Council News

Reflecting on my 50 years as a Girl Scout

From Girl Scout Colorado Alumna and Volunteer, Linda Fuller, a 50-year Girl Scout member and co-chair of Colorado’s 100th anniversary committee

Sometimes it seems I have always ‘bled green’. I’m sure working as a professional Girl Scout on staff for 18 years with the then legacy council, Mile Hi, reinforced those feelings. Girl Scouting was a constant in my life beginning in the second grade, which was the earliest one could become a Girl Scout at the time. Whenever I moved, I signed on with the Girl Scouts, because no matter where I went, as a girl or an adult – Maryland or Massachusetts or New Hampshire or Colorado – I could be assured of new friends and familiar activities. Girl Scouting was a place where I could learn and feel successful at what I did despite a difficult home life. We went camping, dug deep holes in the woods for latrines, lashed together chairs and tables, cooked over wood fires, and traveled on special field trips to New York and other places. As a Girl Scout Senior I went on two Wider Ops (or destinations as they are now known), a special career exploration event in New Jersey and a marine biology project at the University of Virginia. Encampments, long bike trips around Cape Cod, late nights giggling in a tent, canoe trips, serving as a Counselor-in-Training (CIT), sailing and international travel, all these adventures under the auspices of Girl Scouts have enriched my life and given it purpose and joy. I never had daughters, just two sons who I roped into volunteering to help me with Girl Scout activities from time to time. I do have a wee granddaughter, Bella, in my life now, and her mom is already prepared to start a Girl Scout troop when she’s old enough. (With my help of course. :)) And when I start Bella’s Girl Scout Daisy troop, it will be in addition to the girls I currently lead in my Girl Scout Junior troop. Once you are a Girl Scout, you are always a Girl Scout, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

As Girl Scouts celebrates our 100th anniversary “Year of the Girl,” we invite you to share your Girl Scout memories with us. Visit our website and share your Girl Scout stories today!

Council News, Events

Live Event: Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary March 12th

Next Monday Girl Scouts will mark their 100th anniversary. And we will be live blogging from events like the AT&T presents Capitol Troop 2012 Celebration at the Colorado State Capitol. This is an event where the state’s female legislators will be inducted into our Honorary Troop 2012. Mark your calendar and follow us live as Girl Scouts’ marks a historic occasion in our history! Click Here for all the details.

Also be sure to wear your Girl Scout pin and/or the color green on Monday, March 12th, to show your Girl Scout pride! And if you are marking Girl Scouts’ 100th anniversary with your own celebration, share your stories, photos and videos with us on our website.

Council News, Girl Scouts News

Girl Scout Brownie Troop 3450 puts community first during the holidays

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From Dacharie Luke

Girl Scout Brownie Troop 3450 of Highlands Ranch sponsored the Holiday Giving Tree at their school, Bear Canyon Elementary. The girls decided to host a food drive and donate all items collected to the Food Bank of the Rockies. The kick off began Nov. 14th when the troop practiced their communications skills with a scavenger hunt, asking the nearby neighborhood for food donations. Then the girls put together a great month-long campaign at their school, which included a bulletin board, decorating the holiday tree and advertising using school newsletters and e-mails. Collection efforts were just as ambitious and included early morning curbside collections as parents dropped off their kids at school. The end result was impressive as the troop collected 1,172+ pounds of food in just a matter of four weeks. This was the first opportunity for these third graders to take on a project of this size and what a difference they made for their community!

Cookies, Girl Scouts News

Girl Scout Daisy Troop 70557 delivers Hometown Hero cookies

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Submitted by Chris Schantz

On Feb. 29, the Girl Scout Daisy Troop #70557 of Firestone made a cookie donation to their Hometown Heroes: the Mountain View Fire and Rescue Station in Dacano. This is the first time for these Girl Scout Daisies to sell cookies and gather donations and they were able to donate 26 boxes of cookies to the firefighters! We are so proud of our Hometown Heroes and our first year Girl Scout Daisies!

This story was submitted via our Share Your Stories link. You can share your Girl Scout moments too!

Girl Scouts News

Lakewood troop helps dogs who help people

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Submitted by Richard George

On Feb. 29, Troop 3186 from Lakewood did a service project at Freedom Service Dogs.  The girls heard an informative presentation by Jane Boone, then spent time washing and drying several dogs, working with dogs on board games (really!) and then observed some dogs getting training.

One thing that sets this organization apart – it is one of the few service dog organizations in the country that gets dogs from animal shelters, rather than breeding the dogs.  Dogs that don’t work out as service dogs are placed with families as pets.

The troop also brought eight boxes of Girl Scout cookies to give to the staff.  One of the staff members, earlier in her life, was the top Girl Scout cookie seller in Minnesota!

It was a great event!

Girl Scouts News

Daisy Girl Scout Troop 59 brings smiles to seniors

Daisies at a senior home
First year Kindergarten Daisy Girl Scouts from Lone TreeDaisies bring smiles and songs to senior citizens.

Submitted by Tiffany Baker
First year Kindergarten Daisy Girl Scouts from Lone Tree visited a local senior home during the holidays with carols and cookie decorating! A great experience for all. Please note that some area senior homes welcome Girl Scouts year-round for different activities.

Cookies, Girl Scouts News

Enthusiastic sellers from Colorado Springs take booth sales on the road

[slideshow]Submitted by Marla Castro

After hitting the road at 0730 on a Saturday morning and driving to a ski resort 2 1/2 hours away for a three-hour booth, our troop shifted gears and drove about another hour to a little town for the a second booth that afternoon and early evening. Despite being a bit tired, our girls still had tons of energy left to stand up on a pile of snow and wave to cars passing by. Thanks to their enthusiasm, we were able to sell more cookies than we thought possible for being in the ‘middle of nowhere!’ Everyone we saw was friendly and most made a purchase for themselves or Hometown Heroes. What an awesome day!

This story was submitted via the Share Your Stories form on the website!
You can share your stories too.

Council News

Denver Post recognizes Girl Scout project

Girl Scout Troop 3499 at an outing last summer

Girl Scout Troop 3499, who are fourth-graders from Arvada, might have set out to simply “earn their Speak Out Girl Scout badge.” But what they ended up with was an inspired and changed community, as well as a front page story in the Denver Post on Saturday, Feb. 11th, 2012.

“Kids Care Week” was developed by Troop 3499 to help change the stereotype that “Kids can be cruel to other kids.” The troop partnered with their school, Meiklejohn Elementary, and the school’s Student Council, to put together a week focused on activities to help remind kids to be kind and, hopefully, break the stereotype.

“It was interesting to watch how the girls brainstormed various stereotypes that they might like to try to change as part of their Speak Out badge,” said Troop Leader Deb Guiducci. “When someone came up with the idea to tackle the stereotype, ‘Kids can be cruel to other kids’, that seemed to resonate with all the girls. They all started telling stories about how kids had been cruel to them.”

“It was fascinating to watch how the girls created Kids Care Week,” Deb continued. “This truly was a girl led idea.”

The activities during Kids Care Week included:

  • Mix It Up Lunch Day: Sit with someone you don’t normally sit with at lunch.
  • Pay It Forward Day: Do a kind act for another student that you don’t normally play with.
  • Compliment Day: Give someone a compliment today that you normally don’t play with.
  • Mix It Up Recess Day: Play with someone at recess that you don’t normally play with.
  • Nice Note Day: Write at least one nice note at home to someone you don’t normally play with and give it to them at school.

“Kids Care Week gave me a chance to make new friends and to interact with new people,” said Girl Scout Olivia Quinn, who is a member of the organizing troop. “I also thought it was cool to see an idea we had turn into a school wide event.”

“I’m glad we did Kids Care Week as part of our Speak Out Badge,” said Girl Scout Elizabeth Guiducci, who is another member of the organizing troop. “I hope kids can stop being cruel and stop bullying each other. I hope other Girl Scouts will take our idea and do Kids Care Weeks in their schools. It would be great if this would spread all across Colorado!!”

“It meant a lot to me because it was nice to see everyone being nice to each other,” said Girl Scout Grace Drew, who is another member of the organizing troop. “We can teach that if you be nice to people, they will be nice to you.  If a lot of people do this, then the world will truly be a better place.”

In the end, Troop 3499 earned their Girl Scout Speak Out! badge. But the girls, their leaders, their school and the community at large gained much more during this successful project. In fact, Meiklejohn Elementary plans to hold the event next year.

“I think that the girls will take away many life lessons from this experience, but I  hope that one lesson  is that even a small group of people can help change something that they think is wrong if they join together and speak out,” said Troop Leader Deb Guiducci. “This has been an amazing experience for the girls in our troop, and, for me, having the opportunity to help these girls learn what I consider to be important life lessons is why I am a Girl Scout leader. I am so proud of these girls. They are amazing!”

Picture from the Kindergarten class at Meiklejohn Elementary during "Kids Care Week"

Girl Scouts of Colorado