Girls Inc., founded in 1864, served girls and young women who were experiencing upheaval in the aftermath of the Civil War. Across the decades, we adapted to meet the specific environmental challenges facing girls and young women. Always working in partnership with our local schools and community partners in guidance with our founders’ fundamental belief in the inherent potential of each girl. Woven into those early girls’ clubs are the same core values of Girls Inc. Today. The importance of creating a safe gathering place for girls to learn and to share in a sisterhood and a strong premise that each girl can develop her own capacities, self-confidence, and develop into healthy, educated, and independent females for our community and world.

LOCAL AFFILIATE HISTORY

Originally founded in 1952, as Girls Club of Columbus. Girls Inc. of Columbus and Phenix-Russell is an affiliate of Girls Incorporated, a national network of 85 Girls Inc. organizations that serve more than 145,000 girls throughout the U.S. and Canada. This affiliation provides outstanding research based, best practice educational programs and scholarship opportunities for our girls, as well as excellent training and guidance for our GIC team members.

Girls Inc. has two locations in Columbus, GA: Baker Center on Levy Road and the Dorothy Hyatt Center on Kolb Avenue. We currently serve more than 1,600 girls ages 6-18 from diverse ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds.

I struggled internally for a long time, but through Girls Inc. I learned that my body is a resource, not an object. I began to love and embrace my body.

Briseida