Tuesday, September 1, 2009

40 and Fabulous!

500 guests wish Girls Inc. a "Happy Birthday" at 2009 Touchstone Awards
By Pat Wachtel, President & CEO

At the 2009 Touchstone Awards & 40th Anniversary Celebration on Aug. 6, Girls Inc. quite literally blew out the candles on our first 40 years by honoring 40 women!

To kick off the party, our summer campers hosted the popular exhibit reception and taught guests about Girls Inc. programs ranging from karate to economic literacy. Following the reception, guests joined us for lunch and an awards ceremony honoring Ellen Annala and Alpha Blackburn (pictured above) along with the rest of our 40 strong, smart, and bold Touchstone Awards honorees. Girls Inc. national president and CEO Joyce Roché even joined us for the party!

Special thanks to Marianne Glick, Ted Englehart, and Dorothy Schulz Englehart who donated five works of art to the Touchstone Awards. These five pieces of art were raffled off to a few lucky winners at the luncheon!

Thank you to our generous leading sponsors who made the event possible: Lilly Endowment, Inc., Christel DeHaan Family Foundation, Citizens Energy Group, Eugene & Marilyn Glick Family Foundation, Kroger, Lumina Foundation for Education, State Farm, and The National Bank of Indianapolis.

Girls Inc.'s Got Game!

Attend an Indiana Fever game, and Girls Inc. will get a portion of the proceeds!
By Ashley Crockett-Lohr, Special Events Coordinator

Order tickets to one of the Indiana Fever's final two regular season games, and the Fever will donate a portion of your ticket purchase back to Girls Inc!

At the game, you can also check out Girls Inc.'s 40th anniversary banner exhibit, which is on display at Conseco Fieldhouse through September 6!

Join us for one of these two home games!

To order tickets online, click on the links above or visit Indiana Fever Tickets. Click on "Girls Inc. Night with the Indiana Fever" under your preferred date, and enter "girlsinc" when prompted for the Group ID.

Summer, By The Numbers!

Girls Inc. wraps up an action-packed summer!
By Christy Barlow, Director of Programs

Summer is typically viewed as a break from busy schedules and a time for relaxing. At Girls Inc. it was quite the opposite. The months of June, July, and August were focused on continuing to inspire girls in Indianapolis to be strong, smart and boldSM.

Take a look at Girls Inc.'s summer programming by the numbers.
  • 5 – the number of two-week sessions of Girls Inc. summer camp. We delivered 4 two-week sessions of our traditional Girls Inc. camp, and one 2-week session of GEMS, a.k.a. Girls Energized by Math and Science, our math and science camp delivered in collaboration with Marian University.
  • 7 – the number of non-camp outreach programs we delivered. This includes three Lunch Bunch programs.
  • 280 – the number of girls who participated in summer programs.
  • 5 – the number of new community partners. We added Antioch Baptist Church, College Avenue Library, Girl Scout Troop #1597, LeGore Boys and Girls Club, and St. Joan of Arc to our growing list of program partners.
  • 26 – the number of volunteers who lent a hand with girls over the summer.
  • 2 – the number of service projects our girls completed. Camp GEMS participants constructed 21 flower boxes and donated them to local nonprofits. Girls at our Inspired session of camp built and painted three picnic tables, then donated them to the Julian Center.

Girls Inc. will kick off our fall cycle of programming on October 5!

Volunteers Go Back to School

Girls Inc. is now accepting applicants to lead programs in the fall
By LaTasha Hudson, Volunteer Partnership Coordinator

It’s back to school time and in just a few short weeks, we will launch our girl-focused programs for the fall cycle! We're now recruiting volunteers who want to go "back to school" and lead programs for girls! Apply today!

Current volunteers may now easily and conveniently sign up for our volunteer opportunities via our volunteer portal. The portal is an online volunteer community and your 24/7 link to Girls Inc. of Indianapolis. Portal features include:
  • Scheduled programs calendar (for requesting volunteer opportunities)
  • Volunteer contact list
  • News and announcements
  • Invitations to volunteer appreciation events
  • “How To” videos

For more information on becoming a Girls Inc. volunteer, please contact Lizzy Bartelt, volunteer engagement specialist, at ebartelt@girlsincindy.org or at 283-0086, ext. 1023.

Featured Supporter -- Summer Youth Program Fund

Summer camp funders help girls learn the tools for money management
By Kristen Bax, AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Writing Specialist

Starting your own business is hard work, but Girls Inc. campers were up for the challenge this summer!

Summer campers participated in our annual Economic Literacy Carnival, an event that concludes our Economic Literacy curriculum and teaches girls the challenges of running their own business and the importance of managing their money.

Prior to the carnival, the 12-14-year-old girls planned their own businesses. They wrote business proposals, interviewed each other to hire workers, and created advertisement campaigns. Some of the creative business ideas were a snow cone shop, a fast food restaurant with nachos and pizza rolls, and even a nail salon! Girls saved “girl bucks” they earned during camp, invested their money to earn interest, and spent the rest on goodies and treats!

The Economic Literacy Carnival – and the rest of our exciting summer camp activities – would not have been possible without the support of the Summer Youth Program Fund (SYPF). The SYPF is a collaboration of several local funders who provide funding for summer programs for Marion County youth. Many thanks to our generous SYPF funders, Lilly Endowment and the Indianapolis Foundation, for their support of Girls Inc.’s summer camp programs!

Volunteer Profile

Tameka Easter
"When you take girls out of that mixed environment, you help them find their voice and use it. You help them keep it."

Read more..

Tell A Girl Tip

Tell a girl she could one day be a Girls Inc. Touchstone Awards honoree.

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...

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