Girls Inc

Speaking with teenage matter-of-factness, Angie Scarborough describes her first years of high school as if they were the messed-up adolescence of some kid she used to know. There were problems at home, there were problems at school. At 18, she now admits she probably needed some sort of organized, good-girl involvement. "I was hanging out with the gang crowd," says Scarborough, of Costa Mesa. "They started drinking and getting into drugs and stuff. . . . I just wanted to get out of trouble."

Ask 15-year-old Brenda Velasquez how Girls Inc. has touched her life and she says: "It helped me feel like I could do anything I want in the world." Ask Rachel Schmidt, 11, the same question and she answers: "It has taught me how to be free, have fun." Both girls took the stage Tuesday during a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Irvine to give testimonials about Girls Inc., a national organization aimed at helping girls ages 5 to 18 develop strategies for leading independent lives.

Author and aerospace engineer Donna Shirley, who served as a manager on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Exploration program, will speak Wednesday at Girls Inc. of Orange County's annual luncheon. Before her recent retirement, Shirley amassed 30 years of experience in private and civil service. While at JPL in Pasadena, she led teams that worked on the Pathfinder's Mars landing and the Sojourner rover's exploration of the planet's surface.

Author and aerospace engineer Donna Shirley, who served as a manager on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Exploration program, will speak Wednesday at Girls Inc. of Orange County's annual luncheon. Before her recent retirement, Shirley amassed 30 years of experience in private and civil service. While at JPL in Pasadena, she led teams that worked on the Pathfinder's Mars landing and the Sojourner rover's exploration of the planet's surface.

Four teen-agers from Girls Inc. of Orange County in Costa Mesa will be featured in an upcoming segment of the ABC-TV news magazine "Prime Time Live," a coordinator for the youth group said. Rather than be interviewed by one of the show's adult anchors, the four young women, all Costa Mesa residents, took over as interviewers for a story on teen-age pregnancy, speaking candidly with five older boys.

The 500 people lunching under the white tent on the Montecito lawn had waited two years for this moment. Now they had her. Oprah Winfrey was making her "coming out gig" on behalf of a local charity. It was the philanthropy coup of the year. The Santa Barbara charity set had finally bagged one of the richest and most famous women in the world. Their new neighbor. And, hopefully, their new friend.

Ask 15-year-old Brenda Velasquez how Girls Inc. has touched her life and she says: "It helped me feel like I could do anything I want in the world." Ask Rachel Schmidt, 11, the same question and she answers: "It has taught me how to be free, have fun." Both girls took the stage Tuesday during a luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Irvine to give testimonials about Girls Inc., a national organization aimed at helping girls ages 5 to 18 develop strategies for leading independent lives.

It was a night at the theater for members of Club 100, a support group of Girls Inc. of Orange County. Before attending a performance of the St. Joseph Ballet at the Irvine Barclay Theatre last week, club members dined on veggie lasagna and ice cream at the University Club on the UCI campus. The event--also attended by about 15 members of Girls Inc.--was a "natural," said Club 100 President Linda Schulein of Newport Beach. "St. Joseph Ballet and Girls Inc. are in the same business.

"Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder" could be the motto at Girls Inc.--especially for the dozen young teens who on a recent Tuesday afternoon viewed an ultra-realistic slide presentation on sexually transmitted diseases. Appropriate to the horror show that it was, hands flew up often to shield the eyes as slide after slide flashed onto the wall of the Costa Mesa facility.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co., an apparel retailer that is no stranger to controversy, has sparked outrage again by selling thong underwear to young girls. The American Family Assn. said Wednesday that it has been assured by the retailer that it was pulling the underwear from its Abercrombie stores, a chain for girls and boys ages 7 to 14. The company did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Speaking with teenage matter-of-factness, Angie Scarborough describes her first years of high school as if they were the messed-up adolescence of some kid she used to know. There were problems at home, there were problems at school. At 18, she now admits she probably needed some sort of organized, good-girl involvement. "I was hanging out with the gang crowd," says Scarborough, of Costa Mesa. "They started drinking and getting into drugs and stuff. . . . I just wanted to get out of trouble."

It was a night at the theater for members of Club 100, a support group of Girls Inc. of Orange County. Before attending a performance of the St. Joseph Ballet at the Irvine Barclay Theatre last week, club members dined on veggie lasagna and ice cream at the University Club on the UCI campus. The event--also attended by about 15 members of Girls Inc.--was a "natural," said Club 100 President Linda Schulein of Newport Beach. "St. Joseph Ballet and Girls Inc. are in the same business.

Four teen-agers from Girls Inc. of Orange County in Costa Mesa will be featured in an upcoming segment of the ABC-TV news magazine "Prime Time Live," a coordinator for the youth group said. Rather than be interviewed by one of the show's adult anchors, the four young women, all Costa Mesa residents, took over as interviewers for a story on teen-age pregnancy, speaking candidly with five older boys.

"Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder" could be the motto at Girls Inc.--especially for the dozen young teens who on a recent Tuesday afternoon viewed an ultra-realistic slide presentation on sexually transmitted diseases. Appropriate to the horror show that it was, hands flew up often to shield the eyes as slide after slide flashed onto the wall of the Costa Mesa facility.

A team of five Chapman University students has won first place in a national public relations contest, campus officials said Thursday. The winning entry in the Bateman Case Study program, a competition for student-run public relations campaigns, promotes Girls Inc., a national nonprofit organization for young women. Chapman senior Kris Gundelfinger, team captain, said the group researched girls' issues and wrote a proposal to establish Girls Inc. as a nationally visible authority on the topic.

Girls Inc., a 39-year-old nonprofit organization that provides after-school programs for youths, is in the final stages of a renovation. Volunteers are visiting the 18th Street clubhouse on Saturdays to paint, improve access for the disabled, replace fixtures, renovate the kitchen, build a computer lab and make other improvements so the center is more child-friendly, said Shelley Westmore, director of Girls Inc. "The facility definitely shows those years of wear and tear," Westmore said.