Girls Inc of Omaha executive director talks about Lunch for the Girls

SEVEN SKYCAM. NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY THERE. TODAY’S GUEST IS HERE PROMOTING AN EVENT INSPIRING YOUNG WOMEN IN OMAHA. CANDY JONES, AKA MISS CANDY, IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NOT FOR PROFIT GIRLS INCORPORATED OF OMAHA. SO EVERY YEAR THIS ORGANIZATION IS BASICALLY IT’S CALLED LUNCHEON FOR THE GIRLS. AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT? SO OUR LUNCH FOR THE GIRLS IS JUST A CELEBRATION OF THE GIRLS. IT’S A CELEBRATION OF THE WORK WE’VE DONE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE SUCCESS GIRLS HAVE HAD. AND WE TYPICALLY BRING IN A SPEAKER THAT HONORS THE MISSION OF GIRLS, INC., AND USUALLY IT’S AN INCREDIBLE SPEAKER. SO I’M EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT HER. AND IT’S REALLY JUST, AGAIN, A CELEBRATION OF JUST WHAT THE GIRLS HAVE DONE AND THE BRILLIANCE OF THE PROGRAM. AND MAYBE IF PEOPLE DON’T QUITE KNOW WHAT IS GIRLS, INC. YEAH. SO GIRLS INC IS A LOCAL AFFILIATE OF A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS GIRLS AGES 5 TO 18. UM, AND IN OUR PROGRAMING, THE GIST OF IT IS WE REALLY WANT TO CREATE A, A CULTURE OF GIRLS BEING STRONG, SMART AND BOLD SO THAT THEY SEE THEMSELVES IN EVERY SPACE. MOST OF THE GIRLS WE SERVE ARE PREDOMINANTLY BLACK AND BROWN GIRLS, BUT WE’RE OPEN AGAIN TO ALL GIRLS. BUT THE FOCUS BEING THE GIRLS IN THE AREA CODES THAT WE FEEL NEED THEM THE MOST, THE ZIP CODES THAT NEED THEM THE MOST. SO OUR WORK IS AROUND JUST THE PROGRAMING. THAT HELPS THEM SEE THEMSELVES AND WHETHER THAT’S SEXUAL EDUCATION, WHETHER THAT’S MENTAL HEALTH, WHETHER THAT’S LITERACY. UM, A LOT SPORTS, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE DO IS JUST BRING ALL OF IT TO OUR GIRLS SO THAT THEY’RE PREPARED FOR THE WORLD OUT THERE. YEAH. AND SO AT LUNCH FOR THE GIRLS, UM, WHO’S THE GUEST SPEAKER THIS YEAR IS NIKKI GIOVANNI. OKAY. AND FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW, WHO IS THAT? SO NIKKI GIOVANNI IS A WORLD RENOWNED POET. I WOULD SAY, IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO NIKKI GIOVANNI IS, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO TYPE HER NAME IN A SEARCH AND AND JUST PULL UP THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT NIKKI GIOVANNI HAS DONE OVER THE YEARS. SHE’S CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, SHE’S A POET. SHE SPEAKS A LOT ABOUT THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. BUT WHAT SHE REALLY FOCUSES ON IS WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REALLY ELEVATE WOMEN IN THIS CULTURE. AND SO WE COULDN’T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER SPEAKER TO COME AND REALLY SHARE HER LEGACY WITH US. AND THE LUNCH IS IT’S A FUNDRAISER. IT IS. YEAH. AND IS THIS ALSO WHERE WILL YOU BE ABLE TO SEE SOME OF THE GIRLS BE PERFORMING AT THIS LUNCH? YEAH. SO WE REALLY DO. THE GIRLS STEAL THE SHOW HERE, RIGHT? NIKKI GIOVANNI IS BY FAR AN ICONIC, UM, REP OF WHAT WE’RE DOING. THE GIRLS ARE ACTUALLY THE SPEAKERS, AND THEY COME AND THEY BRING KIND OF THE LIFE TO THE TO THE TO THE EVENT. THEY ARE INTERVIEWING NIKKI GIOVANNI. THEY’RE SHARING THEIR OWN POETRY. SO IT WILL BE AN INCREDIBLE TIME FOR YOU TO JUST SEE HOW WORK THAT GIRLS INC DOES INFLUENCE THE GIRLS. TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND STAND IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AND REALLY SPEAK AND SHOW THEIR BRILLIANCE. ABSOLUTELY. AND SO WHERE DOES THAT MONEY GO? YEAH. SO OUR FUNDRAISER GOES DIRECTLY TO GIRLS INC. SO GIRLS INC PROGRAMING OUR MISSION, OUR VISION. ALL OF IT GOES BACK INTO THE ORGANIZATION AND BACK TO OUR GIRLS IN COMMUNITY. REALLY. SO WHAT WE DO IS WE BRING IN A LOT OF PARTNERS FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE STAFF IN AN ORGANIZATION, A LARGE ORGANIZATION THAT WE NEED TO RUN. AND WE HAVE TWO FACILITIES. SO SO THIS, THIS WILL HELP US FINANCE BOTH OUR NORTH OMAHA FACILITY, OUR CAPTAIN FLETCHER, OUR SOUTH OMAHA FACILITY, UM, AS WELL AS OUR LINCOLN EUREKA PROGRAM. SO IT REALLY JUST KEEPS US SUSTAINABLE BECAUSE WE’RE DOING INCREDIBLE THINGS AND WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT FOR SURE. YES. OKAY. AND IF PEOPLE WANT TO GET TICKETS TO GO, THEY CAN. IT’S ON AUGUST 27TH. YES. GO TO GIRLS INC OMAHA. ORG TO BUY TICKETS THERE. YES. AND SUPPOR