It’s Autumn and the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of stopping. In Irvine and throughout California, things are slowly opening up, with a strong emphasis on slowly. Our communities and neighbors are still very much in need, and require our help. 

An oft-overlooked sector of those financially struggling are nonprofits, as they work arduously to support those at risk.

One local nonprofit that needs our help is Girls Inc. of Orange County. The organization is of vital importance to Orange County’s young girls and women. Lucy Santana, CEO of Girls Inc. of Orange County, and her dedicated team positively change the lives of 4,000 girls, kindergarten to 18 years old, each year by providing year-round holistic, compensatory and intentional programming focusing on STEM, financial literacy, sound body image, healthy relationships, and college and career readiness.

“Covid-19 has brought to the forefront an undeniable strength in my team,” praises Santana. “First and foremost, we had to be resilient – both personally and then professionally. As an organization that provides our programming in partnerships and in schools, the shut-down of districts and immediate stay-at-home orders, really brought us to halt.”

“We had to make quick decisions on how to keep ourselves safe and then immediately we had to make quick decisions of how we would stay in touch with our girls,” she continues. “If we could not go to them at the schools, we would have to virtually go to them. My team began making calls to girls to check in on their well-being; were they getting the meals they needed; did they have technology and internet to participate in school; and then to let them know how we planned to continue to be there for them.”

“The creativity of our team has been amazing – by the end of week one, we had opened our Girls Inc. YouTube channel and began creating and uploading videos that girls could begin to watch from home. We covered all relevant topics, from mental health and reading, to creating ways to reduce stress and stay focused to early literacy engaging them in story time. Our content was also age appropriate for girls as young as five to high school.”

“Since then, not only do we have a multitude of videos available, but we also did in-person literacy workshops via Zoom, Family Story time and successfully launched five summer camps, serving over 200 girls. Our team is still working remotely but what we have found is that by using technology, not only can we accomplish more but we can also reach more girls. We miss serving the girls in person, but until it’s safe for all involved, we will continue our virtual programming and doing our Zoom/personal text/calls to stay in touch.”

With the support of all its board members and dedicated team, Girls Inc. of Orange County has quickly transitioned all of its programming to take place online so that they are able to meet the needs of all Girls Inc. girls in light of COVID-19. The organization that inspires young girls to be strong, smart and bold is committed to serving its girls and families now more than ever, creating an interactive YouTube channel that focuses on education while being entertained. 

Have they seen more, or less, of a need arise in their client base since March 2020?

“Oh, my goodness. Definitely more of a need,” Santana answers fervently. “We really thought that because of COVID, that our girls would be outreached out. But they needed us. They needed programming. They needed STEM. They needed a trusted female role model to talk to about relationships. They needed to learn about true crime and incarceration rates. They needed to learn how to create a business. But seriously, here’s what they really needed: they needed trusted female mentorship, they needed a new safe space, they needed intellectual stimulation, they needed FUN, and they needed someone to show them that virtual education can be engaging and cool.”

In addition, program delivery is being conducted with the online learning management software Canvas, a tool that’s used in many of the schools. This new online presence allows the organization to reach girls where they are, combating the significant loss of learning and complementing curriculum of the schools in Orange County. The Canvas tool will be used for all of Girls Inc.’s summer programs including Smart-Ups, Eureka!, She-roes, BoldBots Summer Camp, and STEM in a Bag.

Many nonprofits rely on fundraising events to keep them afloat, and Girls Inc. of Orange County is no different. What changes have they made to their fundraising efforts? 

“As many businesses have had to do, we had to change how we did everything,” explains Santana. “The needs as we know have not changed, so our fundraising efforts must increase even more. We also had to be ‘real’ about what we could and could not do. So, we embraced technology once again.”

“First, we used the good ole telephone – calling our friends and donors and touching base, letting them know, we are still here, and are going to be here for our girls – through thick and thin, and we need you,” she continues. “Next, we started more online communication via our newsletter. Third, we joined the virtual world of fundraising. We have been so incredibly thrilled to see the support of our friends during our online fundraising campaigns. However, we have seen a decline in giving. We know it is important to stay in touch and connected and are using not only phone calls and email, but also our social media networks. It’s been great to connect with old/long-time friends of Girls Inc. but have also been able to make new friends along the way.”

Girls Inc. hosted its first virtual online fundraiser that raised more than $123,000 to further support girls during this uncertain time. The money raised will help the Girls Inc. team continue to provide these online learning resources, help girls make healthy decisions, and give them support, assuring them that they are not alone.

“While everyone is impacted by this pandemic, 83 percent of Girls Inc. girls live in families that earn less than $50,000 per year in Orange County,” emphasizes Santana. “These families have jobs that require them to show up or have lost jobs because of the pandemic. What we are doing to help them is reaching out to let them know virtual summer camps and fall programming are a real option to help encourage and motivate their girls to stay connected to each other and school.”

What’s next for the beloved organization? The Girls Inc. team is moving forward with its annual gala, which will be taking place virtually in order to show support for young girls who rely heavily on GIOC to succeed. Girls Inc. also continues to implement all of its summer programs online and recently concluded its Smart-Ups program that was a huge success – you can watch the recap video here.

“We are planning our fall schedule right now,” Santana describes. “School partners are engaged with us and looking forward to having us as a virtual option for their girls. That includes launching two new programs this fall: Logic Lab and supHERvision.”

Logic Lab is a hands-on, interactive program designed to ensure that girls meet grade-level reading standards by 4th grade, describes Girls Inc. The program uses engaging activities to promote phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and reading fluency and inspires a life-long love of reading.  

supHERvision is an academic intervention program that provides encouragement, support and academic advising to middle and high school girls to ensure that they meet grade level competencies and graduate on time through a combination of life-skills workshops, one-on-one mentoring and small group advising. 

“Our future is bright, and we could not do this without the support of our wonderful donors,” emboldens Santana. “We hope to continue engaging them and attracting new people who will discover our mission of inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.”

How can the Irvine community help?

This is a question that the CEO of Girls Inc. of Orange County has pondered quite a bit: “Nonprofits like Girls Inc. have suffered huge financial losses and are at risk of having to downsize and offer programming to fewer girls when they need them the most. The financial support of the community is essential to keep some of our county’s most at-risk girls in school and on track. We are also expanding our volunteer opportunities to assist us in providing multiple waves of family/girl contact to ensure that none of our girls slip through the cracks.”

“During a time of so much anxiety and fear of the unknown, it has been especially uplifting to receive such an outpouring of concern from the community,” Santana shares. “Girls Inc. serves the schools, families and girls with the highest need and the community can help in many areas. Because programs are virtual at this time, many families need supplies to participate. In programs such as early literacy, items such as books come from book drives and supporters who contribute through our Amazon book lists. Additional items are donated to help girls prepare to go to college or to participate in an experiment in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) class. Girls Inc. has a robust mentoring program that provides supervision and encouragement, helping to keep girls motivated and moving forward in all areas of their lives.” 

She ends with this powerful statement: “Simply, Girls Inc. cannot serve as many girls without the partnership and financial help of our community.”

For those looking to help, you can donate to their Girls Inc. of Orange County here. Looking for other ways to give? They’re always looking for volunteers! 

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