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Girl Scout Gold Award Project: Cassidy Klein, Highlands Ranch, “Imagination Station”

Cassidy Klein

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my project, I created a fruitful, up-to-date library for the children living at Joshua Station, which is a transitional housing community in Denver that assists families as they make the transition from homelessness to a stable living environment. Currently, there are about 30 families living at Joshua Station, and among these families are more than 70 children. Overall, I collected over 2,900 new and gently used books in donations! I also started hosting a children’s book club there over the summer and continue to host it monthly.

How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?

Before I started my project, I took inventory of the books that Joshua Station already had and what the library space looked like. They originally had around 500 books that were in poor condition and shelves that needed repair. The books were unorganized, and the kids didn’t really utilize the space. Now that my project is finished, the library has about 1,800 new and up-to-date books, as well as high quality shelves and a clean-looking space in the library room. When I go for open library time twice a month, I have multiple kids and families come in to check out books. I also added a reading nook to the front entrance space at Joshua Station, and kids now hang out down there and read books, whereas before they didn’t have a space like that to spend time together and read. I brought extra books to four Seeds of Hope schools in the Denver area, and I received thank-you notes from them saying how the books were in circulation already and that the kids were loving them.

How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement?

The main way my project will be sustained is through the addition of brand new books to the Joshua Station library annually through Scholastic. I have received a letter of commitment from the Idyllwilde HOA community in Parker. They hold a Scholastic book fair each spring, and Arelene Jimenez, the committee head who runs it, has agreed to donate a portion of the proceeds each year to new Scholastic books for Joshua Station children and families. Kristi Stuart from Scholastic and June Zelkin from Idyllwilde have helped me in organizing this. I’m excited that new, updated books will continue to be added to Joshua Station to keep the kids engaged and excited about reading!

My project will also be sustained through the continuation of monthly book club. Katy Hurstein, the ThunderRidge High School feeder area Girl Scout director, helped seek out girls age 12 and up who will sign up to lead book club once a month. These girls will be in contact with Julie-Anne Strivings, the volunteer coordinator at Joshua Station who will help with dates and times. Book club will be carried on through these younger girls, and I know that they will make wonderful friendships with the kids at Joshua Station like I did.

What is your project’s global and/or national connection?

“Imagination Station” achieved a Global/National link by growing and expanding beyond the original site at Joshua Station into four separate sites located in the city of Denver. I collected over 2,900 books in donations through the book drive I held at Tattered Cover Aspen Grove from June 1-July 31 and the Scholastic book fair held at Idyllwilde Community in May. Not all of these books could fit on the shelves at Joshua Station, and I had an overflow of about 1,300 books. With these carefully selected books, I separated them into picture books and chapter books and put them into boxes. I then took these boxes to four Seeds of Hope Schools in the Denver area which were Guardian Angels school, St. Bernadette school, St. Rose school, and St. Therese school. Seeds of Hope schools are inner-city Catholic elementary schools that are non-profit and mostly cater to low-income and impoverished families. The libraries in the schools lack very good quality books, which is mostly what I received in donations, so I was happy to give the extra books to these four schools. Guardian Angels school sent me a handmade letter in the mail that every single child signed and wrote a note of thank you for the books. The librarian at Guardian Angels also sent me pictures of students with the books in use and pictures of books on the shelves. I also got an email from the principal at St. Bernadette that personally thanked me for the books.

What did you learn about yourself?

What I learned about myself through my project is that I can accomplish tremendous tasks if I just try. I found that if I’m open to possibilities, things will work out wonderfully. This project seemed almost impossible when I was first coming up with ideas, and I seriously doubted that I would be able to finish, but I decided to put my fear and uncertainty aside. My project became a reality because I put all my energy, devotion, and determination into it. I chose something I was truly passionate about, and I think that made a huge difference in my attitude. I’ve learned to follow through with what I start and to never pass up opportunities because they seem too daunting or difficult. Something really important that I’ve learned that I will remember my whole life is to ask for help. The only reason my Gold Award was a success was through the help and generosity of other people. It’s truly astounding how willing others are to help if only I would ask for it.

How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future?

I’ve found self-confidence through this project because I’ve realized that I am capable of organizing a project so big and following through with it. I’ve made beautiful friendships with the kids at Joshua Station which has kept me passionate. In the future, I will carry the determination and ambition that this project required and take those things with me as I lead other projects. Especially since I want to go into journalism, I will take the skills I learned from this project and apply that to taking on a big story or going out of my comfort zone to bring light to a situation. I want to write for a change, and my project definitely inspired me to believe that I really can make a change.

Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience?

My Gold Award journey has been one of the greatest and most impactful experiences of my life! I remember hearing girls talk about their Gold Awards after my troop earned our Silver Award at a ceremony years ago. Ever since then I’ve wanted to earn my Gold Award, and now that I have, I realize how powerful girls can be. Girl Scouts has inspired me to make a difference in the world, and I will carry this determination and passion with me my whole life. I’m thankful for Girl Scouts for helping shape me into the strong young woman I am today. You can definitely earn your Gold Award if you set your mind to it. Make your project a labor of love and choose something that you really care about. Once you begin working, it won’t feel like work and the reward will be priceless!

**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

 

Ordinary dad to amazing cookie dad

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Submitted by Jennifer Knapp

Colorado springs

Pikes Peak

As a mom to 3 girls, cookies have become a huge part of our lives and I couldn’t survive without this amazing cookie dad. 3 years ago, Rick helped our daughter Callie with her first booth and now he is a co-leader, protector and all around awesome cookie dad. He has ran around the city retrieving cookies, delivering cookies and setting up booths this year. Sine we have 2 younger girls if he can’t physically stand with us at a booth, he is sitting not far ready to jump into action if Callie needs any help. Rick has dedicated so much time to helping Callie reach not only her initial goal but a second goal. Cookie season wouldn’t be fun without our “muscle”! Rick and other dads just like him are awesome and the girls are always so proud to say that the man standing behind them is their dad!

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

My Girl Scout Troop brings different girls together

Submitted by Amber Billig

Denver

Denver Metro

Our Girl Scout Troop is made up of 9 very different young ladies. We have spent a lot of time learning about and embracing each others differences. We have a few athletic girls who like sports, a few girls who like dancing, and a few that like animals. We plan to spend our cookie money on going up to the mountains for a few nights and earning our hiking patch, sleepover patch, and horseback riding patch.

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

Brownies sell cookies with songs

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Submitted by Michelle Tellez

Lakewood

Denver Metro

We are refining it but our last two booths we sang “Would you like to buy some cookies? How about a Thin Mint or two” to the tune of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” It seemed to make people smile!

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

Hard work helped Rylee surpass her Cookie Goal

Submitted by Rylee Kardoes

Arvada

Denver Metro

My daughter Rylee sold cookies for the first time last year. She sold 460 boxes so she set a goal this year of 500 because she figured a little extra work could get her to her goal. She worked so hard even after not being able sell the first week because of two sick brothers and then getting sick herself. She thought she wouldn’t reach her goal because she started later than most girls! She ended up reaching over 800 boxes! She was surprised and so was I! We are so proud of her and the hard work she had to put in just to get there!

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

Rypster the rock star Cookie Dad

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Submitted by Laura Walters

Aurora

Southwestern Colorado

Ryp Walters is the best cookie dad ever.  He attends EVERY booth whether his daughter is working or not to support and encourage the girls (as well as set up and break down the booth).  The booth is amazing and awesome and was built by Paul Neiman, another dad in our troop, and his girls.  It WON the Bling Your Booth contest because of it’s awesomeness and creativity.  

Ryp not only supports Troop 4233 as the Cookie Leader but he also supports his other daughter and her Cadette troop in lots of ways.  

For this month of the year, Ryp’s garage and van are filled with not only love and family…but cookies and more cookies.  His commitment to excellence, to reaching goals and to having fun are what makes him the rock star that he is.

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

Encouraged by another troop

Submitted by Maggie Donohue

Aurora

Denver Metro

My name is Maggie and I am a Junior.  I was doing door-to-door sales with my parents.  We had walked 12 blocks.  I was close to finishing the route and my sales were not as great as I hoped.  1 in every 10 houses would buy cookies.  I wanted to sell at least 10 more boxes but had only two houses left.  I was a little sad.  I rang the last doorbell and met another troop mom.   She had a garage full of cookies but bought one box of do-si-dos.  Then she smiled and gave me an “encouragement gift”!  A small painted milk jug to drink from when I had cookies at my house!  This cheered me up so much!  On the bottom of my jug it says Laura and Kelly!  Thank you Laura and Kelly and your troop mom for helping my heart feel better!

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

Join in Outdoor Skills Day Camp

Get ready for camping fun!  The Girl Scout Outdoor Skills day camps on April 9 (Longmont), April 23 (Thornton), and April 30 (Boulder) prepare girls for camping and outdoors.

Sample of Outdoor Skills to Learn and Improve – Knife Craft and Safety  – Compass Use – Outdoor Cooking – Fire Building – Campsite Set-up / Tent Pitching – Emergency First Aid and Preparation. Each girl will earn an outdoor skills patch.

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 (this is NOT a drop off event, adults actively participate all day)

Event Maximum:  Up to 100 girls (register early).  Bring a friend.

Register early. A sell-out is expected.

Website link to register both scouts and adults: https://sites.google.com/site/gsoutdoorskillsdayscolorado/

Contact Senior / Ambassador Girl Scout Troop 7 at

Girlscouttroop70007@gmail.com

Gold Award – Where are they now?

1. Tell us about yourself.

My name is Jessica Hild and I earned my Girl Scout Gold Award in February 2015. I am now eighteen years old, live in Boulder, Colorado, and study Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado. I am going to college on a Naval ROTC scholarship, so most of my time is taken up by classes and training with my unit but I also enjoy running and yoga. I play violin in the campus orchestra, and am involved in an outdoor skills group. I got started in Girl Scouts when I was about seven years old and was in a troop until high school then I transitioned into a Juliette. I also joined Venture scouting when I was fourteen. Balancing both Girl Scouts and Venture scouts turned out to be very beneficial and I’m glad I participated in both.

2. What was the most successful part of your Gold Award experience?

My Gold Award project was done at the outdoor chapel of Camp Alexander; a Boy Scout camp I worked at for four years. I had unforgettable and impactful experiences throughout my time there. Being able to successfully make an impact on a place that means so much to me, and does so much for youth, was extremely satisfying. I feel that pairing my involvement with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts was something that made my Gold Award project unique.

3. How do you feel your Gold Award experience has impacted who you are today?

Ever since my older sister got her Gold Award, I decided I wanted to get mine as well. I thought of it as something I could put on college applications or my resume. After I received the Award, I realized it meant much, much more. I was working under time constraints when planning my project but I am so glad I went forward with it anyway. Why not go after opportunities? Getting my Gold Award has reinforced that pursuing things when given the opportunity can open up doors for success.  

4. What is your advice for girls interested in pursuing their Gold Award?

I had my project approval meeting less than a week before I scheduled my project date. I put in a lot of work knowing that it may not be approved. I decided that regardless of the decision, this project was worthwhile and I would go forward with it as a Gold Award project or not. After my project was approved, I shared this with the board and received nothing but support of doing what I felt was right.

Pursuing the Gold Award is an incredibly worthwhile endeavor. I encourage any girl interested to go for it regardless of the challenges and to pick a project they are passionate about. The process may develop skills such as organization, research, communication, or budgeting, but I believe it’s really about realizing what an impactful and powerful woman one can be.

State of Colorado declares March 6-12 as Girl Scout Week

The State of Colorado has officially proclaimed March 6-12, 2016 as Girl Scout Week! A PDF of the proclamation is below. Feel free to print a copy to share with your troop or display at your Girl Scout Week celebration.

Girl Scout Week is celebrated each March, starting with Girl Scout Sunday and ending with Girl Scout Sabbath on a Saturday, and it always includes Girl Scouts’ Birthday, March 12. Learn more about Girl Scout Week and other Girl Scout traditions on the GSUSA website: http://www.girlscouts.org/en/about-girl-scouts/traditions.html

Download the Girl Scout Proclamation