Girls Inc. Of Bowling Green Receives $10,000 Grant

By Natalie Jordan, The Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky.

Jun. 11–Three Girls Inc. programs were awarded a $10,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Girls Inc. of Bowling Green was one of them.

Since 2000, Girls Inc. — the nonprofit dedicated to the empowerment of girls — and the foundation have partnered each year to offer the Family Strengthening Awards, giving all local Girls Inc. programs the opportunity to apply for the grant. However, only three local programs were chosen out of those competing for the award throughout the United States and Canada, and the one in Bowling Green was among that list.

“We do a lot of grant writing, and we don’t get them all,” said Patty Alford, director of Girls Inc. of Bowling Green. “But the special thing about this particular award is we were given it not only because of the work we do with girls but with their families, too.”

The award focuses on substantive work that accomplishes certain criteria, such as engaging parents in programming that improves economic and financial status, provides for a parent-to-parent support network and connects families to resources in the community. Selection criteria for the award included presenting all strategies that support the Girls Inc. mission and practices that aimed at the award’s focus.

But pointing out what Girls Inc. of Bowling Green does for girls and families that cater toward the award’s focus wasn’t a problem. The organization, Alford said, does a lot of educational programs — like financial literacy, media literacy and math and science programs — and sports and recreational programs. The organization also has several events that promote family togetherness, like its annual Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas party and a father-daughter dinner dance.

“If parents know what their child is doing and is more involved, they can reinforce what we are teaching here,” Alford said. “And daughters are so proud when their family comes and they can show off what they’ve done. It’s special to them to be able to share what they do.”

Also, throughout the year, the organization provides a clothes closet and food pantry for families in need, and they also try to broker services for families like health care, housing, referrals to LifeSkills and other agencies

Alford said the organization will use the grant money to subsidize the cost of its summer program and to continue having the different events that foster family interaction.

“Funding is really hard with the way the economy is … (it is) a challenge for all the nonprofits at this time,” she said.

A third of the organization’s annual budget comes from the United Way. The rest of it is raised through fundraisers and donations from individuals in the community, she said.

“There is a need for this organization here,” Alford said. “Although women are getting ahead in nontraditional jobs and being successful, there is still room to provide programming that encourages that. This is a safe place for girls to be … and when they are here they are learning that women can be anything they want to be and do anything they want to do, and our programs are geared to foster that in young ladies.”

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