Tag Archives: COVID-19

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Troop 72886 thanks Hometown Heroes at local shelters

Submitted by Erin Sullivan-Ortiz

Northern & Northeastern CO

Troop 72886 shared 251 packages of Girl Scout Cookies with their Hometown Heroes, staff and volunteers at local shelters. Guadalupe Center in Greeley, Fort Collins Rescue Mission, and The Mission (also Fort Collins) all have dedicated staff and volunteers who continued selflessly providing essential care during COVID-19, and our troop was grateful for the chance to thank and honor them!

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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COVID-19 Update: May 2021

Troop Overnights as of May 15, 2021

Once a county is in its final stages of reopening level clear/no restrictions, Girl Scout troops may participate in activities that include an overnight stay. Both the county of origin and the county where the overnight occurs should be in the clear stage. Because COVID-19 is still present in our communities, troops are advised to take the necessary precautions, including mask-wearing, social distancing, limiting group size, and frequent hand washing. View the full list of guidance for overnights here.

Troops or service units wanting to host a “camp” must meet the guidance from the state for overnight resident camps. If you have questions, reach out to your volunteer support specialist. Don’t know who your volunteer support specialist is? Call 877-404-5708 or email inquiry@gscolorado.org.

GSCO currently has property reservations on hold and is going through existing property reservations to determine which might meet the current guidance. We will reach out to those groups individually.

As vaccinations become available for children ages 12 and older, we continue to work with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to determine if being fully vaccinated will affect recommended precautions.

For more info see our COVID page.

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Cookie Delivery for Children’s Hospital Colorado

Submitted by Kara Hlavnicka

Metro Denver

Littleton

We delivered our Hometown Hero Girl Scout Cookies to nurses at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. We wanted to thank the nurses for their strong and passionate commitment to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. We delivered 94 packages of cookies, which far exceeded our troop’s goal for this year!

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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Troop 42733 Delivers Hometown Hero Cookies and Completes Service Project

Submitted by Betsy Douglass

Pikes Peak

Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs Troop 42733 recently completed their Hometown Hero donations and Service Through Cookies project! Our troop chose teachers as their Hometown Hero this year and delivered more than 150 packages of Girl Scout Cookies across four schools represented in our troop. Teachers and staff in our local schools have mastered the art of working within the confines of COVID this past school year, and have had to think and work creatively to keep students in the classrooms learning as much as they have. Each school’s administration was so excited to be honored in such a way and the teachers were thrilled to receive some end of the year treats!

Additionally, our troop chose to donate 20% of our cookie proceeds to  Children’s Hospital in Colorado Springs in games and stuffed animals. Representatives from our troop delivered the toys and games last week to a welcoming staff who were so excited for new items to be given to their kids and families.

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

 

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Girl Scout Senior Boosts Seniors’ Spirits During COVID-19 Pandemic

Submitted by Elizabeth B.

Metro Denver

Cherry Hills Village

My grandmom is in a senior home in Pennsylvania. We had plans to see her last March when COVID hit. I wanted to raise the spirits of seniors in assisted living who couldn’t have visitors. Since July 2020, I have hand painted almost 190 flower pots and planted succulents; made 100 Easter baskets and boxes for shut-ins; and decorated more than 300 room decorations. We donated these to seven different senior assisted living homes in the area.

I knew that seniors could use something to raise their spirits since they couldn’t go anywhere and couldn’t have visitors. I thought about what they might like that would be easy to take care of, and would last so they would always know someone was thinking about them. I love succulents, and thought some brightly decorated pots and succulents would be just the thing! Decorating the pots took a lot of time and creativity, but I loved how they looked in the end. For Easter, I wanted to do something a little different, so I found cute baskets and created Easter baskets for each resident, so they could have a fun surprise on Easter and they could use the Easter basket in the room after.  Overall, I have dedicated more than 100 hours to this work.

This is my 11th year as a Girl Scout, and I’ve completed my Bronze and Silver Awards, and am getting ready to take on my Gold! Girl Scouts has helped me grow my leadership skills, and finishing my Silver Award pushed me to go far outside my comfort zone, accomplishing something I never thought I could and impact the lives of dozens of kids.

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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More In-Person Meeting Options for Girl Scout Troops

Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to share an update from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that will allow for more options for Girl Scout troops to meet in person.

We have been working with state officials throughout the past year regarding COVID-19 guidelines. As positivity levels change and more of the population becomes vaccinated, the CDPHE has been able to re-evaluate the guidance they provided.

The state previously classified Girl Scout troop meetings as “personal gatherings,” but now only meetings or activities occurring in a private residence fall under the ”personal gatherings” category. This means Girl Scout troops have more options to meet in person as long as they follow the guidelines for indoor events, outdoor events, or outdoor recreation, depending on the location and activity planned for the meeting. Be sure to check the state and county guidelines, but in most cases, this means a hike, a get-together in a park, or a meeting at a neighborhood clubhouse may be options for you. However, Girl Scout troops cannot meet in a private residence, whether the meeting is held indoors or outside.

Safety is always No. 1 priority and we stress that troops must follow all safety guidelines and take the responsibility of ensuring their activities are aligned with the safety standards for the activity and location.

Always check with the location or business before hosting a meeting or activity to ensure you are within capacity limits for that location and ensure you follow all safety guidelines associated with that business or activity.

At this time, overnights are not allowed per GSUSA for our state’s current phase of reopening. We continue to work on this with the state to determine what requirements will be in place once overnights are allowed again.

We appreciate your patience as we’ve all tried to navigate these challenging and ever-changing times while making safety a top priority.

Visit girlscoutsofcolorado.org/covid for the most up-to-date information. You can also use this document  to help you navigate where your activity might be categorized.

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We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Megan Burns, Colorado Springs, “The Silver Lining Project”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I created a website and social media presence made up of art created, inspired by, or created during the COVID-19 pandemic. I made it as a way for artists to express how they felt during this tumultuous time. I also created sticker designs in order to raise money for the website.

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

I knew my project has made an impact because I have gotten submissions from many different states and communities, all with different perspectives and ideas they wish to express through their art.

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

My website will stay active online after I have stopped receiving submissions. This is why I created my sticker designs. I also created a YouTube video as an advertisement to fully explain my project.

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

I have received submissions from Ukraine and the UK. I have also gotten a blog up on the WAGGGS website to reach the international community further.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned I am more capable of connecting to dozens and dozens of people than I first thought I was. My time management skills were also strengthened as a result of this project.

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

I am planning to pursue a career in graphic design in college. I can point to this project as an example of my web design and organizational skills. It could also potentially help me get a job later down the road.

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

I feel as though this project was a really good, finalizing way to end my time with Girl Scouts. It represents all the things I have learned and all the friends I have made being a part of it. I’m so proud of all I have been able to accomplish.

How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)?

I feel as though my project in itself was a huge risk. Cultivating an online presence is extremely difficult and there were so many times I wondered if this would even work at all. I’m so thankful to say it did. I was lucky enough to have a mentor and support system that helped me find artists willing to submit.

**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.

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Kaitlyn Ketchell, Monument, “Eating Disorder Education”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

The main issue I tackled in my project was lack of education and awareness about eating disorders; namely, warning signs and seeking treatment, as well as general education about eating disorders. The old curriculum used in the health classes at my high school didn’t provide the right kind of education about eating disorders that would allow students to better understand and handle eating disorders, so I created a new curriculum for the middle and high schools in my district. I also created informational pamphlets about eating disorders, which I distributed to local medical establishments (clinics, pharmacies, etc.) and some of the schools in my district.

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

In order to measure the impact of my project, I created two surveys with questions about eating disorders: one for students to take before watching my presentation on eating disorders, and one for students to take after watching my presentation on eating disorders. Then (with the help of a friend), I analyzed the results and found that scores were much improved on the post-survey.

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

My project is sustainable through the continued use of my eating disorder lessons by the high school health teachers. Additionally, my lessons are available for free on the Teachers Pay Teachers website and can be used by anyone.

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

My global/national connection is through the Teachers Pay Teachers website, making my lessons available to anyone for free (teachers, home-schoolers, and more) to use any time.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I’m more resilient than I previously thought. When COVID-19 shut down the schools in my district, I thought that would be the death of my project. However, I worked with the members of my team and was able to record myself teaching my lessons, which the health teachers were able to use in their virtual classes.

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

Earning my Gold Award has increased my confidence, my leadership skills, and my ability to navigate bureaucracies. This has taught me that I am capable of persevering through whatever challenges I may face in the future. When I face roadblocks in the future, I will draw upon the things I learned from my Gold Award project to persevere through them.

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

The Gold Award is Girl Scouts’ highest achievement. Earning this was important to me as a Girl Scout because I set the goal early on and was able to achieve it. I first learned about the Gold Award when my troop leader introduced us to the Bronze Award. Earning the Bronze and Silver Awards inspired me to continue toward my goal of earning Gold.

How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)?

Earning my Gold Award helped me become an innovator because I had to come up with new ideas and unique solutions to new problems (like COVID-19 shutting down our schools).

**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.

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Racing Derby Virtual Style

Submitted by Ariella Wells

Fort Collins

Northern & Northeastern CO

The girls of Troop 70720 hosted their second annual racing derby! This year looked a little different than last year because of COVID and all the restrictions going on across the state. However, that did not stop them from hosting this event. We figured out staggered and safe drop off times and then live-streamed the event on YouTube. While there were a few technical glitches at the beginning, it all worked out well and we think everyone had a really good time 🙂 Thank you to the girls who signed up to participate and made cars 🙂 This event couldn’t happen without all of you and some of your cars are pretty amazing.

Look for the event back again next year! Hopefully, it will be able to be in person and live streamed!

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She was at the can send in her story here.

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Virtual Bingo

Submitted by Christine Kucera

Mountain Communities

Steamboat Springs

Steamboat Springs Girl Scout Troops 54313 and 54595 ran a virtual bingo service unit wide event in December. Girls from all levels and multiple troops joined together to play bingo. Prizes were all gift certificates to local businesses. Most were purchased from a grant from the Lufkin Family. Donations were gratuitously given from Deja Vu Boutique with consignment clothes and jewelry; Cowboys and Indians with Native American home goods; and Lyon’s Corner Drug and Soda Fountain with an old fashioned soda jerk with specialty ice cream. Girls were excited to play bingo cards with different themes of holiday words, song titles, and Girl Scout words. Fortunately, everyone won a prize and a patch. While it’s hard to get together and have fun during this COVID isolation, Steamboat had a great time virtually while supporting our community!

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She was at the can send in her story here.