Tag Archives: Pikes Peak

Fond Memories of the POWER of Girl Scouts

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Submitted by Dee Sabol

Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak

I’ve been thinking about my wonderful experiences with Girl Scouts growing up and found this piece from a “Then and Now” promotion that ran a few years ago. We are lucky to have such a strong, vibrant and historic organization serving Colorado.

“I joined Brownies in 1973 in north central Minnesota – in a little town of about 1,100 people and I stayed in Girl Scouts until I started Junior High and we moved away.

“Scouting was a family thing for us. My mother had been a Girl Scout. She got us excited about Girl Scouting and led our troop off and on over the years. This was a rural area and there were other opportunities for kids, such as 4-H, but they seemed so mundane to me. I loved adventure! I wanted to become an explorer or a voyager in the great northern wilderness and Girl Scouts fostered that dream.

“For me, the most memorable Girl Scouting experiences involve pine trees and the sound of water lapping gently against canoes in the dark – Girl Scout Camp in the north woods. I can remember every scent and sound: cooking fires, dish soap, bug spray, damp moss, wet sand, the call of loons, rain on canvas, comfortable voices laughing and singing. Did I mention bug spray? Camp was mystical and we campers were charmed. All of the activities and all of the people were magic.

“We traveled a great deal when I was growing up, but Girl Scout Camp was different. It filled me with a sense of independence and made me feel strong and capable. Camp was where I discovered I could rely on myself because there was this wonderful force behind me, supporting and encouraging me. Girl Scouting taught me to set and reach goals, to challenge myself. Girl Scouting also taught me to invest in things I care about and care about things that I invest myself in.

“I still love adventure. I still enjoy challenging myself and am enchanted by discovery. I still feel an aching fondness for those deep, silent twilights in a strange and exhilarating place, surrounded by other little people happily daring and dreaming of great things.

“I sponsored a Girl Scout for the Gold Award a couple of years ago. It was an exciting way to reawaken that sense of invisible connectivity that Girl Scouts promotes. There is always so much more that can be done! I donate as I am able and I coordinate cookie sales for Troops at our local library facilities. Supporting Girl Scouts is a sure way to keep the magic alive in your heart and to give every girl the opportunity to discover it for herself.”

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

Troop 44097 of Colorado Springs earns Bronze Award

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Submitted by Carrie Berry

Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak

Most of our troop has been together since they joined Girl Scouts as Daisies in kindergarten at Discovery Canyon Campus. We wanted our project to be a lasting legacy to our school. We came to our principal with several ideas and she approved an outdoor bench, flagstone patio and wildflower garden. They were to be located near the new portable buildings which could use some beautification. We used our cookie profits to purchase wildflower seeds, a red bench and a plaque. The flagstone and concrete pad were donated.

We met after school and used shovels to clear the area of grass and weeds then raked it level. Laying the flagstone was like a puzzle! When the work was complete we drew a landscape picture of the magnificent view of Pikes Peak from the bench and had snacks. Students for years to come will enjoy this area for small group study, independent reading or art inspiration.

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

BRONZE, SILVER AND GOLD CELEBRATED AT COLORADO SPRINGS HIGHEST AWARDS CEREMONY

 

*Click here to see more photos from the Highest Awards celebration in Colorado Springs.

More than two hundred Girl Scout families and friends gathered in Colorado Springs on May 15, 2015 to honor Girl Scouts who earned one of Girl Scouts Highest Awards, the Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

14 girls were presented with the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout in grades 9-12 can earn. Girls who have earned this award demonstrate extraordinary leadership through a project that makes a difference in their community. Several Bronze Award honorees (the highest award a girl in grades 4-5 can earn) and Silver Award honorees (the highest award a girl in 6th – 8th grade can earn) also were presented with their awards.

Girl Scouts of Colorado President and CEO Stephanie Foote said the girls’ spirit and motivation inspires us all to think of the needs of others and take action to make the world a better place.

“You are strong role models for our community and our world,” she said.

Foote also presented the Johanna Farrar Girl Scout Memorial Scholarship to Kelsey Quick. Kelsey, from Salida, Colo., is the first-ever recipient of this scholarship, which was started in 2015. The Johanna Farrar Girl Scout Memorial Scholarship fund provides annual $500 cash prizes to any and all Gold Award recipients from Chaffee County, Colo. To earn her Gold Award, Kelsey created a website and other materials to help children who have been cyberbullied. She is also the first Girl Scout from Salida to earn the Gold Award since at least 2000. You can read more about her project here.

Other Gold Award honorees also described their projects and how working toward Gold impacted their lives.

Alexandria Bellas from Colorado Springs, Pine Creek High School, organized a science event for girls in grades 6-8 that brought together exhibitors from across Colorado.

Kit Bernal from Falcon, Falcon High School, created supplementary art education and a curriculum for a local homeschool association.

Kayla Bernstein from Colorado Springs, Liberty High School, planted a garden for all the residents of the Medallion Retirement Community.

Jonnae Byas from Colorado Springs, William J. Palmer High School, refurbished the garden at the Medallion Retirement Community.

Rebecca Clark from Colorado Springs, Rampart Range High School, organized a clinic to teach the basics of color guard to middle school students.

Mackenzie Crawley from Colorado Springs, Doherty High School, leveraged her love of learning and reading, and her experience volunteering at her local library to bring a sustainable tutoring service and a mini lending library to her church.

Madison Daniel from Highlands Ranch, ThunderRidge High School, captured and preserved the stories of what’s become known as the “Greatest Generation.”

Madison Haneke from Castle Rock, Castle View High School, made more than 100 blankets for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at three local hospitals.

Jessica Hild from Colorado Springs rebuilt benches at Camp Alexander. She also organized volunteers to help build five new benches.

Mikayla Jewell from Colorado Springs, Vista Ridge High School, helped make a softball field safer not only for her team, but other athletes as well. She also taught younger athletes how to stay safe on the field.

Madison Keith from Highlands Ranch, ThunderRidge High School, created a sustainable food pantry for pets.

Lyndsay Ruane from Colorado Springs, Liberty High School, wanted members of her community to be better prepared when disasters strike, so she organized an emergency preparedness fair.

Lesleigh Stabo from Highlands Ranch, Highlands Ranch High School, created a program to help students transferring to a new high school feel more comfortable and get information they need.

We are immensely proud of these inspiring young leaders in our community.

 

Welcome all to Sky High Ranch’s Rededication Ceremony!

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Join us in the Sky High Ranch rededication celebration on May 24th at 2pm following the Sky High Ranch Open House! We will be celebrating a wonderful camp that has touched so many lives. Everyone is welcome: alumnae, staff, camper families old and new!

There will be a ribbon cutting, cake and all kinds of Sky High history and memorabilia. Be sure to bring a camping chair to ensure you’ve got a seat!

Come help us celebrate Sky High’s return to resident camp whether it’s been a part of your life for a long time, or you’re brand new and want to see what adventures camp has in store for you!

Buddy Benches make for a friendly Bronze Award

Submitted by Natalie Moore

Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak

I chose the Buddy Bench project for my Bronze Award because I know how hard it can be for some people to make friends.

The Buddy Bench is a brightly colored bench anyone can sit on if they feel like they could use a buddy. Maybe their friends are absent, they’re new to the school or they don’t want to play what their other friends are playing that day. Sitting on the bench lets other kids know that you could use a pal and they can go over to ask that person if they’d like to join in what they’re doing.

I was the only junior in my troop who completed my journey so I did most of this project alone. A few girls from my troop helped me with a bake sale/yard sale fundraiser and almost my whole troop came to show support at the dedication at my school.

The project started in April when I talked to my principal to ask for permission to do the Buddy Bench. He thought it was a terrific idea and he let me put a donation can with a poster outside his office for kids and teachers who wanted to help. Friends and neighbors donated items and baked goods so I could have a fundraiser yard sale/bake sale in my neighborhood. I sat with my mom & dad to research the best materials for an outdoor bench that I could afford. They helped me purchase benches online and took me to the stores I had to go to for paint and other supplies. My idea was to put in one bench but I was able to raise enough money to buy two!

Check out a video of the Buddy Bench dedication!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dZeQXsV274&feature=youtu.be-A]

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

Girl Scout Troop 40969 Juniors shoot to Bronze

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Submitted by Rebecca Schmidt

Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak

Girl Scout Troop 40969 Juniors worked extremely hard this year. The entire group decided to focus on two problems in the community.

The first is that they are seeing our communities getting taken over by trash and litter. They are concerned about animals and environment and decided to do something about it. They have created a program where they are asking everyone to go out one day a month and fill a garbage bag full of trash. Not just at your house, but in your neighborhood or community. To kick this off the girls have selected a day every month to cleanup a different area that has been recommended but a member of the troop. This was an incredible experience because as they were cleaning up the Lorson Ranch Community, they came upon a TV someone had thrown along the road and it took almost the entire group to clean it up a scout said.

The second problem they took on was finding a way to help the senior citizens of our communities. They partnered with the Sunny Vista Senior Center and have started an Adopt-A-Grandparent Program. The Scouts have done amazing so far. They have scheduled a monthly visit with some wonderful ladies and gentlemen. The Scouts cooked cookies, sang and played Bingo and this is only the beginning.

These programs have been pushed to the other groups in the troop and we are continuing to work with Community Partners, other troops and organizations to get the work out and get more involved.

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

Girl Scouts announces 2015 Pikes Peak Women of Distinction

Girl Scouts of Colorado honors six extraordinary women as 2015 Women of Distinction:

 

  • Kathy Boe, CEO, Boecore, Inc.
  • Brigadier General Dana M. Capozzella, ARNG, Retired, Compliance Officer/Partner, Cascade Investment Group
  • Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Chief of Organizational Excellence, United States Olympic Committee
  • Karla Grazier, CEO and President, Discover Goodwill of Southern & Western Colorado
  • C. Phoebe Lostroh, PhD, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of Feminist and Gender Studies, Colorado College
  • Mia Ramirez, MPH, Senior Community Health Specialist, Kaiser Permanente

 

This year’s six honorees were selected by a committee of their peers led by Selection Chair Lynne Telford, President and CEO of Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado and Woman of Distinction 2014, and chosen based on their contributions to the community, both professionally and personally. They are shining examples of corporate, civic and philanthropic leadership and serve as role models for our female leaders of tomorrow.

The Women of Distinction program began in the area in 2000, though 56 area women were named Women of Distinction in 1994 during Girl Scouts’ 75 Anniversary. Including this year’s honorees, Girl Scouts of Colorado has recognized 119 area women with this honor. The Women of Distinction program brings together a group of women dedicated to raising funds to support Girl Scout leadership programs. More than $325,000 has been raised in 12 years.

Later this year, Girl Scouts of Colorado will publicly honor these inductees on September 10 at the 2015 Thin Mint Dinner in Colorado Springs at the Antlers Hilton. Alicia McConnell, Director of Training Sites and Community Partnerships at the United States Olympic Committee and Woman of Distinction 2007, is the event chair.

For more information on the Sept. 10 event, including how you can help, please contact Karen Burghart at 719-304-8322 or karen.burghart@gscolorado.org. You can also visit the Girl Scouts of Colorado website for more information or to purchase tickets and/or sponsorships at girlscoutsofcolorado.org/women-of-distinction-pikes-peak.

 

Second year brings the cookie out in Dad

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Submitted by Jennifer Knapp

Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak

This is our daughter’s second year selling cookies and this year Rick has been one amazing cookie Dad! From bringing cookies when we were running out, to braving the bad weather, to driving and being at the booth with Callie helping with money management and selling to reach her goal. The greatest story of this season is when he started his “My Guy and I” booth at a furniture store on a Sunday with horrible roads and heavy snow. There was a lead for a grocery store so in a matter of minutes Rick and Callie tore down and packed up in the car to get down to the store so she would have as much time as she could to sell at the new location. They then set back up and sold more cookies than expected on such a bad weather day. He did booths and even took her on a walkaround when I became ill and unable to take her. Callie and Rick worked together to get her goal accomplished and did so with little complaint. Callie and myself are so very proud to call Rick our Cookie Dad and can’t wait for year 3 with him!

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

Colorado Author S.L. Rottman shares with Troop 4262

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Submitted by Amy Keeler

Colorado Springs

Pikes Peak

S.L. Rottman, who is well-known for her young adult novels, met with Girl Scout Troop 4262 to share her knowledge about writing novels. In the end, each girl took home a signed book to read and some inspiration from an amazing lady.

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