Greetings!, I woke up with a big smile on my face today thinking about eight of our girls who are on a trip to NY City!  The girls, who have each been honored as a Girl of The Year at their center, are enjoying a two day trip touring the Big Apple. They left Boston early Thursday on Amtrak and when they arrived in the city were promptly whisked off in taxi cabs (which many of them have never been in) to the Westin Hotel in Times Square, their home-away-from-home for two nights. Their days are filled with excitement!   They will be seeing Mama Mia on Broadway, taking the duck boat tour, dinning out and, of course, shopping! Thank you to all of the donors who made this trip of a lifetime possible for some wonderfully deserving girls.
 
Girls who have shared experiences like this with us over the years and have graduated from one of our programs often write and tell us of their successes.  We received a letter just last week from Faith.  Faith was one of the first girls to attend our Manchester Center when it opened 10 years ago. Often, Faith arrived home to an empty house and Girls Inc. was her safe haven.  She moved to Texas a few years ago and she wrote to tell us that she just graduated as valedictorian from her senior class.  She has been become a public speaker winning many awards, and she was a cheerleader, basketball and tennis player, a member of the National Honor Society and a journalism competitor.  She was awarded over $26,000 in scholarships from the Future Farmers of America and will be attending Texas Tech University in the fall. Her dream is to be an agricultural lobbyist.  Faith said in her letter, "Girls Inc played such a big role in my life when I was younger."

Another former Girls Inc. of New Hampshire girl was recently written up in the newspaper about how she managed to turn her life around after overcoming childhood abuse and other problems. While Tracy was shuffled through different foster homes throughout her sophomore year of high school, she attended Girls Inc. of New Hampshire's Manchester Center every day after school.  Tracy said she would go there to escape the teasing of her classmates after the story of her abuse came to light.  "The person that worked there, Pat, was very supportive and would always pull me aside when I had a hard time and talk with me . . . everybody was friends, and I wouldn't have to worry about anybody there," Tracy said.  When she needed a job last summer, Girls Inc. hired her for the mornings, but she would stay every afternoon and volunteer her time to "give back to them what they had given me."  Tracy was even instrumental in helping another girl - much like her younger self - get out of an abusive situation.
 
UPS has given us plenty to smile about too, as many of their dedicated drivers and office staff have been volunteering in all four of our centers. They have done everything from judging a talent show to baking cookies for our bake sale. Several crews have completed yard cleanup projects and building repairs. They are sponsoring a Giant Yard Sale for us on August 1st at their Hudson location and a Yankee Candle fundraiser. All of these projects will support our efforts to be the wining team at their golf tournament on August 10th.  We are guaranteed a cash prize of $5,000 and it could be much more if we come out on top. Check out our web site to see how you can help.  All I can say is we know what BROWN can do for us!
 
If you could step into any one of our five summer camps in Nashua, Concord, Manchester, Rochester or Portland, ME, you would hear the laughter of girls and witness their joy as they succeed at wining during Girls Inc. Idol week, or design their outfit of choice in Project Runway week, or build their own web site in the Build IT session. We have over 350 girls each day in our camps so you may want to bring your ear plugs if you visit!

 
Catherine Duffy Cullity, CEO

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