FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
GIRLS FOR A CHANGE PHOENIX WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Phoenix, Arizona, August 25, 2006 – Girls For A Change (GFC), the leading non-profit organization for urban youth, recently announced the hire of its new Phoenix Executive Director, Alexandra Zavala. Zavala will direct the Arizona site in its second year of empowering urban girls to create social change in their communities. Under her leadership, GFC Phoenix will expand its program and strengthen relationships with community partners in order to impact even more girls and their neighborhoods throughout Maricopa County.

Having grown up in the Valley of the Sun, Zavala is dedicated to effecting change in her community and working with women and girls. She is proud to be at the forefront of the only social change organization for girls in the region. Zavala explains, “There is such a high need for a program like this and I am thrilled to be a part of this organization, especially at such an early stage in what promises to be a wonderful relationship with the Valley.” With her background in journalism and community relations, she hopes to “help promote Girls For A Change and the GFC mission in order to ensure that every girl in the Valley knows about Girls For A Change and has the opportunity to join a Girl Action Team.”

GFC provides the tools, resources, and support for girls to design, lead, fund, and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods. This year, GFC Phoenix will support 20 Girl Action Teams, train over 50 women as volunteer coaches, and collaborate with more than 20 schools and organizations. The vision of GFC is that girls who are directly engaged in social change and problem-solving in their neighborhoods will continue to participate in decision-making roles in other areas of their lives.

Not only is Zavala deeply committed to this mission, but she comes to GFC with significant experience in community outreach. Most recently, Zavala created and managed the first-ever Hispanic Outreach Program for Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona and co-founded the Hispanic Outreach Alliance – a network of more than one hundred outreach professionals in the Phoenix area. She has also worked as a Communications Outreach Coordinator for Families USA and Community Involvement Coordinator with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Zavala currently sits on the Phoenix Women’s Commission, is the Phoenix area facilitator for Las Comadres Para las Americas, and was selected as a Public Policy Fellow of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. 

According to Whitney Smith, Co-CEO, “Alex will be the face of GFC in Phoenix and will be an entrepreneurial and visionary leader.” 

Further Information:
For an opportunity to meet Alexandra Zavala, Girls For A Change Phoenix Executive Director, in person, you are welcome to attend The Next Generation of Leadership, a GFC fundraising event with special guest Governor Napolitano on Monday, August 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 in Paradise Valley. The cost of each ticket is $100. For more information about the event or to purchase a ticket, please contact Whitney Smith at 408-529-7226 or whitney@girlsforachange.org.

About Girls For A Change:
Girls For A Change (GFC), a non-profit organization, catalyzes professional women to support urban middle and high school girls to become social change makers and innovators, by empowering them to design, lead, fund, and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods. GFC provides the tools, resources, and support girls need to move from being spectators to being leaders. To learn more about the organization please visit: http://www.girlsforachange.org/ or http://www.hercity.org/.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Whitney Smith
Co-CEO
Girls For A Change
408-529-7226
whitney@girlsforachange.org

Katie Watson
Voce Communications, Inc.
650-228-5169
kwatson@vocecomm.com