Girls Inc. Of Long Island Receives $150,000 Grant

Girls Inc. of Long Island is excited to announce that it has received a $150,000 grant from Bank of America to help young girls break gender barriers and improve workforce equity on Long Island. The funding will help launch the new Bold Future Leaders (BFL) initiative, a weekly community program and summer leadership series that fosters bold, successful futures for high school girls (grades 9-12).

According to a recent survey by the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA-LI), an advocacy organization that promotes economic development on Long Island, one-third of the 200 executives polled cited workforce challenges as a great concern. Through a focus on leadership development, economic literacy, and college and career preparedness, Girls Inc.’s BFL program aims to increase participants’ access and exposure to careers in historically male-dominated fields and close the gender gap in various industries, including STEM. Participants in the program will learn the importance of managing and taking steps toward self-reliance and success.

Girls Inc. of Long Island’s comprehensive and research-driven approach helps develop girls’ interpersonal relationships, leadership skills, essential life skills, and confidence, thus equipping girls to be our community’s next leaders and empowering them to be future change-makers on Long Island. BFL provides unique experiences for high school girls, including a private mock career fair that Girls Inc. hosted early this year. Participants came dressed for interviews, with their resumes, and networked with representatives from some of Long

Island’s biggest companies, such as Bank of America, Cox Media, and the NY Islanders.

“Girls need real-life exposure to unique and interesting careers that they wouldn’t normally have access to,” said Renee Flagler, Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Long Island. “We’re excited and grateful to be partnering with Bank of America in their efforts to build a future generation of skilled, talented, and successful women.”

“Investing in women – from Bank of America employees to teens across Long Island – is vital for building a more equitable and sustainable future in the workplace,” said Marc Perez, President, Bank of America Long Island. “Supporting Girls Inc. of Long Island’s Bold Future

Leaders program will help cultivate the next generation of leaders by equipping young women with the skills and resources to achieve their professional dream.

In addition to BFL, Bank of America is partially funding Girls Inc. of Long Island’s first summer golf clinics for middle and high school girls. In the United States, some golf clubs still only allow men to become members. The discrimination that occurs in golf can create an unwelcoming environment for women interested in pursuing the sport, especially women of color. According to the Black Girls Golf Foundation, “African American women make up less than 1 percent of the golf industry workforce.” Despite the saturation of golf courses on

Long Island, these exclusive clubs remain largely inaccessible to girls and girls of color. During Girls Inc.’s two week-long summer golf clinics, participants will learn the ins and outs of golf – from the game itself to the surrounding industry and the world of women’s collegiate golf scholarships, dozens of which go unfilled due to the sport’s social and systemic barriers to entry.

With the generous support of Bank of America, the organization will continue to work to increase girls’ exposure to college and career opportunities, enabling them to have a pathway to success and Long Island employers to develop a new stream of future workers.