Girls Inc. Expands Programs to Chicopee and Springfield

March 25, 2019 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

Photo Credit: girlsincholyoke.org

HOLYOKE – Girls Inc. of Holyoke is now Girls Inc. of the Valley.

Girls Inc. Executive Director, Suzanne Parker, said the Girls Inc. headquarters will stay in Holyoke and continue to serve that community while branching out into Chicopee and Springfield.

The announcement was made at a press event on March 20.

“The new name reflects a new era of exciting growth, as Girls Inc. inspires more and more girls in Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield, and beyond,” the organization said in a press release.

Girls Inc. is a non-profit that provides programs to girls, ages 5 to 18, that teach life skills, healthy living, and academic enrichment in a girls-only setting.

Established in 1864, there are now over 1,400 Girls Inc. sites in 400 cities. The core values of the organization are a belief in “the importance of creating a safe gathering place for girls to learn and to share in a sisterhood and a strong premise that each girl can develop her own capacities, self confidence, and grow up healthy, educated, and independent,” states the organization’s website.

The local chapter is now serving 10 different schools in the Pioneer Valley as well as Girls Inc. centers. Luis Soria, principal of Kelly Elementary School in Holyoke said that Girls Inc. gives girls a “safe space in school during the day. A safe space where they feel empowered,” and it allows them to be, “strong girls now, to be strong women later.”

Girls Inc. also runs a teen program called “Eureka! STEAM,” in which teens go to UMass Amherst during the summer to study STEM and the arts. Safiatu Sengeh is the mother of 14-year-old Jamila Sam. Sam, who attends Hampden Charter School, has participated in Eureka!

“As a parent, I have definitely seen growth and improvement,” Sengeh said. Sengeh said her daughter used to be shy but has made friends through Girls Inc.

“Socially, she’s expanding, meeting other young girls,” said Sengeh.

For younger girls, ages 5 to 12-years-old, Girls Inc. has expanded into elementary schools.

“It’s really an honor to have Girls Inc. in our building,” said Roxanne Atterbury-Whine, the city connect coordinator for Rebecca M. Johnson Elementary School in Springfield. “It’s nice to see [the girls are] excited and can't wait to jump into the program,”             She said, adding that the teachers are also grateful for the inclusion of Girls Inc. in the school. While the program is for grades three through five at the moment, Atterbury-Whine said they are considering expanding to K-2 next year. As of last week, Parker said, Girls Inc. is reaching 575 girls in the Pioneer Valley.

As non-profit Girls Inc. relies on fundraising and donations. On April 30 at 8 a.m., Girls Inc. will be holding its Spirit of Girls Breakfast fundraiser at the Log Cabin in Holyoke to help fulfill the organization’s mission to “inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.”

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