Girls Inc. to host fundraising breakfast on Thursday

Date: 4/14/2009

By Lori Szepelak

Correspondent



SPRINGFIELD -- A one-hour fundraiser on April 16 hopes to attract 500 area residents who are committed to helping girls succeed.

Girls Inc. of Holyoke will host its third Spirit of Girls Breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Guests, arriving at 7:45 a.m., will enjoy a buffet breakfast and view the premier of a Girls Inc. video, created in partnership with Bay Path College in Longmeadow. Guests will also hear from a 10-year-old participant from the After School Program, a 16-year-old Teen Center participant, a soon-to-be college graduate and alum of Girls Inc., and Girl Inc.'s executive director, Suzanne Parker.

"Our Spirit of Girls Breakfast is all about the amazing girls we work with and sharing their message to the world," Parker said. "I am inspired every day at Girls Inc. and we hope to inspire 500 people on April 16."

The theme of the breakfast is 'Dear World,' and girls were asked what one message they would send to the world about growing up as a girl today. The girls unanimously agreed, 'The only person I want to be is me,'" Parker noted.

More than 35 Girls Inc. girls between the ages of five and 18 will participate in the event. Teen girls will participate in a spoken word performance, while more than 15 girls from both the after school and teen programs will perform a traditional Native American song.

In the past two events, Girls Inc. has raised more than $300,000, according to Parker. This year's goal is to raise $100,000.

To learn more about Girls Inc. or to attend the free fundraiser, call Janna Chapdelaine, director of development and public relations, at 532-6247 ext. 104, or e-mail her at jchapdelaine@girlsincholyoke.org.

Girls Inc. of Holyoke also has a listing of its programs at www.girlsincholyoke.org.