Council News, Events, Girl Scouts News

Inspirational evening honoring Colorado’s Girl Scout Highest Awardees

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View more photos from the event

What an evening we had in Highlands Ranch at St. Andrew United Methodist Church on Monday, April 29th, as we honored some of the 1,000 Colorado Girl Scouts who earned one of the Highest Awards in Girl Scouts in 2013.

One of the most inspirational moments of the evening for me was seeing several Gold Awardees (Kelsey Coker, Juliana Burton and Ellie Wroble) who I have known since I started working at Girl Scouts in 2004. I was also very touched by the speech given by Kim Crawford, with help from her older sister Cassidy. I’ve gotten to know Kim, who is developmentally delayed, and her family over the last couple of months as we’ve shared her Gold Award and Girl Scout story. Her spirit for Girl Scouts and her Gold Award project touches my heart! Seeing the leadership that all of these girls have gained through the Girl Scout Leadership Experience reminds me that this organization’s work makes a big difference. And I’m very proud to be part of this movement, both as a staff member and Girl Scout alumna (and proud Gold and Silver Award recipient too :)).

The best way to capture the essence of the evening is to view the photos (link above) and video (see below) we took at the event. Also, be sure to check out the 2013 Celebration Program, and vote for your favorite Gold Award project on our blog .

Congratulations to our 2013 Highest Award recipients! You are an inspiration to us all!

Media coverage on our Gold Awardees (as of 4/30/13):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DRftd47nqQ]

Girl Scouts News

33 Girl Scouts earn First Aid badge in Pueblo workshop

Submitted by Debbie Fortune
Pueblo West
33 Girl Scouts in Pueblo West earned their 1st aid badges by attending a workshop in Pueblo West on April 29. Nurses from Parkview Hospital and volunteers from the American Red Cross shared their expertise. The Brownie Girl Scouts made First aid kits for nine troops in Sevice Unit 338.
This story was submitted via the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scouts moments too.
Council News, Events, Girl Scouts News

Help Advance Literacy in Colorado

Tips for Running a Successful Book Drive with EPIC 

Click here to download the CBR Poster (in English and Spanish).

Key Dates

  • Book drive is April 22 – May 17
  • Start to pick up books around May 15 (or upon request if box is full)
  • Start to sort books around May 20
  • Book distribution is from May 21-June 14 (staggered depending on site)

Connections to Colorado Business Reads/EPIC

Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC) is your partner to ensure you have the support you need for a successful book drive in your community.

  • Keep in touch with Marie Hueston (marie@coloradoepic.org, 303-587-4223) and pass along Host Site information for each location that receives a box.  This is critical to maintain all contacts in one database and for thanking Hosts at the end of the book drive – we want to make sure we have a complete list.
  • Keep track of the number of books collected by each site and report the final numbers to the Host Sites and to Marie for the database.
  • Email myworld@gscolorado.org and let us know about your project too! http://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/colorado-reads

Community Connections

Stay in contact with your community stakeholders listed below so they know what to expect throughout the book drive.

Host Sites:  These are the businesses hosting boxes at their site(s).   Check in on each site weekly and help support their efforts with the book drive.  If the box is full, please remove and store the books, or provide another box.

Book Sorting Volunteers:  Recruit volunteers who can sort through the books.  EPIC can support your efforts for a fun day for volunteers with music, beverages, food and a comfortable place in which do sort the books.

Distribution Sites:  Work with the Distribution Sites to make the book distribution a memorable event for the children.

Donors:  Always let people know that monetary donations are an option as well.  Any funds received, will receive a 50% match from Usborne books, which means more books for children in your community.

Finally, celebrate your success with all of your stakeholders and enjoy the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives this summer!

Camp, Council News

Pueblo Kiwanis Club helps local Girl Scouts

We are very thankful to the local Kiwanis group in Pueblo who has been helping area Girl Scouts with several projects. In April, the group pitched in to repair and rebuild the fence at the Pueblo Service Center, as well as did a site cleanup day. Local Girl Scouts pitched in and helped with both projects. The Kiwanis Club is planning a service day at Lazy Acres Ranch, the local Girl Scout camp in the San Isabel National Forest, in May.

Thank you also goes to C-Spicola’s Roll-Off Service, Inc. who donated a construction roll-off and trash removal to the Girl Scouts of Colorado for these projects.

The Pueblo Chieftain ran information about the April 6th service day. And KKTV-CBS (Colorado Springs/Pueblo) ran a story about their service day on April 24th.

Posted by Amanda Kalina, PR Director, Girl Scouts of Colorado with help from Amy Myers and Karen Burghart from Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Fund Development team and Lisa Sanchez, Team Lead, Recruitment Specialist, Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Pueblo, San Luis Valley and SE Colorado area.

Council News

Girl Scouts of Colorado awarded $10,000 STEM grant

Girl Scouts of Colorado was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation to fund environmental education programs for Lake, Chaffee and Eagle Counties in collaboration with the Keystone Science Camp. Read more about this grant and view photos from the check presentation on April 26.

Council News, Events

Girl Scouts announces 2013 Denver metro-area Women of Distinction

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Girl Scouts of Colorado is announcing the 2013 inductees into the esteemed Women of Distinction program in the Denver metro-area at a private reception on June 4 at the home of 2002 Woman of Distinction and 2013 Thin Mint Dinner co-chair Elaine Gantz Berman (photos from the June 4th event). This year’s eight Denver metro-area honorees were selected by a committee of their peers led by Selection Chair Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis, Vice President of Government and External Relations at Kaiser Permanente Colorado and 2012 Woman of Distinction, and chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally. The Women of Distinction commit to supporting Girl Scouts of Colorado and serving Girl Scouts today.

The Women of Distinction program began in the Denver area in 1997. Including this year’s honorees, Girl Scouts of Colorado has recognized 395 women with this honor. The Women of Distinction is widely regarded as one of Denver’s premier philanthropic programs, bringing together a group of women dedicated to raising funds to support Girl Scout leadership programs. More than $2 million has been raised in 16 years.

Later this year, Girl Scouts of Colorado will publicly honor these inductees at the 2013 Thin Mint Dinner in Denver. This event will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel and will once again spotlight Girl Scouts’ Live Healthy, Lead Healthy initiative, focusing on self-esteem, good nutrition and exercise. Paula Herzmark, Executive Director of the Denver Health Foundation and 2002 Woman of Distinction, and Elaine Gantz Berman, Colorado State Board of Education and 2002 Woman of Distinction, are event co-chairs.

For more information on the Oct. 10 event, including how you can help, please contact Amy Myers at 303-607-4896 or amy.myers@gscolorado.org. You can also visit our website for more information or to purchase tickets and/or sponsorships at girlscoutsofcolorado.org/women-of-distinction-denver.

Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Denver metro-area 2013 Women of Distinction: 

  • Denise Burgess, President/General Manager, Burgess Services, Inc.
  • Michelle M. Lucero, Esq., Chief Legal Officer, Children’s Hospital Colorado
  • Karen Nakandakare, Diversity, Inclusion & Community Investment, CH2M HILL
  • Kristin Richardson, Community Volunteer, Smithsonian National Board, Smithsonian Science Education Board, Children’s Hospital Colorado & Foundation Boards, TBD Colorado Board
  • Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D., Former Dean, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver, Provost, University of Kentucky 
  • Mimi Roberson, President/CEO, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center & Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at P/SL
  • Regina M. Rodriguez, Partner, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
  • Shari F. Shink, Esq., Founder/President Emeritus, Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center

Media coverage of announcement: Denver Business Journal

Cookies, Girl Scouts News

Troop 75 delivers cookies to Dumb Friends League

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Submitted by Rachel Whitmire
Denver

In 2012, the Daisies and Brownies of Troop 75 visited the Denver Dumb Friends League for a class and tour. They learned about the incredible work the League does to help 25,000 homeless pets each year, and discovered that the shelter could not operate without its army of 1,200 extraordinary volunteers.

Inspired, the girls voted in January to make the volunteers of the Denver Dumb Friends League their Hometown Heroes for 2013. Throughout the cookie season, the girls asked friends, relatives and each of their cookie customers to buy an extra box to donate. The community response was amazing, and the girls were able to meet their goal of collecting one box of cookies for each of the 1,200 volunteers!

On April 2, Troop 75 delivered 1,200 boxes of cookies (plus a few extra cases for the hardworking staff!) to the Dumb Friends League, where they were gratefully accepted by League staff and Ambassador Dog Jezebel.

About Troop 75: Troop 75 is comprised of 23 Daisies and Brownies from the Ricks Center for Gifted Children. So far this school year, the girls have contributed their time, talents and troop funds to the following local organizations: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado, S.A.M.E. Cafe, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Sunrise Senior Center, Denver Dumb Friends League, and Denver Zoo.

About the Denver Dumb Friends League: Founded in 1910, the Dumb Friends League is a national leader in providing humane care to lost and abandoned animals, rescuing sick, injured and abused animals, adopting pets to new homes, helping pets stay in homes, and educating pet owners and the public about the needs of companion animals. For more information, please visit http://www.ddfl.org.

Camp

Exploring Camp in Mud and Snow

This weekend was a much anticipated one for some Daisy troops and some Brownie troops. After being snowed out in March, Saturday and Sunday held wonderful weather for exploring camp in the mud, snow and sun!

Saturday was for the Daisys. Troops 50885, 52511, and 73209 enjoyed stomping down snow in the wind, exploring the cabins, practicing rolling sleeping bags, building candy fires, a yummy lunch, perfecting their pink tent pitching, designing their own bag to take home, and playing with every fun item – from hoola hoops to pom poms – they could.  They wrapped up the day with very messy oven s’mores.

You can see pictures from Daisy Troop Day here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gscolorado/sets/72157633375586470/

Sunday was for the Brownies.  Troops 74376, 74160, 74159, 72996, and 50885 spent time in the cabin, showed off their packing expertise, a yummy lunch, and to prove they were not just there for the s’mores – accomplished a hike to and from Cliff Lake! The snow, mud, water, and wonderful spring time smells added to the fun as they identified track and scat from several resident wild life at camp.  They wrapped the day up with take home picture frames and s’mores.

You can see pictures from Brownie Troop Day here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gscolorado/sets/72157633360176413/

Thank you so much to each of these troops – the girls and adults, who were patient and flexible and ready for any muddy snowy adventure at camp!  It was a muddy-fun weekend at camp, and we look forward to seeing you back at camp soon!   =)

Girl Scouts of Colorado