Gold Awardees Shine at State Capitol Recognition

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Fifteen of Girl Scouts of Colorado’s thirty eight 2014 Gold Awardees were presented on the floor at the opening of today’s House of Representative’s session at the Colorado State Capitol and lauded for their contributions and for being the leaders of tomorrow in our state.

The girls celebrated today were Brianne Azuero of Aurora, Kaitlin Baker-Carr of Fort Collins, Ashley Brock of Fort Collins, Emily Calzone of Longmont, Dottie Deane of Littleton, Taylor Hale of Boulder, Ashely Jones of Parker, Delaney Keeler of Colorado Springs, Sarah Kriner of Falcon, Kelli Leachman of Larkspur, Ann Martens of Monument, Josie Natrasevschi of Fort Collins, Lindsey Romig of Littleton, Natalia Suarez of Fort Collins and Eliana K. Wackerman of Colorado Springs.

The Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouting, and as Girl Scout Gold Award recipients, these girls’ accomplishments reflect extraordinary leadership and citizenship skills that mark them as valuable contributors to their communities and world.

“Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award designation is truly a remarkable achievement, and these young women exemplify leadership in all its forms,” said Stephanie Foote, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Colorado. “They saw a need, took ownership to help develop a solution and took action to make it happen. Their extraordinary dedication, perseverance and leadership is making the world a better place.”

The Gold Award culminates with a project led by one young woman between 9th and 12th grades who builds a purpose-based team to work with the larger community to meet a need. The focus of a Girl Scouts’ Gold Award project is identifying and researching a community issue she is passionate about, developing a plan to address it in cooperation with her team and community members, and providing sustainability for the project. Of the skills learned through Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards, leadership, organization and critical thinking are the fundamentals of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. The Gold Award has been part of the Girl Scout program since 1916. Some universities and colleges offer scholarships unique to Gold Award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their Girl Scout achievement.

The girls attending the event today enjoyed a historic tour of the Capitol and while on the floor, they heard the touching testimonies of House members in support of a bill to declare April 28 through May 4 as Holocaust Awareness Week in Colorado. It was fitting testimonial for the girls to hear, as the messages are so aligned with our Girl Scout organizational values of inclusion, respect and advocacy. One representative cited a quote from Elie Wiesel, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.”

See more photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/gscolorado/sets/72157643601466303/

Preventing bullying one little bit at a time

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Submitted by Audrey Dubler
Denver

Bullying is a problem everywhere. To earn our Silver Award, my troop and I focused on stopping this worldwide problem. First we created our own video to help in a shortened Power Up presentation. The video featured a bullying scenario using all of us as actors. We later showed the video to the fifth graders at Global Village Academy. While teaching Power Up, we tried to hit the key points while including all of the required exercises. We had a shortened time period, but we did two separate classes so we could teach all of the fifth grade girls. The Power Up took the whole day, which we happened to have off, due to a teacher work day. After we taught the students, another member of my troop and I went back to explain to the teachers what we did. We learned that there was a change in how the fifth graders acted because of us. We also told the teachers how to deal with bullying in a classroom. We really believe that the Power Up program truly makes a difference in how people act, and helps eliminate bullying.

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form (www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/share). You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

Troop 60968 holds pj drive

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Submitted by Florence Muller
Broomfield

New 2nd grade Brownie Troop 60968 wanted to make a difference in their community by helping kids stay warm at night. The troop got permission from their principal (who was a former Brownie in her day) and held a pj drive through Aspen Creek K-8 School in Broomfield. The girls are proud to announce that we donated 79 NEW pairs of girls and boys sizes 3t-adult small pjs to the Department of Housing and Human Services of Boulder County. We were able to make this community donation as we partnered with the Pajama Program to help us find a local group with this need  (http://pajamaprogram.org/WordPress/).

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

Daisy Troop 10852’s Hometown Hero – Jack’s Place

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Submitted by Cricket Hawkins
Edwards

Eagle Valley Daisy Troop 10852 recently dropped off 60 boxes of cookies to their Hometown Hero, Jack’s Place at the Shaw Regional Cancer Center in Edwards. Jack’s Place is a Cancer Caring House that provides onsite day and overnight lodging for patients and their families and/or caregivers. Way to go girls!

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

TR12 Backpacker: offers high adventure and challenge for Senior Girl Scouts

“Join us for a five-day, off-site backpacking trip! Cook your own meals, sleep under the stars and get up-close and personal with nature. You’ll learn the skills needed on the trip and then set off, carrying your own backpack and food (provided by camp!) Campers must have some camping experience and be physically able to hike in mountain terrain at high altitude carrying a backpack of their belongings.”

Register Now for this amazing resident camp opportunity this summer!

When: 6/22/14-6/27/14

Where: Tomahawk Ranch Camp

Ages: Seniors, entering grades 9 & 10 in the fall

Cost: $500 if you pay in full by 11:59pm on April 30, $550 if you pay balance in full May 1 and after

This is an amazing opportunity for Cadette Girl Scouts to challenge themselves in the outdoors while building lifelong bonds with other scouts! Cadettes who want to be physical in the outdoors will love this hands-on experience where they’ll learn skills for life.

Date Change – Pueblo Outdoor Property Town Hall

A number of our volunteers and community members in the Southern Colorado region have expressed concern over the date and time scheduled for the Outdoor Property Town Hall.  We respect and value the feedback of our volunteers and stakeholders, so we have decided to reschedule the event.  Due to other conflicts and our impending deadlines, we are unable to schedule it on another weekend day.  We will instead be offering two sessions on a weekday.  Our hope is that the majority of interested citizens can attend one of the sessions.  We have discussed these options with several volunteers and community members and they agree that they are the best available.  The new meetings will be: Friday, May 2:  11:30 a-12:30 p and 6:30 p-7:30 p at the Pueblo Regional Office (21 Montebello).  Please note that the date and location for the Colorado Springs Town Hall will remain Sunday, April 6:  3:00 p-4:30 p at the Colorado Springs Regional Office.  Thank you for your continued support of GSCO, we look forward to seeing you there!

Congratulations to the Bronze Award Recipients March 2014!

Bronze_Award_Starburst_HRAll of the Colorado Girl Scouts who have achieved Girl Scouts Highest Awards this year have done amazing things! With your accomplishments, you have shown yourselves to be leaders in your community and advocates for others. Girl Scouts of Colorado is very proud of you all and the example you set!

Individual or combined Service Units are encouraged to plan celebrations honoring the highest awards recipients. Please contact your local Program Support Specialist for additional support.

Bronze Award Recipients March 2014

Troop42109 – Colorado Springs
Abigail Humphries
Ava Collins
Blakeley Bennett
Elizabeth Gumper
Ellie Schueler
Emma Popkin
Gabriella Greenberg
Hope Earls
Katie Weyant
Kellyn Pattee
Kennedy Wriedt
Mackenzie Walton
MyLinh Merkert
Ruby Boswell
Sarah Wrubel

Troop43107 – Monument
Kaitlyn Ketchell
Sarah Hinton
Zoe Johnson

Troop43580 – Colorado Springs
Jaylee Hepner

Troop44189 – Colorado Springs
Alison Russo
Allison Graham
Ashton McKnight-Wilson
Avery Lenocker
Heidi Johnson
Jaiden Jacobs
Jaycee Jacobs
Mallory Hajek
Sadye Hughes
Samantha Gregerson
Scarlet Lenocker
Sydney Hidalgo

Troop53289 – Arvada
Alyssa Davis
Audrey Solis
Cora Holguin
Emilyann Owens
Jocelyn Brown
Kaela Bredine
Katherine Price
Mary Charlotte Landvik
Molly Butler
Rebecca Stankiewicz

Troop53406 – Commerce City
Abigail Taugner
Emma Bourgeois
Gracelyn Adair
Isabella Heinmiller
Jaelyn Rainwater
Jerray Sterling
Kalene Nissen
Lauren Restrepo
Leah Sansom
Lydia Jimmerson
Madison Speck
Sydney Worden

Troop54373 – Denver
Claudia Horning
Ella Brink
Ellie Swigle
Lyndsey Snowtala
Sarah Young
Skylar Cole
Sofia Martikonis

Troop62802 – Aurora
Aura Delgado-Chacon
Kacey McCutchen
Lucy Herrick
Madison McCutchen
Megan Vazquez
Olivia Calderon

Troop72147 – Fort Collins
Avantika Malvankar
Charlotte Gregg
Dakota Lavigne
Ella Gernert
Jessica Robinson
Maile Tinker
Megan Grube
Meghan Williams
Nicole Clack
Olivia French

Troop73392 – Longmont
Amber Reichenberg
Ashley Reichenberg
Beatrice Lin
Courtney Haedike
Dina Mercier
Emma Stenner
Gayathri Budamgunta
Haeydn Sais
Kaelin Smith
Kensington Dobbins
Sophia Manning
Willow Good

Troop73961 – Louisville
Alexis Stone
Aurora Martinez
Chloe McCormick
Cynthia Vander Meyden
Erin Rosenthal
Katie Glass
Kavita Kellow
Kaylin Denny
Kya Irish
Leila Lauer
Maya Baumann
Miranda McCoy
Natalie Sargent
Nicole Schnettler
Sruti Durbha

Congratulations to the Silver Award Recipients March 2014!

Silver AwardAll of the Colorado Girl Scouts who have achieved Girl Scouts Highest Awards this year have done amazing things! With your accomplishments, you have shown yourselves to be leaders in your community and advocates for others. Girl Scouts of Colorado is very proud of you all and the example you set!

Individual or combined Service Units are encouraged to plan celebrations honoring the highest awards recipients. Please contact your local Program Support Specialist for additional support.

Silver Award Recipients March 2014

Troop40195 – Colorado Springs
Alyssa Scaduto
Emily Schaad
Madeline Campbell
Mikala O’Flynn

Troop51219 – Evergreen
Bryce Civiello

Troop53465 – Denver
Elizabeth Meschia
Graciela Smet
Lauren Deanda

Troop62752 – Centennial
Audrey Dubler
Jessica Pulido
Katie Carothers
Madison Wacaser
Merrilyn Loadman-Copeland

Troop69619 – Highlands Ranch
Marissa Myer

Troop69646 – Northglenn
Addison O’Donnell

Troop70351 – Lafayette
Mikayla Frank-Martin

Troop70552 – Frederick
Carolanne Allen

Troop73488 – Longmont
Abigail Denning
Georgina Bell
Jordyn Blaha
Madison Manning
Marin Neuhard
Megan Bush
Sarah Freese
Trinity Brubaker

Girl Scout Gold Award Project: Ashley Jones, Parker, “The Great Escape”

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Ashley Jones
Parker
Cherokee Trail High School
The Great Escape

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I created a library for the education center at Urban Peak, a homeless teens shelter.

Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?

Ever since I was little I have loved to read. I knew from the beginning that I wanted my Gold Award to deal with books. My original goal was to create a library for a hospital but found that there were a lot of obstacles regarding the sanitation of books. So I called different non-profit organizations all over Denver. When I found Urban Peak, I then began to form the specifics of the project around their needs.

How did your Gold Award project make a difference?

A library isn’t just a collection of books. It can be a common meeting place and a resource for growth. The education center provides GED classes for youth using Urban Peak’s facilities, and I wanted to inspire those youth to pick up something besides a textbook and to discover all the places that reading can take you. Hence why I named my project “The Great Escape.”

What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?

I learned a lot about communication. Not just communication with people but also my community.

As a leader I learned that often it is better to contact volunteers in person. That way they know that their support is important to you and are less likely to bail last minute on  a project.

Leaders are in charge of organizing everything and answering questions. I found that by not putting myself to work in one specific group on the day of I was of more use to all the people who were helping me. This allowed me to bounce between the people sorting existing books, the people putting reading levels on my donated books, and communicating with the Urban Peak employee who donated his time on a Sunday to open the Education Center up for me and my project

What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?

I will most remember the Saturday that we went into Urban Peak to put everything together. I was slowly seeing my dream come together right in front of my eyes with shelves stuffed to the brim with books.

How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?

I will continue to grow in the future due to this project because of the experience I now have. Earning my Gold Award put me in a select group of young women who have successfully earned this honor. Earning the Gold Award requires a high level of responsibility as well as an extremely large amount of time and organization. I feel I am more prepare to take on responsibilities by myself in the professional world. I have Girl Scout friends who are considering earning their Gold Award as well as younger Girl Scouts who are just considering earning their Gold and Silver Awards, and because of my experience I can give encouragement and wisdom on things that went well and went poorly. I know how many volunteers are needed to carry out a Gold Award, so as opportunities arise to help others in the future I will take action to help them through volunteer work and spreading information about their cause and Gold Award.

On a more personal side I will always remember the great feeling of pride that comes when you take an idea and turn it into something that will benefit the community and people around you.

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

Although the Gold Award can be very time consuming and frustrating at times, seeing the finished project taught me that when you finish what you start the rewards are unlimited.

My whole Girl Scouts experience was leading up to this project. The relationships I formed and the skills I developed over the years were preparing me for the real-world experience of leadership, creativity and passion that is the Gold Award.

Girls: Take 2014 GSCO Satisfaction Survey

Let your voice be heard! What’s important about being a Girl Scout? How has Girl Scouts affected you as a person? One girl can make a difference, and, together, girls can change the world!

Help us serve more girls by telling us your Girl Scout truths about what you think:

  1. Register today for Girl Scout Voices at http://www.girlscoutvoices.org/. Girls 12 and under, get a parent’s help.
  2. Take the 2014 GSCO Satisfaction Survey, which goes live in June. If you complete the survey by July 14, 2014 you will be entered in a drawing to a win 50 percent off one session of Summer Camp in 2015.
  • One prize will be awarded for each program level
  • Not a camper? Winners can choose a $65 Amazon gift card instead of the camp discount
  • Prizes are not transferable
  • Prizes are not redeemable for cash
  • All forms must be completed online in CampInTouch to earn the camp discount prize
  • Camp discount prizes must be redeemed by 8/31/15

Questions? Contact: Surveys@gscolorado.org

Girl Scouts of Colorado