Girlstart
Girlstart August Newsletter - Volume 9, Issue 8
www.girlstart.org
 IN THIS ISSUE

  1. Note from Rachel
  2. Girlstart Events and News
  3. Volunteer Spotlight
  4. A Girl's Story
  5. Donor Highlights
 NOTE FROM RACHEL

It’s back to school time! At Girlstart, that means we’re getting ready for another season of awesome Saturday camps!

Each month during the school year, we find new ways to show girls how fun and fascinating math, science, and technology can be.

For sixth through eighth graders, the full-day Saturday camps include CSI Girlstart, where we use forensic science to solve a mystery; Tech Girl, where girls create Web pages and digital music on computers; and RoboBLAST, which allows girls to build and program their own robotic cars!

For first through fifth graders, we offer special half-day parent/daughter camps, which allow Mom and daughter or Dad and daughter to learn together! Camps for the coming year include a sticky science seminar inspired by Hermione Granger, a spooky look at Halloween science, several sessions showing girls how to make their own e-cards on the computer, and the Physics Circus – which shows girls how to make marshmallow blasters to learn all about velocity!

Registation information for Saturday Camp will be available online on August 21 and all camps take place at the Girlstart Technology Center.

We’re also happy to be continuing our after-school programs for girls. This year, we’ll be at Baty Elementary (in Del Valle ISD) and Wooten Elementary (in Austin ISD), running science clubs for girls at those schools. We’re thrilled to be returning to both schools for another year of fun and learning!

We hope your school year gets off to a great start, and we hope to see you some Saturday!
Rachel


 GIRLSTART EVENTS AND NEWS

Summer Camp 2006 Girlstart Saturday Camp
Girlstart provides free Saturday Camps during the school year at the Girlstart Tech Center for girls! Saturday camps are designed for 1st - 8th grade girls (1st - 5th attend with a parent) and campers experience creative hands-on math, science, and technology activities. Registration for the upcoming school year opens on August 21, 2006!

Please contact us if you are interested in being a sponsor for Saturday Camp.

Girlstart Alumnae Club

Join the Girlstart Alumnae Club! The Girlstart Alumnae Club is for girls who are currently in high school and who have participated in any Girlstart after school club or attended a Girlstart Summer or Saturday Camp. We are getting together to catch up on old times, volunteer with Girlstart and gain leadership experience! Don’t miss out, Alums! Contact Dita Niyogi at dita@girlstart.org to get involved.

The Girlstart Alumnae Club is sponsored by the Sooch Foundation.

UT Work Study Fair
August 28, 2006
Are you a student at the University of Texas looking for a work study opportunity this fall? Visit Girlstart at the Work Study Fair in the Texas Union Ballroom on August 28 to find out about available opportunities with our organization and how you can apply to work with us!

Hispanic Technology Institute of Austin Computer Literacy Training Series

The Hispanic Technology Institute of Austin offers FREE Computer Literacy Training Series in topics from Microsoft Word to QuickBooks. These classes are open to the general public. Classes are located at the Economic Development/Technology Resource Center at 2800 S. IH-35, Suite 220. To register, call (512) 476-7502.



 VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Join Girlstart in our after school clubs as a program assistant! Are you an expert in Access? E-mail us if you'd like to share your talents by training our staff!

Girlstart appreciates IBC Bank employees for their amazing volunteer contributions! From mass mailing projects to speedy assembly line workdays, IBC is always lending a helping hand! Thank you volunteers for the energy and ardor you bring to each assignment!


 A GIRL'S STORY

Girlstart has nearly completed its eighth year of Summer Camp, providing over 200 girls with a summer experience of a lifetime. Girls spent the hot summer days shooting and editing videos, designing a vase with CAD software, becoming a pilot or veterinarian for a day, and delving into some mysterious science. All the girls who attended Summer Camp gained real world experience they can use and had a great time too! One camper said:
"[Girlstart Summer Camp] was a fun experience and I would love to do it again. It was a great time for me to make new friends and enjoy time with them!"
Our Summer Camp 2006 sponsors include Dell, the City of Austin, the Silverton Foundation, and the Sooch Foundation. Additional support is provided by Compass Bank, the Strake Foundation, Freescale, the Chaparral Women's Club, and numerous individual donors.

 DONOR HIGHLIGHTS

We are thrilled to announce that CREW Austin is currently organizing a fundraising event for Girlstart. CREW Austin is a commercial real estate organization that empowers its members to develop partnerships and to create opportunities for deal making and professional achievement. Want to find out how your organization can contribute to Girlstart like CREW Austin? Contact us with any questions!


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.

Underwriting for 2006 Summer Camps is provided by Dell, the City of Austin, the Silverton Foundation, and the Sooch Foundation. Additional support is provided by Compass Bank, the Strake Foundation, Freescale, the Chaparral Women's Club, and numerous individual donors. 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 numerous individuals to produce the Expanding Your Horizons workshop series.

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, Grande, IBM and Microsoft.

Girlstart gives girls the tools they need to be leaders of their generation. Help a girl change the world. Give to Girlstart now!