Meet Our 2009 Touchstone Awards Honorees!

Ellen K. Annala, Alpha C. Blackburn selected as 2009 Honorees

By Pat Wachtel, President and CEO

Girls Inc. is thrilled to announce that Ellen Annala and Alpha Blackburn will be honored at the 2009 Touchstone Awards!

Ellen Annala is the president and CEO of United Way of Central Indiana, and Alpha Blackburn is the president and CEO of Blackburn Architects. Though they have different areas of expertise, both women are accomplished in their respective fields and extremely dedicated to their shared Indianapolis community.

Annala and Blackburn will join the ranks of the 38 inspring women who are former Touchstone Award winners, and the two will round out our list to 40 honorees. In celebration of Girls Inc.'s 40th anniversary in Indianapolis, each of the 40 honorees, past and present, will be highlighted at the event!

Visit the Touchstone Awards webpage to learn more about Annala and Blackburn and to see all 40 women who will be honored this year!

Save the date for the 2009 Touchstone Awards on August 6, 2009! Tickets will be available online in mid-June. We hope to see you there!

Spring, By The Numbers!

Girls Inc. wraps up spring programs with record-setting numbers
By Christy Barlow, Director of Programs

Indianapolis is always in full throttle each spring. Girls Inc's spring program cycle (which runs from March through May) seemed to follow the same speed!

Hundreds of girls were engaged in our programs throughout Central Indiana this season. Here is a quick look into our spring, by the numbers.

37 - the number of programs Girls Inc. delivered this spring.
In addition to these, we also hosted three one-time Lunch Bunch programs.

24 - the number of community partners we worked with this spring.
Partners consisted of schools, community centers, and sororities -- and many partners asked us to deliver multiple programs.

5 - the number of new community partners we worked with this spring.
We welcomed Zeta Phi Beta, Challenge Foundation Academy, Clinton Young Elementary, Brookside Elementary, and Decatur Intermediate Learning Center to our list of fantastic partners.

43- the number of volunteers who facilitated programs this spring.

15- the average number of girls in each spring program.

We are well on our way to engaging 1,600 girls in our programs this year!

Dear World -- It's Me, A Girl!

National education campaign shares girls' voices

By Alison Schumacher, Vice President of Development

Girls Incorporated® asked girls: "If you could send a message to the whole world about what it's like growing up as a girl today, what would you say?"

Their answers form the national "Dear World" public education campaign.

Girls Inc. believes that all girls are inherently strong, smart, and bold. Showing them that their voices are trusted, respected, and above all, heard is a critical part of helping them stay strong, smart, and bold in the face of gender stereotypes and pressure to conform.

Join Girls Inc. in honoring girls’ voices—help us ask the whole world to sit up, pay attention, and celebrate along with us.

Watch this video to learn more about the "Dear World" campaign!

Featured Supporter -- Eli Lilly & Company

Girls Inc. benefits from Lilly’s Global Day of Service

By LaTasha Hudson, Volunteer Partnership Coordinator

On May 20, eighteen Eli Lilly & Company employees participated in Lilly’s Global Day of Service by partnering with Girls Inc. of Indianapolis! Some of the projects they completed are:

• moving and setting up furniture for our summer camp,


• repairing lattice on our outdoor patio to provide girls a shaded place to eat,


• spreading 45 cubic yards of mulch on our outdoor playground to give the girls a safe place to play.

Girls Inc. saved money on the projects our Lilly volunteers completed, and those funds can now be directed to offsetting camp fees for many families this summer.

We are truly thankful for the time, energy, and hard work of our Lilly volunteers: John Chlapik, Mark Copeland, Jim Cross, Jeff Fox, Bret Haisley, Carl Hartmann, Jeremy Hemiup, Darren Holland, Mike Koenig, Karl Kovach, Ian Leavesley, Ron Ruff, Cindi Scott, Sandy Seward, Yvonne Stephens, Jeffrey Tan, Kathy Whiteside, Billie Woodard. Thank you for volunteering for Girls Inc.!

Volunteer Profile

Rhaya Shilts"When I first decided to volunteer for Girls Inc., it was because I wanted to donate my time to an organization that encouraged girls to be confident of their aspirations despite obstacles they may see in their way."Read more...

Tell a Girl Tip

Tell a girl that a skinned knee is an athlete's badge of courage.

If you take a moment to tell a girl all the remarkable things you see in her, not only will she believe you, she'll also start to believe in herself.

Just a Reminder...

• It's your last chance to sign up a girl for Girls Inc.'s summer camps!
• Check our Girls Incorporated's "Dear World" campaign!
• Sign up to volunteer with Girls Inc. of Indianapolis!