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Not-for-Profit Organization Travels Coast to Coast to Empower Thousands of Girls and Women

Posted on: Monday, 22 September 2008, 09:00 CDT

Girls For A Change (GFC), the leading not-for-profit organization for urban girls, today announced the launch of the GFC National Tour, which will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008, in San Francisco. The tour, which is powered by The Sephora Project, is designed to empower girls. A caravan of girl-power specialists will travel from California to New York City, where they will stop in 10 metropolitan areas, coast to coast, over five weeks, to train thousands of girls to change the world.

The National Tour will result in 100 teams of girls launching social change projects around the country. Together these girls will design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their own neighborhoods. In addition, they will raise the voices of girls around the country, as they speak out against injustices in their own lives and in their communities.

"The goal in this National Tour is to raise awareness for a population that has been invisible for too long," said Whitney Smith, CEO of Girls For A Change. "GFC catalyzes teen girls to be leaders in their classrooms, in their communities and in their own lives."

Girls For A Change is not only reaching girls live in their hometowns, but also online through the organization's Online Action Network (www.girlsforachangeactionnetwork.com). An online "Change Your World Action Kit", developed by GFC and designed by Sephora, gives step-by-step instructions for community involvement and can be downloaded off the GFC Action Network. With lively communities on Facebook and MySpace, GFC is powering an online social change movement for girls.

Girls For A Change is also inspiring girls and women in more than 220 Sephora locations throughout the country, through limited edition products. In September, Sephora will launch a tote bag made of recycled plastic bottles, as well as a change purse. 100 percent of the net profits will go toward benefitting GFC.

The National Tour of Girls for a Change, and this unique public-private partnership, is the first initiative of The Sephora Project - launched in August 2008 - in order to educate and empower women and girls whose mission, like Sephora's, is to make the world a more beauty-full place. "Sephora has long been making women feel better about themselves through beauty, and through our partnership with Girls For A Change, we will be able to do so on a whole new level - through education and empowerment," said Betsy Olum, Senior Vice President of Marketing.

"Sephora choosing to partner with Girls For A Change makes a statement to girls that inner beauty is most important. We are proud to have created a powerful partnership with a company that holds the value of investing in small, independent brands and helping them grow. Our partnership with Sephora will allow Girls For A Change to reach girls across the United States," said Smith.

Other national sponsors include the Marriott Hotel chain, whose Diversity Council leaders are hosting the tour coast to coast, National Semiconductor, Staples Foundation for Learning and Eileen Fisher. Media sponsors include Marie Claire, DivineCaroline.com and Alive Magazine.

About Girls For A Change

Girls For A Change (GFC), a national not-for-profit organization, empowers teen girls to create and lead social change. GFC provides the tools, resources, partnerships and support girls need to gain the voice, ability, and problem-solving capacity to realize their full potential. We welcome and serve all girls and focus our efforts on girls who live in low income communities. GFC was founded in San Jose in 2002 and expanding to Phoenix in 2005.

http://www.girlsforachange.org/

http://www.girlsforachangeactionnetwork.com

About Sephora

Sephora, the beauty authority, revolutionized the global beauty industry with its unique retail concept rooted in a powerful combination of unparalleled brand and product assortment, distinctive store design and the beauty expertise of its sales consultants. Sephora offers clients a choice of more than 200 classic and emerging beauty brands across a broad range of product categories including skincare, makeup, fragrance, bath & body, hair care, smile care and tools, as well as the company's own private label. Sephora was founded in France in 1969 and acquired by Paris-based LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury products group, in 1997. Now, celebrating their 10th birthday in 2008, Sephora America operates more than 220 stores in the United States and Canada, and the world's top beauty website, Sephora.com. Sephora Europe has more than 500 stores within 12 countries and has established 30 locations in China. Thanks to Sephora's recent partnerships with HSN, a global multi-channel retailing giant, and JCPenney, one of America's largest department stores, the beauty authority is now accessible to more clients than ever before. Sephora is proud to announce their commitment to Girls For A Change, and supports their mission to empower girls to create social change.

http://www.sephora.com/go/thesephoraproject/

Source: Business Wire

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