Wow, you people charge the poor like they are rich, and wonder why you must close the doors.
Girls Inc. of the CSRA has dissolved, ending 69 years of empowering daughters from poor and working-class families in Augusta.
Board of directors President Jeanne Griffin said plummeting enrollment and rising costs of gasoline, food and utilities led to a unanimous vote last week to close the Watkins Street center in Harrisburg. As the new school year began, Girls Inc. had only 16 girls registered for its after-school program, down from 75 to 100 in past years, she said.
"It was a very hard decision for us to make," Ms. Griffin said.
The nonprofit served girls ages 5 to 18, mostly from single-mother homes with incomes at or below the federal poverty level. Its stated mission was to provide a safe, structured environment for girls and teenagers, helping them be strong, smart and bold. About 42 percent of the funding came from the United Way and the rest from benefits and contributions.
There were outreach programs and a summer camp, but the most popular offering was the annual Daddy Daughter Dance in North Augusta. Ms. Griffin said 900 people turned out for February's dance at Riverview Park Activities Center, which cost $50 per father-daughter.
But very few girls who attended the benefit were otherwise involved in Girls Inc.
Ms. Griffin said she's not sure why so few were participating. Parents needing after-school care might have gone to the nearby Boys & Girls Club off Broad Street, she said.
The board will likely rent out the Watkins Street building, and the national Girls Inc. organization is looking for other nonprofits to take up its programs in Augusta, such as the recycling program and etiquette and financial classes, Ms. Griffin said.
Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Wow, you people charge the poor like they are rich, and wonder why you must close the doors.
allert....allert....to whom will the watkins street building be rented ? the last thing that our neighborhood needs is another give a way program like mercy ministries...please jeanne griffin use discression when you rent the watkins st building.
Jeanne Griffin WWW.HONGKONGAUGUSTAGA.ORG members will be watching you. Take care.
how about shedding a tear, so that will be 16 fewer females having the structure and mechicnism in place to at least make an effort to prevent teenage pregnanciy, high dropout or to offer encouragement/self esteem to young ladies, so its back to bad environments for most if not all of the young ladies..how sad
The board failed this organization. They did not have a board fundraiser in 5 years. Oh and did I mention that enrollment number was before school even began, who has all their final registration numbers that soon, the school systems are still adding children. These board members should be publically named and called out!
Oh and I forgot to say, the reason they tried to charge so much was to cover up the fact they did not fundraise!
I grew up attending the Girls Club every summer. This program helped shaped me into the strong woman that I've become today. We need organizations like this one to help girls become Young Ladies.
Its so sad that the doors are closing after all Girls Inc. has done for the Augusta community. Sargent you shouldn't be so concerned with who they're renting the place to. You should come up with some ideas to keep this place open. You're so selfish and self absorbed!!!!!
Did the organization look into merger options?
If Ms. Griffin and the rest of the Board had a conscience they would all resign since they have already proved that they are quitters. I wonder if Ms. Griffin and her Board tried to combine with another United Way agency before they decided to close the doors? Instead of putting her efforts into trying to rent the building she should try to save the organization. I guess its easier for her to make hard decisions than perform hard work. I hope no other organizations are cursed by her existence.
Paola I agree. Girls programs are essential and it has been proven that these programs work. Ms. Griffin apparently has no clue what the program even did. To inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold and the board just throws in the towel. Whats up Augusta with that?
What in the world? How can a few people shut down this organization?
No mon, no fun folks. Perhaps had this been an all inclusive program that included young boys at risk as well as girls, the program may have been more successful in fund raising.
Jack, You cannot be successful in fundraising if you do not even plan a fundraiser.
Another federally funded grant program bites the dust. Ah, but six will replace this one. "Pelvic Lerching in Step". "Booty in Motion in the Afternoon", "Nails and Hair Do's", etc.
There was no federally funded grant, that could be part of the problem!
I agree with Paola. Did they not try to do something before they just shut the doors? This organization was living, breathing, viable and helping girls several years ago. I mean it was around for almost 70 years.
Why not get publicity beforehand to say -- community help us. Augusta does have generous people. I bet someone, group or groups of individuals, would have.
Hey deekster, try reading sometime. The article says, "About 42 percent of the funding came from the United Way and the rest from benefits and contributions." That doesn't sound like federally funded grants to me, just generous Americans.
I'm confused...if they had less girls coming, then shouldn't they have needed less money? Having just 16 girls shouldn't mean that you shut things down-these girls obviously were interested and gained something from the program. I know that my daughter went with her dad to the dance-we're in Columbia Co.-it wasn't $50-and it meant a lot to her. Sad state when everything is about the $$$
"Its stated mission was to provide a safe, structured environment for girls and teenagers, helping them be strong, smart and bold."...isn't that their parents job?
whyme..I think I sort of agree with you. When it was seen that attendance was falling why didn't they cut the budget. Get a smaller space for low rent. Adapt!!
I am not surprised that they only had 16 girls prior to school starting. I wonder how many girls would have been enrolled during the first three or four weeks of school. I am sure it would have been more. Most low income parents like me have to wait until the last minute to pay for things. I don't think Ms. Griffin or her Board understood the mission or the people they were suppose to be helping.
Being knowlegable of non profits, I too have a question: Did they have a strategic plan in place to address fundrasing. It seems to me that they would have had something in place just in case this day would show up in its operation. For NonProfits this is a must
I agree with mreverything. It does not sound like they had a plan. Ms. Griffin did not mention any fund raising in her comments. The News 12 story said they received four advancements from the United Way. It seems to me the Board saw this coming and did nothing. All to the detriment of the girls. I wish Girls Inc had a Board that was STRONG, SMART and BOLD instead of WEAK, IGNORANT and TIMID.
I think there is more to this than the "board's" statement.
Good Afternoon, 1st- Sgt midtown- B4 u pass judgement learn 2 spell discretion 2nd deekster your comments were very offensive.
I guess u didnt learn anything n those community svs classes
that were part of your probation.U betta start livin & learnin & stop pointing fingers.3. Girls Inc has been on a downward spiral for 4 years which is when the new director came into the picture. SHE was the same person that left a child on the van, gave the kids food with blacK bugs in it and told them it was pepper and ran off members & staff that had been there for years.My kids went 2 Girls Inc for 8+ yrs & programs were very rewarding.Then
came the new director and money was being spent much much faster than it was coming in. The article already stated that 900 attended the daddy-daughter dance- do the math yourselves & read between the lines. If u looked at the news, it stated United Way had already advanced 4 payments- where is it? Why is the board president doing media interviews and not the director? No child left behind has also been named as a reason for under
enrollment- thats a lie-parents did a walkout due 2 problems w/ director & board refused to listen.
You bring up the same crap my2sense. Why try to blame this on the director. it is clearly a board problem. and again, the truth shall prevail. not speculation. The director was a wonderful person, you obviously are a poor judge of character. At the end of the day, the director was the only one fighting for the girls and Girls Inc.
Oh and my2sense, the director has only been with Girls iNc., for teh past 3 years, not 4!
whatsupaugusta, I am not blaming. I am stating the facts. I know these facts because I was a parent there. If shes only been there 3 years then she ran it in the ground like it was 4 years. B4 u challenge me-- do your homework whatsupaugusta, check the incidents that I have mentioned. And if u think shes wonderful, good 4 you, however I didnt see u on the news standing up for her. This was a board problem as well as a director problem because the board didnt want to make any changes. Maybe its perhaps you thats not a good judge of character. Put your money where your mouth is, Whatsupaugusta, if u believe in her so much, then make a donation and go down to Harrisburg with your picket sign to protest the boards decision. Oh yeah, call the director to see if she will meet you down there. Be well whatsupaugusta and 1mothang---------KMA
my2sense, your code name should be no sense. Again, at the end of the day it is about the girls. Not your personal agenda! Stick to your day job(if you have one) and stop analizing things and people you know nothing about!
Why do they want to do this??? They can start getting preg at 14, continue to have kids until 40, suck the govn't dry and sit on their [filtered word] and smoke crack? You raised them and wonder why?
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