[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16538]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING GIRLS INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2006

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Girls Inc., an 
outstanding organization that serves young women and girls throughout 
my district and across our country. Girls Inc. is a national nonprofit 
organization whose mission is to inspire all girls to be ``strong, 
smart, and bold.'' With local roots dating to 1864 and national status 
since 1945, Girls Inc. has responded to the changing needs of girls and 
their communities through research-based programs and public education 
that empower girls to reach their full potential and to understand, 
value, and assert their rights.
  Girls Inc. reaches nearly 800,000 girls through its direct service, 
website, products, and publications. In 1,700 program sites in the 
United States and Canada, Girls Inc. directly serves girls ages 6-18 
with research-based programs focusing on science, math, and technology; 
physical and mental health and sexuality; violence prevention and 
safety; substance abuse prevention; financial literacy; sports and 
athletic skills; leadership and advocacy; and media literacy. Of the 
girls served by Girls Inc., 76 percent are girls from communities of 
color and 70 percent come from families earning $25,000 or less. More 
than half are from single-parent households, most of which are headed 
by women.
  The Girls Inc. movement started in New England during the Industrial 
Revolution as a response to the needs of a new working class: young 
women who had migrated from rural communities in search of newly 
available job opportunities in textile mills and factories. The 
movement grew during the Great Depression, and in 1945, 19 charter 
clubs formed the Girls Club of America, a name that would, in 1990, 
change to Girls Inc.
  Over the years Girls Inc. programming has changed to accommodate the 
evolving needs of young women in our society. While programming in the 
1950s focused on preparing young women for future roles as wives and 
homemakers, amidst the social turbulence that marked American life in 
the 1960s, Girls Inc. rethought its mission and educational message. In 
response to hundreds of letters from young women seeking programming 
that could better address the changing roles of young women and girls 
in our society, Girls Inc. initiated a major fundraising campaign, 
tripled its budget, and more than doubled the number of centers 
nationwide. With a strong financial foothold, and in the wake of the 
civil rights movement, the women's movement, and a flood of women 
entering the workforce, Girls Inc. shifted the organization from its 
role as shaper of homemakers and good citizens to a new role as an 
advocate for the rights and needs of girls of all backgrounds and 
abilities.
  Girls Inc. today is a multifaceted organization, devoted to the dual 
goals of empowering girls and creating a more equitable society. The 
work of Girls Inc. is especially significant in California's 9th 
Congressional District, with Girls Inc. of Alameda County annually 
serving over 7,000 young women and their families, many of whom are my 
constituents. Under the excellent longtime leadership of Executive 
Director Pat Loomes, Girls Inc. of Alameda County has reached untold 
numbers of girls in the East Bay through its successful implementation 
of numerous programs such as the GIRLSmart intensive after school 
literacy program, and the Eureka Program, which seeks to give young 
women the opportunity to explore different career options, take on 
leadership roles and take positive risks.
  This four-year program is especially significant to my District 
Office, where Girls Inc. Eureka Program participants have sought and 
been placed in internships there every summer for the past several 
years. It has been an honor to get to know these young women and to 
assist them in developing the tools and the knowledge they will need as 
our future leaders, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to 
continue this work in partnership with Girls Inc. every year.
  Today, on behalf of California's 9th Congressional District, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in saluting the directors, staff, supporters, and 
most of all, the girls of Girls Inc. for their work to reach out to, 
educate and empower young women and girls everywhere. Their 
extraordinary work has touched the lives of countless young people, and 
I thank Girls Inc. for its ongoing commitment to helping all girls to 
become strong, smart and bold.

                          ____________________