Celebrating 40 Years

Girls Incorporated of Greater Indianapolis celebrates their 40th anniversary this year. As a long-standing Women's Fund grantee, we are proud to support their work to help girls become strong, smart, and bold. This year, we provided funding for their summer camp program as in previous years; we have also funded staff and volunteer training, for example. Programs such as "She's on the Money!", which teaches economic literacy skills, are a great benefit to the girls and their families, and, ultimately, our community.

In June, I had the opportunity to go on a site visit to Girls Inc., where Women's Fund visitors participated in a summer camp program about beauty and self-perceptions. We were shown a video from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty which reminded me about the unrealistic expectations the media establishes for beauty. Alongside young ladies participating in the summer camp program, we critiqued the images portrayed by female superheroes and were challenged to work in teams to create our own "new and improved" female superhero. The girls had some amazing ideas which they confidently presented to the entire group. This exercise was a first-hand example of the impact of their programs on girls.

This Thursday, August 6, is Girls Inc.'s annual Touchstone Awards luncheon. This year, they are celebrating their 40th anniversary and honoring 40 strong, smart, and bold central Indiana women. It is not too late to register; sign up now by following this link.

Check back with us this Thursday for a post by OPTIONS Class 8 participant Shelley Raper, who will share about her etiquette lesson with Girls Inc. summer camp participants.