Tuesday, November 3, 2009

What We're Thankful For!!

Girls Inc. can only operate successfully with the support of many people
By Pat Wachtel, President & CEO

We rely on the support of many people to accomplish our mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and boldSM. In this edition of our enewsletter, we wanted to highlight and thank the many groups that make our work with girls possible.
  • Volunteers deliver Girls Inc. programs throughout our community. Our dedicated volunteers are committed to making a difference for girls and help us reach hundreds of girls with Girls Inc. programming each quarter. Our "40 Volunteers in 40 Days" campaign celebration is one example of our efforts to thank our invaluable volunteers.

    Of course, there is another super group of devoted volunteers whose countless hours of service have made Girls Inc. of Indianapolis the organization that it is today. We are especially thankful for the help and guidance of our     board of directors!

  • We rely on strong partnerships with schools and community organizations to deliver our programs. While Girls Inc. provides quality girl-specific curriculum and the trained personnel to deliver it, we must have strong partners to recruit girls and provide a place to deliver these programs. Clinton Young Elementary and Legore Boys and Girls Club are two examples of outstanding program partners who work with us to impact local girls.

  • Of course, none of this work is possible without the financial support of so many organizations and individuals. The Junior League of Indianapolis is one example of a group that invests precious resources into Girls Inc. of Indianapolis so we may accomplish our mission!

We are also grateful for those who support Girls Inc. in unconventional ways, from hosting fundraisers for us to teaching our girls something new. The Naptown Roller Girls are one great example of a group who has done both. In addition to raising money for Girls Inc. at their May 30 bout, the Naptown Roller Girls invited our summer campers to skate with them and learn about the roller derby. Watch a brief video of Girls Inc.'s skate with the Naptown Roller Girls!

Thank you to the many people who are involved in inspiring all Central Indiana girls to be strong, smart, and boldSM!

Calling All Volunteers!

Join us to celebrate the end of the "40 Volunteers In 40 Days" campaign!
By Lizzy Bartelt, Volunteer Engagement Specialist

Volunteers are invited to a celebration marking the end of our "40 Volunteers in 40 Days" campaign on Thursday, November 5 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Girls Inc. door prizes will be given away!


The "40 Volunteers in 40 Days" campaign was designed to attract new volunteers eager to expand our reach to girls in the community. The goal is simple -- get 40 new volunteers signed up to lead programs by November 6. We've asked the experts -- our current volunteers -- to help achieve this goal by referring their strongest, smartest, and boldest friends to us as volunteers.

We're halfway to our goal, and there's still time to get involved. Check out our volunteer opportunities online!

The Power of Partnerships!

Girls Inc.'s program partnerships are a key link to girls
By Christy Barlow, Director of Programs

Forty-seven. This is the number of active program partners Girls Inc. is proud to be serving within Central Indiana.

Each school, church, or community organization is as unique as the buildings in which they are housed, but all are equally vital to the success of Girls Inc. outreach. One commonality joins our organizations together: the desire to empower girls.

Clinton Young Elementary, a partner within our Southeast Hub, is in its second year of providing Girls Inc. programs to its female students ages 6-14. During a recent conversation with Shirley Alexander, parent liaison, she relayed her satisfaction with Girls Inc. “Our girls are excited about the programs!” Girls participating in Girls Inc. programs are “sharing information learned with their peers, as well as teachers.”

Across town from Clinton Young is the Legore Boys and Girls Club, a partner within the West Downtown Hub. Unit Director Juan Ongay was in search of a program for his pre-teen girls. “With all of the pressures facing the girls in our community, it was critical to find programming to address their needs and provide them with information that will encourage them to make healthy and informed choices." It was this reason Juan invited Girls Inc. to deliver Growing Together, a program that starts and guides essential conversations about growing up.

While these are just two of our many successes, it is these types of intentional collaborations that allow Girls Inc. outreach to grow within Central Indiana. We are always eager to cultivate new partnerships. If you are interested in partnering with Girls Inc., please contact Christy at cbarlow@girlsincindy.org or 317.522.2605.

Featured Supporter -- Junior League of Indianapolis

JLI partnership provides volunteers to lead girl programming
By Kristen Bax, AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Writing Specialist

With our fall 2009 program cycle well under way, we are excited to partner with the Junior League of Indianapolis (JLI)!

Composed entirely of women, the Junior League of Indianapolis is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The women in the JLI focus their support on health and education of children and their families.

Each year, the Junior League of Indianapolis provides funding and volunteers to community organizations. Girls Inc. is one of the lucky organizations to receive this amazing support from the JLI in 2009-10! Twenty-one women from the JLI have participated in our volunteer training program, with 20 currently facilitating our interactive, girl-specific programming during our current program cycle. They are delivering programs such as Work It Out, Redefining Beauty, and Media Smarts to Central Indiana girls, equipping them with the necessary skills and resources to succeed academically, personally, and professionally! JLI volunteers will continue to deliver Girls Inc. programs during our winter and spring cycles in 2010.

In addition, the Junior League of Indianapolis has awarded Girls Inc. of Indianapolis a $20,000 grant in support of our programs. Deb Gorin, president of the JLI, commented, “Developing the potential of women is key in our mission, which combined with our focus, makes this a great fit since these girls are tomorrow's women." The generous volunteer and financial support from the Junior League of Indianapolis allows Girls Inc. to empower more girls with our unique programming.

Thank you to the amazing women of Junior League of Indianapolis for helping us inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and boldSM!

Volunteer Profiles

Tonya Bush & Michelle Johnson
Tonya: "Some comments were inspiring and surprising, and others were almost tragic."
Michelle: "Girls Inc. is beneficial to the girls because the activities empower them to see more to life than what is in front of them."

Tell A Girl Tip

Tell a girl you're thankful for her.

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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