GEN's Voice

Issue 3

September 2001

It's all downhill from here.

That's what a runner at the start of the 3M Half Marathon thinks-- the race begins at a hilltop shopping center on Highway 183 north and coasts to a finish at the intersection of Enfield Road and Lamar Boulevard. But to the Girls Empowerment Network of Austin, the course is anything but downhill--because 3M has just announced that GENaustin will be the beneficiary of the 2002 Half Marathon, an honor that comes with a generous $15,000 donation.

The race, which will be held Sunday, February 3, 2002, is Austin's third-largest road racing event and raises funds and awareness for a selected nonprofit.

3M Community Affairs Manager Russell Bridges said the company chose GENaustin because it reaches out to girls during the intense years of early adolescence. "Part of our corporate focus for giving is middle school-age children," he said. "The middle school years are often tough years--it's when kids make it or break it. We've got to get in there and show them that their opportunities are limited only by themselves, and GENaustin does that by focusing on self-esteem." To help parents learn about self-esteem, 3M is also hosting several GENaustin programs through its Wellness program throughout the fall.

Bridges mentioned that 3M was also attracted to GENaustin for its programs that encourage girls to explore their interests in math, science, engineering and architecture (several of these programs will be held in the spring). "As a technology company, 3M realizes we always need more engineers," he said. "So this also made GENaustin a good fit."

3M, which has sponsored the half marathon since 1995, tries to pick a new or newly named nonprofit to be the beneficiary of the race because the event is so visible in the community. With its new name, GENaustin is in the perfect place to work with 3M in this high- profile event.

GENaustin is now accepting sponsorships for the eight Waterstops that are spaced through the race course. For a cash contribution made to GENaustin, Waterstop Sponsors receive their logo and/or mention in the following race materials:
· Banner at Waterstop
· Runners instruction booklet
· Walkers instruction booklet
· Press Kit sponsor insert
· Post-race advertising

There are only eight Waterstop Sponsorships available. Waterstop sponsors must provide 30 volunteer names to staff their Waterstop by December 3, 2001, two months before Race Day. Several sponsorship levels are available. If you and your company are interested in sponsoring a Waterstop, please contact Anita Mennucci at [email protected] for details.

Breaking the ice, seeing through stereotypes, setting goals, untying the Human Knot, examining the media, writing letters, making collages, building confidence...

They're all part of the curriculum for Girls Groups, a GENaustin initiative that helps girls investigate their identity in a group of peers. The groups meet during or after school at several Austin and Round Rock middle schools and are facilitated by teachers, counselors and volunteers. A GENaustin committee is currently creating an organized curriculum that will be used by facilitators for all the groups, helping them become more unified.

Robyn Ross, who led a Girls Group at Cedar Valley Middle School last year, said the groups fill a niche in middle-school students' lives.

"The groups are a way for the girls to keep talking about the issues that affect them, as well as to bond with one another," she said. "I'm excited because we're going to be working with these groups once a week for a year, and we're definitely going to see some positive, healthy changes in the girls."

Kimberly Gopert, a member of a Girls Group at Cedar Valley Middle School, said she has learned about herself through being a member of the group. "If you have a problem, then you feel comfortable bringing it up in Girls Club," she said. "I just know that I've learned about myself that I'm normal."

Are you interested in working directly with girls as a Girls Group leader? GENaustin is looking for a few good women who are effective leaders, model healthy behaviors for young women, want to try something challenging and new, and are available during or immediately after the school day once a week. We are particularly looking for two facilitators for a club at Matthews Elementary School in Central Austin. The club will meet once a week, and a stipend will be provided for the facilitators. If you are interested, please contact the GENaustin office.

Bess Althaus Graham got a great deal on a flight to New York last year. In fact, she was able to beat even the rock-bottom prices offered by Internet discount travel sites. Her trip to the Northeast cost only $5--thanks to the lucky raffle ticket she purchased from GENaustin.

Bess used the two free Southwest Airlines tickets she won to help her family visit "that wonderful tourist hot spot, Buffalo, New York." With her husband and three children, she joined her sister in New York to visit Niagara Falls, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Johnson Estate Winery on Lake Eerie, and a hot-air balloon rally in Wellsville. They even took a boat ride across the Niagara River to see a pre-Revolutionary fort in Ontario, Canada.

"Since we hadn't seen my sister and her boys in two years, it was a wonderful trip for us," Bess said. "The raffle certainly made it possible!"

You might be as lucky as Bess in this year's Southwest Airlines ticket raffle. Chances are $5 for one or $20 for five, and the winner receives two free tickets to anywhere Southwest flies. You may purchase your raffle tickets from the GENaustin office or from GENaustin board members and volunteers. Contact the office at 851-8100 for more information.

Our September programs feature discussions about body image, relationships, and coping with stress. All the programs are free and open to the public. To see all the GENaustin events for this year, visit www.GENaustin.org, where you can view and print out a copy of our entire calendar.

"Caring for Your 'Inner Athlete': An All-American's Perspective" by Amy Goodwin, LPC, an All-American athlete in both high school and college. Caring for your 'inner athlete' is just as important as keeping your body in shape. How girls handle performance anxiety, parental pressure and overall stress affects their ability to succeed. For girls and parents. Monday, Sept. 10, 7-8:30 p.m., West Ridge Middle School library. 19201 Scenic Bluff Dr. (off Bee Cave Rd. in Barton Creek Estates)

"Parenting Someone Else's Daughter" by Michael Bishop, Ph.D., LPC, Austin family therapist. Join parents and teens for a frank discussion of what seems to work when it comes to building new family relationships. Wednesday, Sept. 12, 7-8:30 p.m., Murchison Middle School, (check white board at front door), 3700 North Hills (one block south of Far West & Hart Lane)

"Britney, Barbie, and Body Image: Media vs. Reality" by Robyn Ross, journalist. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the way women are depicted in the mass media, and learn how to outsmart advertisers and industries that make careers out of convincing you to feel dissatisfied with your body. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Mendez Middle School library. 5106 Village Square (south of Stassney & South Pleasant Valley)

"Mood Music: How Girls and Parents Should Listen" by Luniece Obst, M.Ed, LPC. Girls are twice as likely as boys to become seriously depressed in adolescence, and 30% contemplate suicide. Knowing the difference between normal sadness and serious depression, between healthy anger and unhealthy acting out, and the relationship of stress to moods is important for girls and parents. Wednesday, Sept. 19, noon-1 p.m., Small Middle School (check in at office). 4801 Monterey Oaks Blvd. (Off 290 in Oak Hill)

"Preschoolers: Getting a Jump on High Self Esteem" by Suzi McCoy, M.S., LPC. Come learn how parents can begin to model and teach resiliency skills and counter unhealthy media and cultural messages to girls and boys age 2-5. Thursday, Sept. 20, noon-1 p.m., 3M Wellness Center, 6801 Riverplace Blvd., Bldg. 144-1N-04 (near 2222 and 620). Open to all, but non-3M employees should RSVP to 984-5990. Limited seating.

"The Roller Coaster Ride of Middle School Days: Coping with Stress and Success" by Kay Sockol, M.Ed., NCC, Deerpark Middle School counselor. School, friends, hormones, dances, sports, parents, drugs, popularity, thinness. Yikes! How much pressure can young teens carry before it begins to affect their grades, their relationships and their futures? Learn to identify your stressors, techniques for "destressing" your life, and even how to use stress to your advantage. Thursday, Sept. 20, 3:30-5 p.m., Fulmore Middle School (check office for location). 201 Mary (Off S. Congress at Mary)

"Loving Ourselves Just the Way We Are" by Mary Combs, ME.d, LPC. Girls and women are besieged by messages saying their bodies aren't thin enough, tall enough, curvy enough, feminine enough or muscular enough. Enough is enough! Ms. Combs specializes in body image and eating disorders and has done extensive work in helping individuals heal their relationships with their bodies, food and other substances. Monday, Sept. 24, 6:30-8 p.m., Chisholm Trail Middle School library. 500 Oakridge Dr. (One mile west of I-35 and Hwy. 620 at Deepwood)

"Fuel for Success: Nutrition Tips for Girls" by Michelle Cross, MSW, RD, LD, owner of Central Texas Nutrition Consultants. will focus on the way girls should eat for optimum mental, emotional and physical health. Girls in their teens need specific, practical know-how to keep their bodies healthy through growth and hormonal spurts, and to develop life-long healthy eating habits. Wednesday, Sept. 26, 7-8:30 p.m., Murchison Middle School (check white board at front door). 3700 North Hills (1 block. South of Far West & Hart Lane.)

Leadership Austin, a prestigious training organization for movers

Be messy. Be loud. Be happy. Learn skateboarding, self-defense, or how to paint a mural. Girlday offers the chance to express yourself however you want in a full day of free, hands-on workshops for middle and high school girls. Girlday will be held Saturday, September 29, from noon to 6 p.m., at the Center for Mexican American Cultural Arts, 600 River Street (CapMetro Route #22). For more information call Anne at 459-0445. To submit art call Rachel at 472-8989.

SafePlace, Austin's center for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, is working hard to provide prevention, intervention, education and advocacy to our community, and they need your help! Volunteers can do anything from playing with children in the shelter, to answering hotline calls, to meeting sexual assault survivors at the hospital and more. SafePlace's next volunteer training program begins in October, so if you are interested in joining their mission to end domestic and sexual violence, please call Elizabeth Hummer at 356-1561 for more information or check out their website at www.austin-safeplace.org. And don't forget their 24-hour hotline: 267-SAFE.

GENaustin wants to thank all the businesses and individuals who contribute to make our programs a success. This month we extend a special thanks to 3M Company for its selection of GENaustin as the beneficiary of the 3M Half Marathon, and to Castle Hill restaurant for GENerous donations.

This site was last updated on 10/26/2004.

Copyright © GENaustin, Inc. 2001. All rights reserved. GEN, GENaustin, and GENaustin logos used and displayed herein are registered and unregistered trademarks of GENaustin, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and logos used herein are the property of their respective owners. Email us at office@genaustin.org.