In celebration of Father’s Day, we thank the men on our National Board who are committed to advancing the work of Girls Inc. You set a wonderful example of how men can be allies and partners in the creation of a racially just, safe, and more equitable world for girls. As fathers and role models you are powerful forces for good in girls’ lives.

Below, Board Members Taj Clayton and Michael Brown share why they, as men and fathers, stand in support of the Girls Inc. mission, with closing thoughts from our Board Chair Tony Bucci, who reflects on the realities of what girls face but also what each girl has the right to expect of this world.

Honor the fathers or male role models in your life by participating in the Girls Inc. Father’s Day giving event. Click here and Happy Father’s Day!

Why men must help erase gender inequity:

Gender-based inequities and related problems are man-made. As a man, I need to be a part of the solution. None of us can sit idly on the sidelines as these problems cause damage to girls, women, and society as a whole. That’s why it is crucial for me to support girls and the important work that Girls Inc. does on a national scale.

Through our efforts to inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold, we are empowering hundreds of thousands of young girls to overcome and erase gender-based challenges that have persisted for far too long. As a man, I have a duty to be involved, learn, promote awareness, recruit other men to the cause, and model what it means to be an effective ally.

Taj Clayton

Partner
Chair, Domestic ADR Practice
Winston & Strawn LLP
Board Member, Girls Inc. 

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Why I believe it is vital to support girls and Girls Inc.:

Because this organization has a life changing effect on each girl that it reaches, which in turn results in a meaningful impact to the communities where these girls live. At the heart of what they do is contribute to an unending focus on giving each girl the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives, a pathway to career success, the foundation to build strong and lasting relationships, and the opportunity to be role models and leaders in their communities.

As a father of a young daughter, I worry about the obstacles that she will face as she becomes a teenager and later enters the job market. The statistics on the systemic barriers to a girl’s success in finishing high school, pregnancy before the age of 20, sexual abuse, and others are real and devastating.

This organization is driving measurable results on all of these categories to the girls who are fortunate enough to be reached. This organization is making a significant difference in girls lives and the only way to reach more girls is through additional support.

Michael Brown

CPA, Managing Director, Audit and Assurance Services
Deloitte & Touche
Region III Volunteer Representative and Board Member, Girls Inc. 

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A father’s thoughts about his daughter on Father’s Day:

I have had the benefit of having a wonderful relationship with my daughter. She has grown into a wonderful, loving mother and an extremely accomplished business woman. I have had the benefit of watching her grow through her young and adolescent years as she progressed through school, onto college and into her career and into her motherhood. I had the opportunity to provide her an elementary and high school education in a girls-only environment. I learned of the extraordinary benefits of a single-sex education for girls. I also became aware of the difficulties young women experience in our too-male-dominated society, even in the school environment. I was always conscious of encouraging her and reinforcing that the sky was her limit and that any limits were her choices and not ones that people (and men) try to impose on her.

Unfortunately, not all girls have a similar support system or similar opportunities in their home or social environments. Nor do they have nurturing support systems.

As a man, a father, an employer, I am fully aware of the hurdles that are often placed in a girl’s or woman’s development. As a man, I am sensitive to the fact that many men are an ongoing part of the problem. I believe that men must become a more significant and active part of the solution.

My engagement with Girls Inc. had even more clearly made this evident to me. Through Girls Inc., we are able to provide the support that too many young girls do not have access to. Our world is a better place when we all are able to flourish in our own ways. My daughter and I have had the opportunity to have a loving and nurturing relationship. It is truly the best gift I can ever have for Father’s Day. Every daughter deserves the same.

Tony Bucci

Chairman
9Rooftops
Board Chair, Girls Inc.