Girls Inc. of the Valley has received a generous $1 million gift from the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation in support of their Eureka! program and as part of the Girls Inc. of the Valley Campaign: Her Future, Our Future. This $1 million commitment will provide approximately two-thirds of the total cost of Eureka! programming over the next five years.
The next five years are important for Eureka! because the program will be taken from its pilot status into a fully-fledged model with strong longitudinal outcome data and long-term professional evaluation. With this data and evaluation, the program will have opportunities to attract national-level institutional support, including through Girls Inc. National and Girls Inc. of the Valley Eureka! partner, UMass Amherst.
In order to continue to build opportunities for girls in the region, Girls Inc. is conducting its first major capital campaign. The Her Future, Our Future campaign is a bold initiative designed to significantly increase tangible opportunities for girls to develop confidence and interest in achieving academic and personal success. With STEM careers from nursing, to engineering, to lab sciences, to computer programming, playing an ever more important role in the workforce, Eureka! provides a major opportunity to open up those career pathways to 120+ girls per year, and to position those girls for success in gaining access to higher education. Overall, Her Future, Our Future will support significant expansion at Girls Inc., to the point that they will serve approximately 5% of all girls in the Holyoke, Springfield and Chicopee public school systems.
The Her Future, Our Future campaign seeks to raise $5 million to accomplish three critical strategic goals:
- Build a permanent home in downtown Holyoke
- Expand school-based programming in Holyoke, Chicopee and Springfield
- Advance and sustain Eureka! – Along with ongoing annual support, the campaign will sustain and enhance Eureka!, Girls Inc.’s flagship STEM education program. They will secure the program and solidify its role as an important regional pipeline to higher education and STEM careers.
“The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Foundation’s investment in Girls Inc. and Eureka! is truly indicative of their commitment to creating tangible pathways to brighter futures for girls. Their dedicated support of our Eureka! program, which encourages girls to explore opportunities in STEM and higher education aligns with that priority. We are so grateful to the Foundation’s Trustees for their partnership, their generosity and their belief in the work that we do at Girls Inc. of the Valley. This is a transformational commitment for us, and an anchor gift to the Her Future, Our Future campaign.” Suzanne Parker, Executive Director Girl’s Inc. of the Valley
.Her Future, Our Future will enable Girls Inc. to build a culture where girls see a clear, attainable pathway forward through secondary and higher education and toward achieving their great potential. Collaborations with partners like the Marieb Foundation will make a transformational impact on the girls whom Girls Inc. of the Valley serves. Eureka! is tied so closely to the Marieb Foundation’s mission and to Dr. Marieb’s strong belief in the power of education. Girls Inc. of the Valley strives to honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Marieb. Her life story and the example she set of using her intelligence and empathy to change the way that the sciences are taught will resonate mightily with all the girls served, especially with Eureka! Scholars. Girls Inc. of the Valley aims to permanently connect Dr. Marieb’s life and work to their Eureka! program and they are committed to making the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation proud of their investment.
