Nonprofit Spotlight

words Catherine Frederick with Amanda Daniels, executive director Girls Inc. Fort Smith

Girls Inc.’s mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold, providing more than 1,400 girls in Fort Smith and surrounding areas with life-changing experiences and solutions to the unique challenges girls face. Do South® reached out to Amanda Daniels, Executive Director, to learn more.

Girls Inc. of Fort Smith 1415 Old Greenwood Road Fort Smith, Arkansas 479.782-0375 girlsincfortsmith.org

Next month, we’ll showcase another worthy charity in our area free of charge. If you have a nonprofit you’d like to see recognized, email us at catherine@dosouthmagazine.com. DS: How did Girls Inc. of Fort Smith come to be? We were established in 1934 in Fort Smith as part of Girls Clubs of America and in the early 90’s, Girls Clubs of America across the nation, became Girls Inc. affiliates.

DS: Who does Girls Inc. serve and in what ways? We serve girls age 5 - 18. In 2019, we served 1,441 girls. When the pandemic hit, our programs came to a halt. When we started back we had to keep our numbers low, so in 2020 we served about half the girls we normally would. Each week/month we serve approximately 300 – 500 girls depending on the time of year and if we have a recreational sports league in season. We offer after-school programming, summer programs, recreational volleyball, basketball, and dance as well as outreach partnerships with schools. Of course, some of this has had to change, or at least our normal way of facilitating these under current circumstances with COVID.

DS: Tell us how Girls Inc. impacts our community. Our programs offer parents an affordable option for after-school and summer care while providing a safe, girls-only environment where they also continue learning when out of the classroom. Our sports programs are a great way for girls to learn a sport and develop teamwork skills among other traits to help make them successful and confident. We also partner with schools to provide several different options for outreach programs. The Girls Inc. experience consists of people, an environment, and programming that, together, empower girls to succeed. Trained staff and volunteers build lasting, mentoring relationships in girls-only spaces that are physically and emotionally safe and where girls find a sisterhood of support with shared drive, mutual respect, and high expectations. Hands-on, research-based programs provide girls with the skills and knowledge to set goals, overcome obstacles, and improve academic performance. Informed by girls and their families, Girls Inc. also works with policymakers to advocate for legislation and initiatives that increase opportunities for girls. At Girls Inc., girls grow up healthy, educated, and independent.

DS: How can our community get involved and show support? Volunteers - especially coaches for our sports leagues. However, volunteers can come for a one-day event as well, such as speaking to our girls about their profession or a topic of interest. There are also projects for groups such as helping with landscaping, painting, etc.

DS: Are there any upcoming events our readers should know about? We are extremely excited to bring back our fundraisers in-person! Our first event is coming up quickly on Thursday, May 13th. This is our annual Women of Vision luncheon and we are blessed to have Danyelle Musselman as our guest speaker. Other events for the year will include Fest of Ale on Friday, Sept. 10th and our annual Championship Fore Charities golf event on Monday, Oct. 4th.