Feature Story
Girls Inc. Selected by Willamette Week for the 2008 Give!Guide
The Give!Guide allows our supporters to make contributions to Girls Inc. online and in return get free stuff!

To be successful, we need your help
We hope you'll reach out to friends and relatives to get them in an especially charitable frame of mind. Please share with them following reasons to give to Girls Inc.:

• What We Do
  Girls Inc. of NW Oregon prepares girls for confident and economically independent adulthood. As the leader in gender-specific services, Girls Inc. annually reaches over 1,000 girls in need. We go to where girls are, over 50 school and community-based locations including detention and residential treatment centers.
  
  
• Why We're Great
  Girls Inc. nurtures Oregon's future female leaders and actively engages girls in social justice personally and politically with great results (ask Ted Wheeler!). Our award winning programs:
  • build healthy relationships between girls
  • educate girls about drug and alcohol use
  • promote physical health
    
  • facilitate career exploration and economic literacy
  
  
• Why Choose Us
  Girls Inc. serves all girls ages 8-20, particularly those who face poverty, juvenile crime, substance abuse, and school failure:
  • 85% of our girls live in poverty
  • 50% of our girls are ethnic minorities
  • 75% have been impacted by family violence
    
  • More than half are from single-parent households, most of which are headed by women
  
  Last year, Girls Inc. reached over 2,500 girls with our strong, smart, and bold programming:
  • 100% of participating girls attended school regularly and delayed pregnancy
  • Year 1 of the Associates Mentoring Program engaged 60 girls and 20 mentors, raising over $50,000
  • 10 cities nationwide offered our local Allies in Action program, reaching a total of 15,000 girls
  
  Girls need Girls Inc.--there are no other organizations doing what we do! Girls Inc. pioneered cost-effective solutions for the expensive social problems experienced by high-risk girls:
  • $100,000 for one girl in foster care and therapeutic services
  • $6,150 a month for substance abuse treatment for one girl
  • $65,866 for one instance of incarceration in a juvenile facility
  • 16 million dollars a year in state funds are spent on teen pregnancy

Failure to support girls is not an option as the costs are too great
Through our work, Girls Inc. saves an estimated 2.5 million dollars of tax payer money by preventing girls from becoming or returning to incarceration and by preventing substance abuse and early pregnancy. Simultaneously we prepare them to contribute actively to Oregon's economy.

Please tell all your friends and family about our important work!And, encourage them to donate through the Give!Guide.

Happy Holidays & thank you all so much!

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Upcoming Events & Activities
Allies in Action Training for Community Members
January 15-16, 2009
Anyone working with girls should attend this training! Girls Inc. will host Allies in Action training from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lewis & Clark College, in Albany Quadrangle, Room 220. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. To register, please contact Rebecca at 503-230-0054 x 0 by Jan. 12.
What is Allies in Action?

Save the Date: Power of the Purse 2009
Live Auction & Dinner benefiting Girls Inc. of NW Oregon
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Nines Hotel
Portland, OR

Events for Girls
Upcoming Girls Take Off Events
Through a generous grant from REI, Girls Take Off takes girls out for fun and exciting outdoor activities at no cost for Girls Inc. members.

• December 13, 2008: Snowshoeing
  
• January 31, 2009: Creating with Herbs
  Make cool, natural oils and soaps with local herbalist. Give them as gifts or save for yourself!

Apply for the Associates Mentoring Program!
Girls Inc. of NW Oregon's mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold and this innovative program does just that by providing mentorship opportunities with professional women in the workplace. The deadline to apply is December 12.

Apply for the Girls Council
The Girls Council is an advisory council composed entirely of middle school and high school aged girls. Girls are our organization's most valuable resources, providing Girls Inc. with the information we need to develop meaningful and relevant programming. Application is due December 12.

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Sponsor Spotlight
Schnizter CARE Foundation
The Schnizter CARE Foundation has been an ardent supportor of Girls Inc. of Northwest Oregon for several years. This year, through the Associates Mentoring Program, the Schnizter CARE Foundation is offering Girls Inc. girls their very unique and inspiring mentoring program: CommuniCare.

The CommuniCare program meets at Girls Inc. headquarters and introduces girls to the importance of community service and the role of nonprofit organizations in the state of Oregon and in their local communities. Through the grant-making process and hands-on volunteer service, girls will not only make needed contributions to nonprofit organizations, but also experience the reward of helping others and gain a broader understanding of their community and the variety of people with which they share it.

Thank you Schnitzer Care Foundation for providing this unique opportunity for Oregon girls!

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Did You Know...
That as of 2006, among year-round fulltime workers, women's weekly earnings were 81% of men's?
In fact, this figure has increased from 75% in 1997.

While this is an improvement...
It's only a 6% increase over 10 ten years. At Girls Inc., we work everyday to close this pay gap by inspiring the girls of today to be the confident and economically-independent women of tomorrow - where they not only ask for equal pay for equal work, but they DEMAND it!

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Girls Inc. in the News
The Girls Inc. 2008 Los Angeles Celebration Luncheon

On Monday, November 17th, six leading women in the entertainment and sports worlds were honored at the Girls Inc. 2008 Los Angeles Celebration Luncheon for their professional achievements in historically male-dominated industries, having a willingness to take risks, and demonstrating a world of possibilities available to girls and women.

Girls Inc. National Scholars presented awards to each Honoree, creating an intergenerational exchange unique to Girls Inc. Celebration Luncheon events. Read more and watch video highlights from the program.

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Giving to Girls Inc. Means Giving to Girls
Buy your own smart, strong and bold t-shirt today!
Girls Inc. t-shirts make great holiday gifts and stocking stuffers for the strong, smart, and bold women and girls in your life.

Order your t-shirts today!

Become a Girls Inc. Volunteer!
We need the following volunteer positions:

• Co-Facilitators: Using Girls Inc. curriculum, co-facilitators assist the lead facilitator with after school girls groups designed to help reduce relational aggression, build self-esteem, and cultivate communication and leadership skills. Groups meet once per week for 1.5 hours, typically between 2:00-5:00 pm. Volunteers must have experience working with youth, effective oral communication, willingness to be a team player, and flexibility.
  
• Media Artists: Over 300 Girls Inc. girls have worked with local media artists to create their own stories and demonstrate them through film, music, magazines, web, radio, and visual arts. We need volunteer media artists to work with girls to create quality, professional media projects.

If you are inspired to volunteer with girls in either of these capacities and have availability, please contact Alissa Cattone, Volunteer Coordinator, at 503-230-0054 x 7.

Full list of volunteer opportunities

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Sound Off--Join Our Forum!
Get the Forum Started!
Send us any of your comments, ideas, and inspirations to make our community a better place to grow strong, smart, bold, and economically independent girls and women. We will post your letters on our Web site to share with other Girls Inc. supporters.

We look forward to hearing from all of you!

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