Girls Incorporated Of Orange County

Mission - Girls Incorporated of Orange County inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
 
Vision - Empowered Girls in an Equitable Society 

We know that when girls succeed, we all succeed. For the first time in history, we know that a significant amount of our leaders will be women. This means that girls need the best possible preparation to step into these roles. Despite the inherent promise that girls represent, they still face real and profound challenges. For too many, they still face extreme poverty, bias, challenges to their physical and mental health, and suppression of their ideas. For 70 years (serving 100,000), Girls Inc. has been there for girls as they push past these obstacles, arming them with the support and resources they need to reach their full potential.

In 2023, over 9,000 girls, ages 5 to 18, participated in life-changing Girls Inc. programs throughout Orange County. From kindergarten to college, Girls Inc. prepares girls with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to become strong (healthy), smart (educated), and bold (independent) women.

Girls Inc. program goals are:

To improve academic skills and attitudes towards school, graduate from high school and consider higher education as a means to economic and personal independence;

To understand the restrictions of gender stereotypes and develop the confidence to overcome them when seeking opportunities to enhance their lives;

To avoid the risky behaviors that could derail plans and goals;To develop skills that will help them avoid drugs, alcohol, and involvement with gangs; and

To set goals for their own future that build on their strengths, talents, and abilities. From kindergarten through college, Girls Inc. prepares girls with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to become strong (healthy), smart (educated), and bold (independent) women.

At Girls Inc., we have a vision of a world where every girl values her whole self and her inherent strengths, has opportunities to develop her potential, breaks past serious obstacles, and leads a healthy, educated, and successful life.  These girls then grow up to become accomplished women, role models, and leaders: creating positive change and breaking the cycle of limitations for their families, communities, institutions, and all of us. Girls Inc. has the people, place, and programs that help girls succeed. All Girls Inc. programs are holistic in nature addressing all parts of a girls’ development. At the earliest ages, girls are learning to use their voices to advocate for themselves and others, build safe and nurturing relationships, and gain the confidence and resilience to face and overcome the challenges that they will inevitably face.

Girls Inc. experience is designed to lead to these long term outcomes:

1. Strong/Healthy:Makes healthy choicesManages own health
2. Smart/Educated:Motivated to achieve Graduates from high school and has post-secondary educationSets and achieves personal, educational, and career goals
3. Bold/IndependentHas healthy relationshipsHas sound body image and self-confidenceUses own voice & advocates for others, and Is resilient

Girls Inc. provides life-changing programming to over 9,000 girls, ages 5-18.  This does not happen without strong community support.  You can make a difference for an enthusiastic and deserving girl.
 
$150 shows a teen girl how to live healthy during an after-school program 

$250 helps a girl learn to program a robot through the summer Robotics Camp 

$500 provides a teen one semester of College Bound programming including SAT prep and how to pay for college 

$1,000 teaches a young girl how to read at grade level through the Literacy Lab programming 

$2,500 delivers a STEM summer program on a college campus for a teen during Eureka! 

$5,000 sends two girls to the Girls Inc. Entrepreneurship Initiative to learn to start their own business  

Girls Inc. programs serve girls throughout Orange County, CA. Programs are offered at schools, community centers, and in partnership with other non-profit agencies.

How do you create a stronger community?  A more loving society?  You start with our kids; the next generation.  Girls-future role models, moms, voters, leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, teachers, and CEO's-are some of our most treasured and important community members.  It's why, for 70 years, Girls Inc. of Orange County has been working to give girls of all ages and backgrounds the knowledge, skills, and confidence to believe in themselves and become who they want to be. We empowered over 9,000 local girls last year.  But for every girl we help, many others in Orange County remain in need.  Your time, resources, and support can help us close that gap.  You can make a difference.   CEO, Lucy Santana-Ornelas

Even in 2023, girls and women still face headwinds when it comes to representation, opportunities, a seat at the table (almost any table). Those headwinds are compounded for girls of color and those from economically disadvantaged circumstances. I truly believe it doesn’t have to be that way, and I’m passionate about one day having a society and economy where women are truly on equal footing with men. Through the GIOC programs, we can foster a safe space, at a young age, for girls to truly learn they are worthy of safe relationships, robust and broad academic opportunities, a college education, a thriving career, anything they want. Every girl could benefit from the programming delivered by GIOC, and the younger and more often she can get it, the better. I love watching the world get a little bigger for each of the girls we serve.

The sky is the limit! In the pandemic we’ve learned not only how resilient we are as an organization, we’ve learned a lot about how we can scale our programs. For every girl we reach today, there are 50 more in the county we miss. We can start to close that gap by thoughtfully expanding our reach – this includes developing both new and deeper relationships with school districts, and leveraging the online model to meet more girls where they are. It can’t happen overnight, but I think you can expect to see the number of girls meaningfully served by Girls Inc. year in and year out increase.