, the food gathering and distribution center for much of Colorado. Girl Scout Cookies will be distributed as a special treat to families in need across the state via 800 partner programs. Children’s Hospital Colorado, fuels health, hope, and healing. Children’s Hospital sees, treats, and heals more children than any hospital in our seven-state region. Children’s Hospital will give donated Girl Scout Cookies to doctors, nurses, and other staff who have been working on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic for more than a year, as well as use the cookies to bring joy to patients and families. Vote for your favorite nonprofit organization or vote for all four with your donation, and support the Girl Scout Leadership Experience at the same time. It’s a win-win! All proceeds from cookie sales stay right here in Colorado to provide girls with amazing leadership experiences, maintain and keep our properties up-to-date, support our vast system of volunteers, and provide grants for girls who otherwise would not be able to participate. We believe in the power of every girl! Buy a box of joy and make a world of difference!

Strength, resilience, togetherness, and the support of community- that’s what Girl Scouts is all about. Throughout this year, you’ve been there for your troop, and GSCO has been here for you—today, tomorrow, together, we’ve got this! Troop leaders and caregivers can renew memberships for the 2021-2022 membership year in your new account on myGS. Renew here by June 15 to qualify for these incentives: Girls: Renew by June 15 and receive a FREE “We’ve Got This” patch Troops: GSCO branded first-aid kit or $25 credit to the Girl Scouts of Colorado shop. (Selection made on Annual Troop Report). To qualify, renew at least two troop leaders and three girls AND submit an Annual Troop Report and ACH by June 15 Service Units: Renew at least 45% of girl members for a $100 incentive. For every 5% girl retention over 45%, service unit will earn an additional $25. Example: 50% girl retention = $125, 55% girl retention = $150, etc. service unit ATR and ACH required by June 15. Contact your volunteer support specialist with questions about Early Bird renewal. Don’t know who your volunteer support specialist is? Call 877-404-5708 or email inquiry@gscolorado.org. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #2021BirdRenewal #BirdRenewal #CouncilNews #recruitment

Submitted by Jessica Holbrook Northern & Northeastern CO Fort Lupton Fort Lupton Brownie Troop 70757 partnered with the city to plant two trees in the city park. Recently, two very large, mature trees were removed from the park as they were no longer thriving. When the Girl Scouts learned about the Girl Scout Tree Promise, they were driven to make an impact! We were overwhelmed by the response from our community with the Cookie Program. The girls had a goal to sell 4,000 packages, but blew past it and sold more than 6,500. As a troop, they made the decision to use the extra money they earned and give back to our community in a lasting way! The girls worked together. The original goal was to buy one tree with a budget of $250. When they discovered that they could purchase two trees in that budget, they were thrilled. We contacted the Mayor of Fort Lupton and she graciously attended one of our meetings to explain what the girls should expect on planting day. Next, they figured out what supplies they would need, they each brought items from home, and they dug in to get the job done. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #NorthernampNortheasternCO #ArborDay2021 #2021GirlScoutCookieProgram #GirlScoutTreePromise #GirlScoutCookies #GirlScoutCookieProgram #FortLupton #ArborDay

The Outdoor Adventure Club event is kicking off the 2021 summer season with a mountain hiking adventure in June! Choose between Echo Lake and Chicago Lake at the base of Mt. Evans or Seven Bridges in North Cheyenne Cañon near Colorado Springs. Along the way, we’ll work on parts of the Trail Adventure badge and Outdoor Skills patch, play fun trail games, and take some time to cool off by the water! The cost is $40/per Girl Scout. You can also use Cookie Credits for this event or apply for an opportunity grant. Dates: Echo Lake Option One: June 12 Echo Lake Option Two: June 13 Seven Bridges Option One: June 12 Seven Bridges Option Two: June 13 This event is open to all Girl Scouts in 6th – 12th grade to register individually. Find registration instruction here: https://girlscoutsofcolorado.wixanswers.com/en/article/outdoor-adventure-club-registration-faqs The Outdoor Adventure Club (OAC) is a Girl Scouts of Colorado staff-led program for older Girl Scouts, offering monthly high adventure activities such as mountain biking, rock climbing, white water rafting, and skiing. Visit the Outdoor Adventure Club website for more information: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/outdoors/outdoor-adventure-club.html Questions? Email inquiry@gscolorado.org. We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #OutdoorAdventureClub #mountainhiking #GSCOevents #outdoorskillspatch #TrailAdventurebadge #outdoorprograms #OAC #camp #hiking #outdoorskills

Submitted by Brenda Henry Northern & Northeastern CO Longmont A special thank you to Girl Scout Troop 76096 whose members include Victoria F., Lily R., Abby W., Faviola H., and Victoria R., for donating many packages of Girl Scout Cookies to our teachers and staff at Central Elementary School in Longmont! We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here. #StVrainValleySchool #NorthernampNortheasternCO #Longmont #2021GirlScoutCookieProgram #cookies #GirlScoutCookies #CentralElementarySchool #GirlScoutCookieProgram #HometownHeroes