Established in 1938 as the Girls Club, the Birmingham chapter of Girls Inc. has made a difference in the lives of many girls between the ages of 6 and 18 with a variety of challenging and fulfilling programs. Partnering with a number of city schools and local organizations, Girls Inc. is living up to the organization’s national mission to make girls “stronger, smarter and bolder” for a modern global culture and economy.
The Crestwood Center in the Crestwood neighborhood is the site of many Girls Inc. programs, and outreach programs are conducted at various schools. Some programs, such as Eureka! and Teen Leadership, start during the summer months and continue throughout the school year. Though this summer’s programming is still slightly limited, these two key programs will continue as planned.
Teen Leadership, in partnership with the Junior League of Birmingham, is a chance for teen girls to be mentored by professional local women, as well as experience workshops, field trips and much more. While the summer workshop lasts a week, the program runs through the academic year, with Saturday meetings once or twice each month.
Meanwhile, Eureka! is the Girls Inc. STEM program, encouraging students to take on interests and career tracts that were once more “suited” for boys – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The full Eureka! program lasts five years, from 8th grade until senior year, and culminates with a paid internship in one of the STEM fields. The summer portion of Eureka! is a rigorous four-week camp for 8th graders, taught on college campuses by college instructors.
Of particular note for our local Girls Inc. chapter is the organization recently being named one of just 10 finalists for the Equality Can’t Wait Challenge. More than 550 organizations competed for this challenge, and, according to Development Director Meredith Wolfe Alsabrook, as much as $10 million in funding is a distinct possibility.
“The competition included a compliance review, peer review, judge panel and funder selection of finalists,” Alsabrook said. “The next round is an opportunity to refine, tighten and strengthen our proposal. Our prospectus is due May 21, followed by a site visit. An announcement about the winners will be made in August 2021.”
SIDEBAR
Girls Inc Summer Programs for 2021
Eureka!
Camp Dates: June 7 through July 23, 2021
Camp Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
To register, please contact Amy Strickland at 205-5995-5545, or register online at girlsinccentral-al.org.
Teen Leadership Summer Workshop
Camp Dates: June 28 through July 2, 2021.
To register, please contact Dominique Roller at 205-599-5547 or via email at droller@girlsinccentral-al.org.
