Girl Scouts Dash Into A Colorful New Year!

By Alyssa T. Girl Reporter

The Girl Scouts decided to start off their new year with an amazing event-the Colorful Dash and Cookie Kick Off! On January 9, 2016 over four thousand Girl Scouts and their families went to CalState University San Bernardino to participate in the second annual 5K around the campus. The Color Dash is a non-competitive untimed, 5k run/walk where participants get splashed with a rainbow of colors along the way! The goal is to work together and finish the race, and just have fun.

People really go all out when dressing up for this event, and even get adorned in tutus and crazy hair to express their own kind of inner beauty! Most participants wore white clothing so that at every kilometer, they get sprayed with a different colored rainbow powder. Even though the name says Colorful Dash, you didn’t have to run; many participants chose to jog, walk or just go at their own pace-there were even kids on scooters! The event reminded people that it’s not about finish line, but their journey along the way.

After finishing the race, everyone had a variety of fun games and educational booths to choose from for the Cookie Kick Off that included money management training hosted by Wells Fargo and a goal setting booth for the young entrepreneurs to map out their projected cookie sales for the year. And, of course, a Girl Scout cookie sample tent where everyone could have a taste of the 2016 flavor lineup. (Girl Scout cookies go on sale in San Bernardino on January 24!) One of the most popular attractions was the ICare booth, which allowed girls and boys to write thank you notes to our nation’s active military personnel. The ICare program donates thousands of boxes of cookies and fall treats to military members overseas and their families, plus local food banks each year.

Another highlight of the event was the STEMazing fair, where Girl Scouts participated in competitive science fair by Girl Scout age level, plus there were fun, hands-on science and tech opportunities such as flying a drone, extracting DNA from strawberries and exploring with microscopic slides.

Camp was officially open for summer registrations, so many girls registered for adventures at Camp Azalea Trails. Not to be forgotten, in the middle of all of this science and entrepreneurial fun were more amazing activities to do, including a petting zoo, rock wall climbing and giant human hamster balls!

If you haven’t been to a Colorful Dash before, you definitely should! It’s an amazing team-building experience and unforgettable bonding time with your troop or family, plus you learn to set a goal to get to the end of the race where a mix of opportunities await you as your reward. Who knew exercise could be this fun?