Marietta-headquartered Girl’s Inc. of Greater Atlanta issued the following announcement of their virtual Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards ceremony:

Marietta, Ga. (September 13, 2021) — Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta is excited to host the virtual Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards on September 16 at 6:00 p.m. The community is invited to view the free live event on Facebook and YouTube, as Girls Inc. celebrates three metro Atlanta scholarship recipients and 45 years of providing a safe space for girls.  

This event is Girls Inc.’s major fundraiser for the year, and the celebration will reflect on 45 years of Girls Inc. history and successes serving the metro Atlanta community. In addition, three inspiring girls will be recognized with a scholarship for their commitment to education, social activism, and breaking cultural barriers. The evening will also include celebrity appearances, an auction hosted by a “rocktioneer”, and a special tribute to the Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta founder and prominent equal rights advocate Joyce Dunaway Parker.  

“From serving out of a construction trailer in 1976 to our beautiful facility today, Girls Inc. has come a long way, but the dedication, the community and partner support, the love that comes from our facilitators, the resilience of our girls, those haven’t changed,” Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta CEO Tiffany Collie-Bailey said. “While Girls Inc. has grown tremendously in terms of the areas that we serve, who we are at heart remains the same. How and why we serve our girls will always be the true essence of Girls Inc., and we will continue to serve with pride and our commitment to seeing girls grow stronger. We are so proud of our scholarship winners, and we know the future is bright.” 

All proceeds from the virtual Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards go directly to providing funds for programming, supplies, and helping girls from low-income families to participate in Girls Inc. activities, like building robots, visiting the Savannah College of Art and Design, and creating a book club. The community can RSVP and support the Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards or text “SSB2021” to 366283. Silent auction items are also available for bidding now.  

For the second year in a row, the Strong, Smart, and Bold Awards shifted to a virtual format due to COVID-19. The livestream event will be hosted by seventh grader Kenedi Mitchell, a proud Girls Inc. participant, alongside Atlanta television journalist Shaunya Chavis-Rucker. Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta is grateful for the sponsors who helped make this event possible: ADP, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, COX, Enterprise, Ernst & Young, GE, Georgia Power, Lockheed Martin, Mauldin & Jenkins, Panasonic Automotive, Publix Charities, UPS, and Van Man Couriers.  

About Girls, Inc.

The national organization that later became Girls, Inc., the National Girls Clubs, was founded in 1864 to serve girls and young women who were experiencing upheaval brought on by the Civil War.

Girls Clubs, Inc. of Greater Atlanta was founded in 1974 after a nine-year-old Cobb County girl, Debbie Randall, was found raped and murdered.

Irma Glover and Joyce Dunaway Parker decided that the abduction was in part due to the lack of a safe after-school environment for girls.

They approached the Marietta City Council and the Cobb County Commission to get land to create the Cobb-Marietta Girls Club, which later became Girls, Inc. of Greater Atlanta.