It’s rare that you get to see work that directly helps those who most deserve it, but I want to tell you about the opportunity we so seldom get to actually contribute in a way that we know will have real impact.

I’ve been on the board of the Lower Eastside Girls Club for about a decade, getting a front row seat to seeing what a truly community-focused and effective organization can do for those in need when things are done the right way. This is the model of what we want our public institutions to be — laser-focused on the needs of its members, extremely ambitious in its goals, and measurably effective in its outcomes.

I’m asking you to support the Girls Club in one of two ways:

• You can donate directly to support the work that the Girls Club does (If you know what a donor-advised fund is — now’s your chance to use it!)
• Or if you’re in NYC on May 7, join us at Webster Hall for our incredible 30th Anniversary Gala where we are going to throw down

Actually changing lives

The Girls Club serves girls who are amongst the most in-need in all of New York City, and boosts important measures like graduation rates to levels 15% higher than the district average. The way that the club does it is by providing year-round programming in the arts, STEM, civic engagement, leadership, wellness, college and career pathways, and much more — including a deep connection to a sense of community. All of this happens in a facility that is nothing short of magical, where there’s a green roof, a full recording studio, a commercial-grade kitchen, a wonderful crafting room, and even an actual planetarium. And all of these resources are made available to the girls entirely for free.

The programs and support that the team provide to the girls work. It changes their lives. I know this because I’ve seen it. Now that the club has been around for a generation, we’ve seen girls grow up to become incredible students, leaders in the community, entrepreneurs, activists, artists, and even a new generation of mentors in the Girls Club itself.

Then, the backlash against DEI and this kind of community support threatened the very survival of the Girls Club.

Even though the club has always had its share of ups and downs, there had almost never been as much of a concerted attack on its foundations until the dark times of this last year. It’s taken a toll on the club and its staff, and threatened to put the programming and support for the girls at risk. After a decade on the board, I stepped up to become chair of the board to try to help.

Because the truth is, the team at the club does what works: specific, local action, that considers individuals as whole humans, and tends to their needs in a complete way. We’ve given out tens of thousands of free meals to the community as needed ever since COVID began, because people can’t learn when they are hungry. We’ve added multi-generational classes on things like wellness, because it takes the support of entire families to keep kids on the right track for their education, or to support them making big, ambitious choices to change their lives for the better. And of course there is support for every form of creativity from technology to sewing to DJing to, yes, exploring the stars in the planetarium. Because, for too long, those were areas of imagination that didn’t always get presented as options on Avenue D.

Here’s what I can promise you: every single penny that you give to support this organization will be used incredibly efficiently. The staff of the organization show up every single day to fight for these girls, and their families, and this community. I can personally attest to how accountable and effective their work is. If you are able to donate, I’ll give you a personal tour the next time you’re on the Lower Eastside, and take you through the amazing facility so that you can see for yourself the impact that you’ll be having on the future of our city, and these girls.

There’s always room for joy

Years ago, not long after I’d first joined the board of the Girls Club, we were trying to capture the spirit of what makes this place so special. It’s hard to articulate the energy, the brilliance, the optimism and spirit that the girls bring to the place through their sheer creativity and engagement. But eventually we settled on a few words that ended up becoming the slogan for the entire organization:

Joy. Power. Possibility.

I come back to those words a lot, even when things are hard, because I see it embodied in the work that has been done as alumni of the Girls Club have gone out into the world as young women who are now leaders and innovators and fearless voices across the city and across the country. We’re going to need your help to make sure we’re able to ensure that another generation of vulnerable kids get that same chance.

And the best part is that you can really experience the “joy” part of that motto if you join us at the Gala. Our annual fundraisers are not the usual stuffy nonprofit affairs. We’ve got a few tickets left for Webster Hall on May 7, where we’re honoring actress, writer, director, producer, activist and Lower Eastside legend Natasha Lyonne, H&M America’s Head of Inclusion and Diversity Donna Dozier Gordon, and our very own Lower Eastside Girls Club emerita Miladys Ramirez. Expect signature cocktails, an unforgettable dinner, and a dance floor you won't want to leave! I hope to see you there, or you can just give what you can and be there in spirit.