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Six Mentoring Programs Honored by NY Life Foundation
Six nonprofits in New York City and Westchester have been honored by New York Life Foundation as winners of its 2008 Awards Program. The Awards Program annually focuses on different aspects of the Foundation's Nurturing the Child initiative. This year's recipients were recognized for their mentoring programs. Each winner receives a $25,000 grant.

Each one of these nonprofits provides mentoring programs that offer young people a path toward a better future for themselves, their families and their community," said Sy Sternberg, chairman and chief executive officer, New York Life Insurance Company.

The Award winners are:
- Bronx: Urban Dove – HiRisers Program
- Brooklyn: Girls for Gender Equity, Inc. – Sisters in Strength/Urban Leaders Program
- Manhattan: Asian Professional Extension, Inc. – Middle School Mentoring Program
- Queens: Youth at Risk – Warriors' Way Program
- Staten Island: New York Urban League – Youth Leadership Program; and
- Westchester County: CLUSTER Community Services – Study Buddy Program

These nonprofits are making enormous changes in kids' lives with limited funds and resources," said Chris Park, president of New York Life Foundation.

Now-NYC Susan B. Anthony Awardees
On February 21, 2008, Joanne Smith, Founder of GGE, was one of four recipients of the NOW-NYC Susan B. Anthony Award, which honors grassroots activists dedicated to improving the lives of women in New York City. Presenters included NOW-NYC President Sonia Ossorio, NYC Councilmember Gale Brewer, NYS Senator Liz Krueger, and NYS Senator Velmanette Montgomery. This year's honorees included: Rachel Lloyd, founder and Executive Director of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS); Rachel Fleit, Film Producer and Artist; and Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls.

http://www.nownyc.org/womensissues/home/awards/Susan_B__Anthony.php

The night was highlighted by Ashley Lewis being surprised with GGE's first "Anthony Meets Tubman" scholarship worth $500. Ashley will use this scholarship for college books and supplies as she prepares to attend Howard University in the Fall.

Ashley Lewis is a 17-year-old former Sisters in Strength intern, a paid internship at Girls for Gender Equity for teen activists concerned about the empowerment of youth of color. While Ashley was a Sisters in Strength intern she produced Hey…Shorty!, a documentary that focuses on women of color’s experiences with street harassment and men of color’s ideas about and intentions behind the behavior. It exposes the frequency with which street harassment occurs, dispels myths about who it happens to and why, and examines the root causes of why men feel it is their right to approach women, in ways both friendly and violent, in public spaces.

Match the Scholarship
The Anthony Meets Tubman scholarship to Ashley was made possible by a $500 donation from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Pro Bono Awards. The scholarship fund will support exceptional high school seniors who have exhibited a passion for activism and social change. If you or your organization would like to match this support to GGE's Anthony Meets Tubman Scholarship Fund, please visit our Donate page and Donate Online! Make your secure online donation through PayPal - No paypal account needed! Or mail a donation to 1360 Fulton Street, Suite 314 Brooklyn, NY 11216.

Concord Baptist Christ Fund Awardees
On February 10th, GGE was awarded a grant in the amount of $5,000 from the Concord Baptist Christ fund. The award was dispersed during morning worship at Concord Baptist and grantees were treated to a reception and play excerpt of the “The Meeting” in celebration of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Sixteen years before slavery was abolished in the United States of America, four members of the Manhattan-based Abyssinian Baptist Church gathered on the evening of May 18, 1847, to establish the Concord Baptist Church of Christ. In 1988, the Christ Fund was established to support the uplift of Central Brooklyn’s neighborhoods and people. It was the first such fund created by an African American congregation, and it was made possible by the sacrificial and faithful giving of the people of Concord Church who believe that Christ makes the difference! For more information on Concord Baptist Church, please visit http://concordcares.org/about_us.php

We can't thank you enough, Concord Baptist, for embracing GGE and believing in our mission and vision to revolutionize the way girls and women are seen and heard.

Appellate Division Jurist on Board
GGE’s Board Member, Justice Cheryl E. Chambers was one of four jurists that Governor Eliot Spitzer appointed to the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department.

“These are four of the most distinguished jurists in New York State, who together have more than 60 years of judicial experience,” said Governor Spitzer. “The Appellate Division, Second Department is among the busiest courts in the country, and its decisions affect 10 million residents – more than half the population of the State. I am very pleased to be able to appoint such superb jurists to serve on this important appellate court.”

Justice Chambers said: “I am deeply honored that Governor Spitzer has given me the opportunity to serve on the Appellate Division, Second Department, one of the most important courts in the country. During my 12 years as a trial judge, I have been impressed by the court's consistently high standards of legal scholarship. I very much look forward to joining this distinguished court.”

To read more visit: http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/0115085.html

Congratulations Judge Chambers, it's an honor to have you on board!

NYC Hall of Fame
On Saturday, December 8, 2007, Joanne Smith, Founder and Executive Director of Girls for Gender Equity was one of twelve community leaders inducted into the New York City Hall of Fame. The non-profit New York City Hall of Fame’s mission is to honor remarkable New Yorkers who have contributed to the betterment of our City and will in turn serve as role models for our youth.

Inductees include both notable personalities and less recognized individuals whose work has instilled positive values and pride in the people of our great city. Each inductee represents one of the following twelve categories: Architecture, Business Development, Charitable Contribution (Smith), Communications, Cultural Contribution, Education, Entertainment, Health and Science, Heroism/Act of Bravery, Humanitarian, Sports, and Volunteerism. Each of the distinguished inductees honored at the ceremony were nominated by the public and were chosen by a panel of the organization’s board members.

The New York City Hall of Fame’s ultimate goal is to develop a museum that will become a fabulous tourist attraction and center of pride for New York City. Inductees will be displayed in the form of a hologram. For more information on the New York City Hall of Fame visit http://www.nychalloffame.org.

Union Square Award
AND THE UNION SQUARE AWARDS WINNER IS...
Girls for Gender Equity is proud to hold the honor of being one of twelve organizations honored as recipients of the annual Union Square Award. Each award carries a $50,000 grant to the organization and recognizes exceptional efforts to address critical social issues facing New Yorkers that have otherwise been overlooked, neglected or inadequately addressed. “Despite minimal resources, these organizations improve peoples’ lives and make extraordinary contributions to local neighborhoods and to the educational, economic and cultural life of New York City,” says Executive Director Iris Morales.

Click here to read GGE's Union Square Awards profile.

The Real Hot 100
They're entrepreneurs from L.A., artists from Chicago, community organizers from North Carolina, bloggers from Texas and educators from Brooklyn. What do these young women have in common? They're all remarkable role models who are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes and making a difference in the world. They're smart. They work for change. And they're definitely not afraid to speak their minds.

They are the REAL hot 100 of 2006, and they prove that young women have way more to offer than their ability to look good in a bikini. Chosen from more than 350 nominees(representing over 35 states), these women illustrate what it means to be truly "hot" in a world that too often applies that term to women's bodies only.

Mandy Van Deven and Joanne Smith, are two of the REAL hot 100 women of 2006; see how hot SMART can be:
http://www.therealhot100.org/2006-real-hot-100/?currentPage=18
http://www.therealhot100.org/2006-real-hot-100/?currentPage=17

Open Society Institute
With an Open Society Institute fellowship, Joanne launched GGE in 2001 as an equitable after-school health and fitness program; due, in part, to a letter signed by a coalition of seventy low-income African-American and Caribbean petitioning OSI to bring GGE to Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant. These parents explained to OSI, "We need your help to change the derogatory views of women and girls that plague our society". http://www.soros.org/initiatives/cf/focus_areas/nyc_fellowships/grantees/smith_2001

The Community Fellowship Program encouraged and supported individuals who created innovative public interest projects that addressed critical issues. The program was designed to provide individuals with an opportunity to apply their leadership in community-led projects that empowered and improved the quality of public life. The program identified and supported social change agents who engaged passion, ingenuity, and dynamism to remove social barriers by creating new opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized communities. The program invested in viable public service projects that support social equity among all members of society.