Girlstart May Newsletter - Volume 9, Issue 5 www.girlstart.org

IN THIS ISSUE

Note from Rachel Girlstart Events and News Volunteer Spotlight A Volunteer's Story Donor Highlights

NOTE FROM RACHEL

Temperatures are heating up, and that can mean only one thing: it's time to register for the hottest camp for girls in Austin! Anticipation is rising with the mercury this month as kids all over town are waiting to hear that final bell ring. They aren't the only ones counting the days -- the gang at Girlstart can't wait to throw open the doors and welcome girls to a new summer of surprising, silly, spectacularly thrilling learning adventures. This is going to be the best summer yet! So while you wait for the fun to begin, drumming your fingers on your desk and watching the second hand tick, we thought we'd give you the top five reasons to head to www.girlstartcamp.org and register for camp TODAY! 5) Oprah and Katie Couric agree - Camp Girlstart is all the rage! 4) Where else can you be a music video producer, boss of your own company, Hogwart's student and do-it-yourself designer all in one summer? 3) Inspiring a girl today is the only no-risk investment in tomorrow! 2) Summer in Austin wouldn't be the same without it! 1) Space is limited - need we say more? Don't wait, seal the deal on a summer to remember by signing up today!

GIRLSTART EVENTS AND NEWS

Time is Running Out to Register for Summer Camp! Girlstart Summer Camp 2006 registration is filling quickly! Camps are reaching capacity and registration ends on May 19, 2006! Summer camp themes for 2006 include Making the Video, Dream Spaces, You're the Boss, and Hermione's Adventures at Girlstart for girls entering the 4th through 8th grades in the fall! Find out how your company can become a sponsor for Summer Camp or make a gift to the scholarship fund by contacting Milissa Tivnan at 916-4775. End of School Clubs! Girlstart is marking the end of the school year with our seven after-school clubs throughout the Austin area! We are thankful for the hundreds of girls in Club Girlstart who committed themselves to learning math, science, and technology after school with us. To celebrate, we are holding parties and award ceremonies with the Girlstart Parent Association for our schools! If you have any questions, please contact Elida Madrigal at elida@girlstart.org. Thank you to all our students for a wonderful school year! Girlstart's after-school programs are sponsored by the National Science Foundation, AMD, and Intel. Digital Detectives Begins Girlstart is continuing its successful Digital Detectives program throughout the state of Texas starting in May. Girlstart launched Digital Detectives in 2003, a professional development project designed to supply teachers with equipment and training for classroom science instruction. The focus of the Digital Detectives project is engaging students through inquiry-based curriculum and methods. Girlstart is providing "Train the Trainer" sessions statewide for science teacher mentors. Girlstart welcomes Science Specialist Deanna Buckley for this incredible project! Digital Detectives is sponsored by the Texas Education Agency. Girlstart Alumnae Club Join the Girlstart Alumnae Club! The Girlstart Alumnae Club is for girls who are currently in high school and who have ever been in the Girlstart after school club or attended a Girlstart Summer or Saturday Camp. We are getting together to catch up on old times as well as to form a club for alumnae to volunteer and share their experience with the community! Make sure you get involved by contacting Dita Niyogi at dita@girlstart.org. The Girlstart Alumnae Club is sponsored by the Sooch Foundation.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

As we prepare for the Digital Detectives project, Girlstart has a volunteer work day on May 4 where we need your help! We also have an opportunity on May 11 where we need volunteers to help us prepare our next mail out. We are also looking for guest speakers during Summer Camp. If you are interested in these opportunities, please sign up by visiting our website! We are grateful for long-time volunteer Clare Richardson who has been volunteering throughout her undergraduate days at UT. She has assisted with many activities such as Take a Girl to College Day and Expanding Your Horizons. She has been an enthusiastic advocate for Girlstart and has helped recruit other volunteers for the agency. Clare's latest project, the creation of the first Girlstart Alumnae Club, is designed to re-engage past Girlstart participants. Thanks to Clare, we have a host of activities in store for our alums!

A VOLUNTEER'S STORY

Girlstart recently honored many of the incredible volunteers who give their time and talent to Girlstart each year! We are pleased to welcome Dr. Muchere Russ of Huston-Tillotson University to our advisory board. Girlstart is proud to share the recognition of Michelle Schneider and Aaron Taulman who won Dell Volunteers of Distinction awards for all their hard work in 2005. Michelle is a former program leader in our after-school clubs and serves as a board member and chair for the Expanding Your Horizons program. Aaron committed over a hundred hours of his time preparing the Girlstart Tech Center for Summer Camp. Thank you both for your commitment to Girlstart!

DONOR HIGHLIGHTS

Girlstart thanks Microsoft for their support of the e² summit on April 29, 2006. Microsoft is not only underwriting the event, but providing space and volunteers to host our annual event. Thank you Microsoft for continuing to participate in this event for our after-school program students! Girlstart is made possible by a grant through the National Science Foundation. Girlstart's after-school programs are funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and Intel. The Girlstart Digital Detectives program is supported by the Texas Education Agency. Saturday camps are funded by AMD and the Sooch Foundation; and our Baty Elementary after school program is sponsored by AMD. The Girlstart Technology Center is underwritten by Janet Harman, Jeff and Gail Kodosky, Nav Sooch, KLE Foundation, Betsy Blair and Jim Van Winkle, AMD, Austin Community Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and National Instruments. Girlstart's 2005 Summer Camps were made possible by generous grants from Dell, Seawell Elam Foundation, Applied Materials and the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation. Scholarships for campers were made possible by the Silverton Foundation, Freescale, Wells Fargo, the Strake Foundation, the Chaparral Women's Club, employees of Motion Computing, the LCRA Employees' United Charities, and numerous individual donors. Underwriting for 2006 Summer Camps is provided by Dell Connected Communities, the Sooch Foundation, and the City of Austin's GTOPs program. The Sooch Foundation is also generously sponsoring a research study on Girlstart alumnae. We are pleased to have support from Cisco, UPS, Applied Materials, Intel, Maxwell, Locke & Ritter, Silicon Labs, H-E-B, Texas Gas Service, the RGK Foundation, SigmaTel, Wells Fargo, and individual contributions in presenting Girlstart’s first Expanding Your Horizons event. Girlstart would also like to thank the Webber Family Foundation and ExxonMobil for their support. For their generous donation of goods and services, we would like to thank Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C., Fox 7, IBM and Cupidz Clozet. Girlstart gives girls the tools they need to be leaders of their generation. Help a girl change the world. Give to Girlstart now!