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Girl Scout Way Badge Workshop celebrates traditions

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Submitted by Lori Thompson

Denver

Denver Metro

Join GSCO for  the Girl Scout Way Badge workshop as we celebrate the Girl Scouts Birthday at the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame Exhibit at the Denver Public Library on March 12. This special  badge celebrates the history and traditions of Girl Scouting. Girls will learn more about Girl Scouting through fun activities and crafts. Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors can earn requirements towards the Girl Scout Way badge. Daisies don’t earn the Girl Scout Way badge, but they are more than welcome to come and have fun!

The workshop is from 12:30-3:30pm and is located in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame Exhibit at the Denver Public Library’s Main Branch at 10 W. Fourteenth Avenue Parkway in the Vida Ellison Gallery on the 7th Floor. Registration is not needed and we hope you will come an enjoy the rest of the day’s fun activities.  Day’s events include a Gold Award training at 10 am, the Girl Scout Song Birds choir at 11:30 am, remarks from Stephanie Foote, GSCO CEO at noon. All girls attending will get special event patches.

The Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame is hosting an exhibit of their 142 inductees, 39 of whom are GSCO Women of Distinction. The exhibitors have generously extended an invitation for Girl Scouts of Colorado to host activities during Girl Scout week. No registration is required for any of these events, except the Gold Award training.  For more information or questions, feel free to contact Lori Thompson at lori.thompson@gscolorado.org.

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

Tessa’s Cookie Story

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Submitted by Tessa Baker

Lone Tree

Denver Metro

Hi. My name is Tessa from Junior Troop 59 in Lone Tree and this is my Cookie Story.

Our troop cookie goals are tent camping and canoeing at Horsetooth Reservoir, as well as hotel camping this year.

Our Hometown Hero Cookies are being donated to Ronald McDonald House near Childrens Hospital. We will be cooking and serving breakfast when delivering our cookie donations.

I am becoming more comfortable about talking to customers. My math with counting money and counting back change to customers has improved.

I have enjoyed practicing speed cup stacking and performing this at our cookie booths this year in front of customers.

Thank you for reading my Cookie Story!

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

Girl Scout Gold Award Project: Grace Dorgan, Golden, “The Nature Now Project”

Grace Dorgan

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award, I addressed the need for free, natural science curricula that gets kids outdoors to foster a love of nature and science.  I designed a free, hands-on natural science curriculum for elementary aged students that can be taught anywhere by anyone.  I taught this program to urban, underserved, minority students in Denver. I put together an in-depth manual that included all lessons, learning objectives, worksheets, visuals and teaching suggestions. I then created a website for the curriculum where the manual is posted so that anyone, anywhere can access and teach it.

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

I taught the program to second graders over a time frame of six weeks.  Before I began the program, I surveyed students, asking them to rate their knowledge on topics to be covered, as well as their personal feelings towards science, as one of my goals was to encourage an interest in science.  Very few students reported liking science or picturing themselves as scientists in the future.  After teaching the program, I surveyed them again and found that every child understood the main ideas taught and almost every child now reported loving science and could easily picture themselves as scientists in the future.

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

My program will continue to be taught at Horizons at Colorado Academy, a six-week long summer program serving underprivileged children from Denver that transforms the way students see themselves and their future, while also improving their reading and math skills significantly.  In addition, I made a digital manual and hosted it online on a website I created so that instructors anywhere could access and teach the program.

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

By creating a website I have put my curriculum on the internet, which allows anyone in the world to access it.  A fun, free, outdoor science curriculum is something that many people all over the world need, and with this extra education, the same kids will grow up to be conscious and contributing global citizens.

What did you learn about yourself?

Throughout the project I had a lot of people who volunteered to work with me.  Without them I never would have finished this project, and I never would have developed the leadership skills I did.  I learned to rely on myself as a project coordinator, and I learned that I possess the perseverance necessary to see such a long term project to completion.

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

I will absolutely be using my new found skills of public speaking, project management, and communication in my future, whether in college or the workforce.  I also have new confidence in myself that I can accomplish something meaningful.

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

This project was the culmination of all the skills I have learned in 10 years of Girl Scouts.  I made a meaningful, positive difference, I developed my leadership and interpersonal skills, I learned a lot about responsibility, and I learned how to stay focused and keep going.  This project was an important part of my Girl Scout experience, but also an important part of growing up.  Girl Scouts has really given me the opportunity to recognize my capabilities, and to make the world a better place.

**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

Girl Scout Gold Award Project: Amy Nelson, Colorado Springs, “The ABC’s of Eating Healthy”

Amy Nelson

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I created a cookbook that taught the basics of a healthy, nutritious diet while on a small budget. The book included over 90 recipes and ideas for incorporating inexpensive and healthy foods into one’s diet. I worked with programs such as the Elevate Food Pantry and the Care and Share Food Bank to distribute the books to families and individuals across Colorado and beyond to spread awareness of the possibilities of eating healthy with little time and a tight budget.

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

I measured the impact of my project by the number of families my book was made available to. 25 physical copies of my book were distributed to the families within the Elevate Food Pantry Program in October. Elevate is a non-profit organization that operates within the area of Cheyenne Mountain School District 12, providing food and snacks to families with children who qualify for free or reduced meals at school. I also sent the digital copy of my cookbook to local libraries, Mary’s Home (a local organization that helps single homeless mothers and their children), and the Care and Share Food Bank, where it was attached to their monthly newsletter and sent to over 300 food banks and soup kitchens across Colorado.

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

My project will be sustained beyond my involvement because the cookbooks will be used again and again by the families they were distributed to. Digital copies of my book were also distributed to soup kitchens and food banks across Colorado, who now will be able to print out copies of the book whenever there is demand. I also gave copies to my school and several local libraries so they could be used by anyone interested in my project (or in eating healthier) at any time.

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

My project addresses the issue of obesity. This is a massive problem, not only in the United States, but also around the world. Nearly 39% of the adult population of the world is overweight, with 13% of those people qualifying as obese. The only way to lower these numbers is through forming a habit of healthy diet and exercise, and by teaching the benefits of eating healthy to kids so they can keep those lessons with them for the rest of their lives. I was able to spread these lessons by working with Elevate, local libraries, Mary’s Home, and Care and Share Food Program, who helped to distribute my book to many people and families that could learn from them.

What did you learn about yourself?

This project taught me not only about the benefits and importance of maintaining healthy diet, but also more than I thought I would about myself. This project was not an easy task, and took me over 80 hours of research, testing, calculating, creating, assembling, and distributing the books to complete it. It was through this hard work that I realized that I was capable of achieving whatever I set my mind to because I had the skills in communication and organization, as well as persistence and drive within me to overcome the obstacles I faced.

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

Earning my Gold Award is a huge honor, and the lessons I have learned from it will continue to help me throughout the rest of my life. My Gold Award taught me not to give up, especially when times get tough and to always remember to budget my time correctly and stay organized when working on a project. Since the Gold Award is such a high honor, earning it has and will also help me in job and scholarship interviews and throughout the application process to college.

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

The Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because I used so many of the lessons I had learned throughout my Girl Scout career to complete it. Girl Scouts teaches girls across the world to be capable, smart, and hard working individuals. To earn the award, young women must prove that they are all three. The Gold Award is the pinnacle of achievement in Girl Scouts and earning it closes the door from one stage of my life and opens the door for the next, where I will be able to use the lessons Girl Scouting has taught me to make a difference in the world.

**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

Girl Scout Boating Camps are making a Splash!

In a place like Colorado, it seems like we are blessed with endless opportunities for outdoor adventure. One thing that is rare though, is chances for aquatic experiences. This summer, GSCO continues the tradition of offering high quality boating camps for a truly unique Colorado water adventure!

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Are you new to boating? Or maybe you’re an old pro but can’t decide on a favorite specialty? Then the Boating Sampler camp from July 25th– 29th is for you! In this camp, campers get to try out a different boating specialty each day to get a taste of everything. Campers will rotate between canoeing, kayaking, sail boating, windsurfing and stand up paddle boarding- all taught by certified instructors and on the beautiful Soda Lake in Bear Creek Lake Park in Morrison. When not learning new boating skills, there will be plenty of time to splash around under the sun and enjoy the clue waters of this amazing area!

If you’re a more experienced boater, or if you want to become an expert in your favorite type of boating, consider signing up for boating specialty camp from June 20th-24th! In this camp, participants will spend the whole week receiving in depth instruction in their specialty of choice: canoeing, kayaking, sailing boating, or standup paddle boarding/ windsurfing.

Interested in GSCO Boating Camps? Contact Outdoor Volunteers Programs Manger Anna Danila, anna.danila@gscolorado.org for more information. Register now for a boating camp!

Cookie wishes and camping dreams

Submitted by Liz Sherman

Brighton

Denver Metro

Our troop sets our Cookie Sale goals high. We are a relatively young troop in our second year. We DOUBLED in size this year and want to make sure we can keep the cost to families low when we go camping. Last year we went horseback riding and camping with our cookie money. One of our Juniors’ favorite places is Magic Sky Ranch. Another Brownies’ favorite spot to camp is Tomahawk Ranch because she loves the chef. We have all made so many memories in our 2 years in Girl Scouts and we look forward to many more.

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

Best Cookie Video Contest: Cookie Tales (A Fairy Tale from Pueblo)

Submitted by Skyler Korell

Pueblo

Southwestern Colorado

Skyler (7) was having fun watching her friends share their videos on Facebook and decided to make her own video (utilizing the recent Colorado Snow Storm to help her!)

This video was made by Skyler (with some help from mom) on iMovie!

This video was submitted as part of the Best Cookie Video Contest.

Lazy Acres Winter Troop Camp- Snow Much Fun!

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Every year at Lazy Acres, the camp opens it’s door just once outside of the summer season- to welcome troops to the annual winter troop camp! Last weekend over 6 troops came together to take part in every type of winter activity- sledding, snowshoeing, snowball fighting, snowman making, even snow archery! Thanks to camp director Jill, there was plenty of indoor fun too with arts & crafts and making delicious snow ice cream. After troops spent the day outside frolicking in the snow, it was time to tuck into the lodge for indoor “s’more dip”, songs and games.

This summer, the dedicated volunteers and GSCO who love Lazy Acres will be throwing a 70th anniversary of the much loved camp. For more information contact Jill Marostica at jillmarostica@juno.com

Gaining speed on the sledding hill
Ready for a snowball fight!
Snow archery!

 

Winter Camp 4

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Winter Camp 1

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