Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold sm

Girls Inc.: Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.

After all, a girl is not an object that one can treat and manipulate like a puppet, a girl is someone who needs love, kindness, and someone who understands them.  

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Warren Buffett eBay auction proceeds to benefit Girls Inc.
Warren Buffet donated his 2001 Lincoln Town Car to be auctioned online on eBay and 100% of the proceeds will benefit Girls Inc! Mr. Buffett's personal automobile, including his personalized "THRIFTY" license plate, was offered at auction from September 12-22, 2006. Warren Buffett recently made headlines by pledging to donate the bulk of his fortune to charity. Congratulations to Bill Zanker who made the winning bid of $73,200!

Girls Inc. Corporate Camp SM for Entrepreneurs to take place in New York, July 22-28
Girls Inc. Corporate CampSM for Entrepreneurs in partnership with The Goldman Sachs Foundation brings three teams of Girls Inc. members from affiliates across the country to gain hands-on knowledge and expertise about what it takes to develop and lead a business. The teen entrepreneurs were selected based on their original business plans. During the six-day camp they will come to understand how entrepreneurship can lead to economic independence.

Girls Inc. opens NASDAQ and celebrates Economic Literacy
To kick off the annual Girls Inc. Celebration Luncheon, the NASDAQ invited Girls Inc. President and CEO Joyce M. Roché to ring the opening bell on March 23rd. "Our programs, for girls ages 6 to 18, teach the importance of financial literacy, enhance the mastery of math, science, and technology, foster leadership, and encourage girls to make smart, informed decisions," said Roché minutes before she rang the bell to open up trading of the NASDAQ. Times Square went aglow with a bright red Girls Inc. logo. The ceremony marked the second time Girls Inc. was invited to preside over NASDAQ's opening bell ceremony - Roché rang the opening bell on behalf of Girls Inc. on July 8, 2002.

  • Click here to read about the 2006 Girls Inc. New York Celebration Luncheon and its honorees.

  • Learn more about the Girls Inc. Economic Literacy Program

Girls Inc. partners with The Home Depot for Project Dollhouse
Project Dollhouse is a community outreach partnership between The Home Depot and Girls Incorporated®. The objective is to engage girls ages 5-18 in a friendly competition of constructing and decorating dollhouses. A total of 175 teams of girls built and decorated dollhouses in September 2005 and submitted these dollhouses for a panel of judges to review. The judges will select the finalists who will be invited to an awards ceremony in Atlanta this month. A total of 122 Dollhouses will be listed on eBay in three phases beginning February 13, 2006.

Girls Inc. Sponsors National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 1st, 2006
Girls Inc. is proud to be a sponsor of the 20th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. This year's theme is "Count Me In." There are events happening in all 50 states. Find out how you can celebrate!

Girls Inc. Corporate Camp SM to take place in New York, July 9-14
Girls Inc. Corporate CampSM in partnership with Lancôme is an opportunity for girls to experience the total business environment of a major corporation. As part of our strategic alliances, we have developed a special excursion that focuses on team building, hands-on experience of the process of a consumer product, and exposure to real-life business settings. Girls will touch all phases of a product from concept development through how a product is shipped to the store. Girls Inc. Corporate CampSM will provide girls with professional development tools and stimulate their thinking about career opportunities that exist for women.
Meet the winning teams and learn about their product ideas!

Stars Celebrate Sisterhood in an Auction to Benefit Girls Inc.
Celebrating the powerful and enduring friendships that women of all ages share is the cornerstone of the upcoming film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Warner Bros. Pictures, in partnership with the Levi's® brand and eBay, has invited female celebrities to "Join the Sisterhood" by participating in a unique nationwide project to raise awareness and funds for Girls Inc. Celebrities include the movie's stars, as well as Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Swank, and many others.

Girls Inc. Hosts Celebration Luncheon in New York
Meet our distinguished honorees, and find out how you can be a part of this year's Celebration Luncheon on March 30th.

Girls Inc. Joins Quarters from Kids Coalition
Quarters From Kids is a nationwide, grassroots effort to engage young people, and adults who work with them, in a collective response to the tsunami disaster. Girls Inc. is part of a coalition of more than 100 organizations dedicated to children, and a growing list of relief partners joined together in recognition that when young people learn they can help improve their world, they do so with idealism, passion, and vigor.
- Read about a Girls Inc. affiliate who raised funds for the victims of the tsunami.

January 24-28 is No Name-Calling Week
Girls Incorporated is proud to be a partner for the second annual No Name-Calling Week. This project seeks to focus national attention on the problem of name-calling in schools, and to provide students and educators with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities.
- Get tips to deal with name-calling.
- Read our interview with James Howe, author of the book that inspired No Name-Calling Week.

Girls Inc. Hosts Annual Celebration Luncheon in Los Angeles
Girls Inc. celebrates our ongoing partnership with the entertainment community on November 15th. Download your invitation.

Girls Inc. Launches Girls Inc. Online
Girls Inc. is now piloting a unique online membership that will offer girls a fun, safe web community where they can participate in Girls Inc. programs. Learn more about how you can register the girls in your life!

Frank Burnes Recognized with National Assembly Award for Excellence
Girls Inc. National Board member Frank Burnes received the National Assembly Award for Excellence in National Board leadership on September 9, 2004. Learn more about this prestigious honor.

Girls Inc. Celebrates Milestones at the 2004 Washington, D.C. Celebration Luncheon
In 2004, Girls Inc. marks 140 years of strong, smart, and bold efforts on behalf of girls—first as Girls Clubs and now as Girls Incorporated. Share this powerful moment in our history, when we will introduce our national scholars, recognize our shared achievement in preserving Title IX, and salute Honorees who are working to ensure the rights and opportunities of all girls.

Thursday, May 13, 2004
Grand Hyatt Washington
Download an invitation

Co-Chairs:Honorees: Susan A. Buffett
Former President
Girls Inc. of Omaha, NE

Roselyn Payne Epps, M.D.
Professor Emerita
Howard University and Medical and Public Health Consultant

Barbara Levy Landes
Senior Vice President and CFO
PBS

Debra L. Lee
President and COO
BET Holding Inc.

The Honorable Shelley Moore Capito
United States House of Representatives

Debra I. Dingell
Vice Chair, General Motors Foundation
Executive Director of Community & Government Relations
GM Policy Center

The Honorable Mary Landrieu
United States Senate

Karen Hastie Williams
Partner
Crowell & Moring LLP

140 Years of Celebrating Girlhood
Since 1864, Girls Inc. has responded to the changing needs of girls and their communities. Learn about our history and check back soon for more news about our exciting anniversary celebration!

Girls Inc. Fan Runs Marathon in Our Honor
Jennifer Ceolinski took her passion for the Girls Inc. mission all the way to the finish line of the Twin Cities marathon! Read more about this ambitious athlete.

Girls Inc. Honors Leaders in Washington, D.C.
Girls Inc. hosted our first annual Washington, D.C. Celebration Luncheon on May 20th. This event was an opportunity to salute our honorees who are preparing the way for the next generation of women leaders.

Honorees: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
United States Senate Roselyn Payne Epps, M.D.
Senior Program Advisor, Women's Health Institute Marie C. Johns
President, Verizon Washington DC, Inc. Bobbie Greene Kilberg
President, Northern Virginia Technology Council Corporate Vision Award: US Airways
David N. Siegal
President and CEO

Girls Inc. Celebrates Girls' Rights Week
May 12-16 is Girls' Rights Week! This year Girls Inc. is bringing girls and adults together to talk about issues that matter. What can you do to support the girls in your life? Find out how you can be a part of Girls' Rights Week.

AMBER Plan Will Become a Federal Law
On April 30th, President Bush announced that he will sign a law to establish a national system of AMBER Alerts for missing children. Learn more about the AMBER Plan and find out what you can do to protect children from abduction and kidnapping.

Lancôme Partners With Girls Inc. to Launch New She Shines! Juicy Tube
Inspired by Girls Inc., She Shines! is the newest shade of Lancôme's wildly popular Juicy Tube line. Pick one up at a Lancôme counter near you or get yours online!

An Appetite for Life
Actress Tracey Gold co-starred in the popular 80s sitcom Growing Pains, but most people also remember her very public battle with anorexia. We talked to an older and wiser Tracey about her new book. Read our interview and learn more about eating disorders.

Girls Inc. Salutes Power Players
On March 27, 2003, Girls Inc. hosted its annual Celebration Luncheon in New York City. This event paid tribute to our strong, smart and bold National Scholars and some of the most powerful women in the business sector. Meet our honorees!

February is Black History Month
Girls Inc. takes part in this important celebration by exploring the history of Black sororities. Since 1908, these tightly knit women's communities have enriched the lives of Black women all around the world. Learn more.

Girls Inc. Goes to Hollywood
Girls Inc. held our 9th annual Celebration Luncheon in Los Angeles. This November 13th event paid tribute to strong, smart and bold women in the entertainment industry. Find out who made the cut!

Fitness Magazine's Mind, Body, Spirit Games Will Benefit Girls Inc.
From coast to coast, Fitness Magazine is showing support for the Girls Inc. mission! The Mind, Body, Spirit Games include a 4-mile run, a 2-mile health walk and a 1-mile speed race. All proceeds from these events will benefit Girls Inc. The games will be held in New York City on October 12th and in Los Angeles on November 16th. For more information or to register, check out Fitness Magazine.

Take a Girl to a Game Night
On August 8th, Girls Inc. brought our strong, smart and bold message to Madison Square Garden for Take a Girl to a Game Night. This exciting partnership with the WNBA was the first of our efforts to bring more girls to basketball arenas across the country. Check out highlights from the event!

Girls Inc. Opens NASDAQ
As the Girls Inc. logo lit up Times Square, President Joyce Roché got the trading started on the NASDAQ stock market. The July 8th ceremony highlighted the importance of engaging girls in technology and educating all girls about basic financial concepts, including money management and investing. This exciting event was seen on all the major financial networks including CNN, CNNfn, FoxNews, CNBC and Bloomberg. Learn more about Girls Inc's Economic Literacy program.

Girls Inc. Joins Forces With the Oxygen Network Starting June 16, Oxygen will begin airing its new documentary series, "Sixteen". Produced by Rory Kennedy and Liz Garbus, this groundbreaking series will explore the real lives of girls through their eyes and in their words. Girls Inc. is proud to be the advocacy partner for this important project. Check out the Oxygen TV schedule

Friendly PEERsuasion Program Wins Honors The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention has recognized Girls Inc.'s Friendly PEERsuasion program as an effective program that gets impressive results. While many teens ignored the White House's heavily rotated anti-drug PSAs, Friendly PEERsuasion helped to delay 11- and 12-year-old girls use of harmful substances.

Girls Inc. Celebrates Girls' Rights Week
May 12-17 is Girls' Rights Week. We'll be kicking things off with an event in Washington, D.C., where girls and women will come together to talk about the importance of girls' communities. But you don't have to travel to the nation's capitol to join the celebration. Check out our fact sheets, tips, research and press materials right here!

May 8th is the first-ever National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
Girls Inc.'s Preventing Adolescent Teen Pregnancy programs have helped thousands of girls acquire the skills, confidence and motivation to avoid early pregnancy. In honor of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Girls Inc. has teamed up with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and the Ricki Lake Show. Ricki Lake's compelling teen pregnancy episode will be screened and discussed with girls in our centers nationwide. Read the press release.

Strong, Smart, and Bold Personified
Read what the Honorees of our New York 2002 Celebration Luncheon have to say about the rewards-and challenges-of being a trailblazer.

Girls Inc. Book Now in a Bookstore Near You!
Celebrate the paperback debut of Strong, Smart & Bold: Empowering Girls for Life, with two activities to help you raise a girl who knows her rights.



JANUARY
Web Launch – We have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the launch of our redesigned web site that went live on December 22, 2000. Here is what some visitors are saying:
Annie– I think this site is an excellent source of information and inspiration. It's obvious that you strive to make females understand that, in a society of media-fed images, we don't have to sit back and watch things change for the worse, that we have options. Thank you!
Tiffany – I really liked the site. It gives us a chance to find out some things girls need to know about ourselves.
Theresa – Thanks for having this great web site to help all of us girls out when we need help!
Lynn – Your website is terrific.
Let us know what you think! Fill out a feedback form.

National Scholars– Every year we select scholars from a group of outstanding young women who are members of local Girls Inc. affiliates. The 2001 scholars represent a diverse group who are determined to pursue challenging career paths. Learn more.

FEBRUARY
2001 National Girls and Women in Sports Day – Girls Incorporated, along with several other nonprofit organizations celebrated the 15th Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) on Feb. 7 in Washington D.C. The event brought together champion athletes, women members of Congress, and other dignitaries to celebrate this year's theme, “No Stopping Us Now.” The theme acknowledges the achievements women and girls have made in sports, with an implication of more to come.

NGWSD was established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1986 to remember Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports. Since that time, it has evolved into a day to acknowledge the achievements of women and girls in sports, and the importance of their participation.

The event is organized by Girls Inc., the Girls Scouts of the USA, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the Women's Sports Foundation, and the YWCA of the USA.

MARCH
Book cover On Stands Now – Strong, Smart, and Bold : Empowering Girls for Life by Carla Fine, (Cliff Street Books/HarperCollins, March 2001.) distills the organization's 55 years of research into issues faced by girls and offers concerned parents and educators time-tested techniques, exercises, and activities for inspiring girls to be “strong, smart and bold.” Order here!

NY Luncheon – This year Girls Incorporated celebrates the 17th Annual New York Luncheon, the organization's largest fundraising event. The luncheon attracts over 1,200 business and philanthropic leaders interested in raising awareness about girls' issues. Last year, the luncheon raised $1.4 million to benefit Girls Inc. programs and this year's luncheon promises to exceed that amount. For more information call Denise Roman at (212) 509-2000 ext. 214.

APRIL
Zelda Who in the World is Zelda? – My Girlfriend Zelda is the embodiment of a new program designed to teach girls, age six to eight, about the human anatomy, health and hygiene while also introducing them to basic surgical terms. Girls learn about the body's organs by becoming surgeons who operate on Zelda, a soft, cloth, life-size teaching doll with Velcro flaps. The doll was developed by health professionals to simulate surgery. Next month, the program curriculum will be distributed on CD-Rom to all Girls Inc. affiliates. Learn more about our programs.

Girls Speak– The faces and stories behind Girls Incorporated are being seen and heard across the country, thanks to three, 30-second television spots currently on the air. Last year, 25 girls from Girls Inc. centers nationwide competed to participate in a three-day production camp in Los Angeles. The girls starred in and helped produce the ads. The spots began airing in February 2001 and are expected to reach 200 million American homes by the end of this year. Learn more about the Girls Rights Campaign

Girls Dig It!– Girls can now dig into the exciting world of archaeology through a new program that will challenge them to ask questions about how we explore our own as well as other cultures. Through after-school and summer archaeology projects, girls, ages 12 to 14, will be introduced to the interpretive and analytical skills used to answer tough questions sometimes raised by archaeology. Girls will also get the chance to explore questions of gender and culture - like what roles girls & women of the past played. The program curriculum will be distributed next month to all affiliates. Learn more about our programs

MAY
Girls on the Hill–Did you know that in a recent online survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Girls Inc., 35 percent of girls said celebrities and sports stars have more power than Senators to bring about change? That's right! So it wasn't surprising when six women Senator's agreed to meet last month with five Girls Incorporated scholars from across the country to discuss girls' rights.

Girls Inc. scholars from California, New York, Alabama, and Connecticut made their way through the intimidating, long corridors of the U.S. Capitol building on a mission to advocate for the nation's 36 million girls.

While on the Hill, the scholars made visits to six women Senators' offices –including New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton– to raise awareness among legislators of the issues facing girls. The girls traveled to the nation's capital during Girls' Rights Week (May 14-18), a national weeklong observance of girls' rights. They not only presented Senators with the Girls' Bill of Rights but also shared personal anecdotes of the challenges they face in trying to assert their rights.

The scholars also helped unveil a plan for the Girls Inc. Center for Girls' Rights, a Washington, D.C.-based public education center dedicated to creating social change on issues of gender equity.

Send a letter to your elected official in support of the Girls' Bill of Rights.

JUNE
Panasonic Screen The Big Screen!– Critics are saying its a must see! "Empowering" says Joyce Roch', President & CEO of Girls Inc. "Strong, Smart, and Bold" is the web world's biggest triumph! Our interactive ad promoting the Girls Inc. website and our mission played three times an hour on the Panasonic screen, exclusively at Times Square, Spring 2001.

Building a Generation of tech-savvy Girls– Thanks to a $150, 000 grant from the Panasonic Corporation, a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Corporation, Girls Incorporated will create 12 new web-based science and math activities per year for girls to do online. The company's U.S. foundation is investing the money over a three-year period to build technological capacity for the site, to support tech-savvy staff, and to produce a stream of web-based science programming that will keep girls hooked on our site! Look for our new and exciting, fun-filled science and technology activities beginning this fall!

JULY
Setting Down Roots– It has been nearly a year since the search began and this month the inaugural 11-member Board of Directors of Girls Incorporated of Los Angeles will meet for the first time to make some key decisions, including defining a process to select an executive director. This is one of the last steps before Girls Inc. of LA becomes an independent and locally governed organization. The board, made up of a wide range of local leaders - from an actress to attorneys to community activists - will begin meeting regularly in September. For the last six years, Girl Inc. of LA, a project of the national organization, has been working with other local youth and service organizations to deliver Girls Inc. programming on everything from math and science to pregnancy prevention to sports, wherever girls are - schools, public housing developments, detention facilities, and community based organizations. Learn more about Girls Inc. of LA's founding board members.

AUGUST
Surgeon General Call to Action-Talking to your child about the “birds and the bees” can make a bad case of the butterflies seem mild. Chances are if you are not talking to your children about sex, their friends are and they are not talking about the facts or reality of early sexual activity.

“It's like the broken telephone game, where someone has heard something on TV about sex and then passes it along to one of their friends all wrong,” says teen mom, Jessica Insley, 18, of Girls Inc. of Washington County in Hagerstown, Maryland. “A lot of kids will have unprotected sex because they think STD's or pregnancy ‘won't happen to me.”

Recently, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher issued a Call to Action to promote sexual health and responsible sexual behavior. His appeal comes on the heels of a report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that revealed an alarming increase in the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STD's) and HIV/AIDS infection, unintended pregnancy, abortion, and sexual violence.

Satcher, in a written statement, said he is calling on parents to have values-based, mature, open, and honest discussions with their children about responsible sexual behavior and health. He concludes these conversations will pave the way to a more knowledgeable and healthier nation that can make well-informed decisions about sex. He adds that the report points to a serious public health problem where all people are at risk, and that among others, a disproportionate number of adolescents “often bear the heaviest burden.”

Book cover If you are searching for effective ways to talk to your daughter about the benefits of abstinence and responsible sexual behavior check out this new book “Strong, Smart and Bold: Empowering Girls for Life” by Carla Fine (Cliff Street Books/HarperCollins, March 2001.). It provides parents with time-tested techniques, exercises and activities to open the door to a mature and honest conversation with your daughter.
Order Now

Suggested links
Surgeon General Call to Action
Ten Tips for Parents
Girls and Sexual Activity Fact Sheet
Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy Program

September
Web Chat
September 5: Join our Director of Research, Heather Johnston Nicholson at 5 p.m. EST for a discussion on raising confident girls at the Child Magazine web site, www.child.com.

Unicef
Say Yes! - Girls Incorporated is standing by the efforts of UNICEF's “Say Yes to Children” campaign, which is committed to saving and improving children's lives worldwide. Girls Inc. joins various youth and faith-based organizations in UNICEF's efforts to mobilize millions of people to improve the quality of life of ALL children. The Say Yes pledge incorporates ten actions people can take - ranging from fighting gender inequality to poverty to HIV/AIDS.
Make your pledge to children worldwide and learn more about the campaign.

October

scientist Math and Science Summit, rescheduled for October 26 and 27
"Women and girls aren't cut out for science and math," is a myth that Girls Incorporated is working to put to rest. On October 26th and 27th (originally scheduled for Sept. 14th and 15th) educators, researchers and other experts will convene at the Athenaeum in Indianapolis, Indiana to streamline the Girls Inc. Operation SMART program, an age-appropriate curriculum that builds girls' skills in math, science, and technology. Learn More

Girls making patriotic crafts Girls across the country cope with the devastation and now a war. Immediately after the brutal terrorist attacks in Washington D.C. and New York City on the morning of September 11th, parents, educators, caregivers as well as youth service organizations across the country wrestled with how to explain the horrific incident that still seemed like a bad dream. Here we present the stories of Girls Inc. centers across the nation and how they explained and dealt with the events and devastation playing out over and over again on television.

Girls Incorporated of Winter Haven, Florida
With a U.S. map in hand, executive director, Peggy Spillane, along with other program staff at Girls Incorporated of Winter Haven, Florida, first reassured girls of their safety and pointed out where the attacks occurred earlier that morning.

Girls Incorporated of New Hampshire
"$50 dollars! Do I hear $60?" yelled the auctioneer - a local firefighter. The bids came in quickly, in emotive spurts from a crowd of about 200 people packed into a meeting room at the Center of New Hampshire Holiday Inn in Manchester.

Girls Incorporated of Hartford, CT.
Amidst the crime, poverty, and violence that plagues her Asylum Hill neighborhood in Hartford, CT, Angelica Brown, 11, worries about the thousands of people affected by the disaster at the World Trade Center in New York City just over two weeks ago.

Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis, IN
"I am sorry. I will pray for you," read a message scrawled on a 15-foot long piece of poster board. It was a message written to the people of New York City by a girl still trying to grasp the reality of what happened just a day earlier.

November

Hollywood Tribute to Entertainment Industry Execs for Creating Powerful Women & Girl Characters
Beverly Hills, CA - November 14th
- Several top entertainment executives will be honored for creating and supporting inspiring female characters in various television and film productions at the at the 6th annual Girls Incorporated Los Angeles Celebration Luncheon on November 14 at the Beverly Hilton.

The honorees include executive producers, DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler (NBC's Three Sisters), Anne Thomopoulos, Senior Vice President of HBO Original Programming (Band of Brothers) and casting director Robbi Reed Humes (School Daze, Do the Right Thing, A Different World, ROC). Read more

Survey reveals general public is misinformed about lives of women and girls - The results are in! Thanks to all of you who have taken our Facts about Women and Girls quiz. We have now compiled the results from the first 500 participants. Overall, the results reveal that public perception does not reflect the facts about women and girls in our society. (The average score was 26% correct.) There is a sense that gender equity has progressed further than it has, and at the same time a belief that women and girls do not participate as fully in society as they actually do. The conclusion we can draw from this is that to attain gender equity we must work harder to educate the public about the lives of women and girls. Read More

December

Girl Girls Inc. is Reaching More Girls in Communities Across the Country An important new Girls Inc. project called "Reaching More Girls" (RMG) aims to increase the number of girls reached by our programs, products, and publications at Girls Inc. centers all over the country.
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Lilly Logo Lilly Endowment Strikes "Bold" at Girls Inc. A $6.3 million grant from the Lilly Endowment promises to help Girls Inc. reach more girls through technologies like the Web. Find out how this powerful supporter is making a difference for Girls Inc. and girls everywhere!

Support Girls Inc.