History
History is HerStory
Nationally, Girls Inc. was founded in 1864 as Girls Club to serve girls and young women who were experiencing upheaval in the aftermath of the Civil War.
In Omaha, Girls Inc. started in the basement of an inner-city church in 1975.
Our first enrollment? Six girls. Fast forward. We now serve over 1,000 girls and young women each year. Girls work, play, and learn daily in the Katherine Fletcher Center in North Omaha and the Emma Lozier Center in South Omaha. We serve girls in Lincoln, Nebraska with year-round STEM programs. Young women live in our Barker House and Protégé House as they transition to independent adulthood. We partner with Nebraska Medicine to offer medical services to the girls, their families, and the community in an on-site clinic.
A History Solely Focused on the Girls!
Over the years, we have adapted our programs to meet ever-changing needs, but it was, and always will be, ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS!
1975 Girls Inc., then Girls Club, opened to 6 girls in the basement of Clifton Hills Presbyterian Church in North Omaha
1978 We began serving girls in South Omaha in rented facilities first in Southside Terrace and then in the LaFern Williams Center
1979 We moved into a new home, 3708 Lake St., in North Omaha
1987 The Emma Lozier Center opened for girls in South Omaha, 5407 S. 30th St.
1990 Our name changed from Girls Club to Girls Inc.
1992 We moved into our current location, 2811 North 45th St., in North Omaha
1992 Our longtime Operation SMART STEM partnership with College of Saint Mary began
1993 The girlFRIENDS Guild hosted their first Girls Nite Out fundraiser
2001 The first Lunch for the Girls fund-raiser was held
2006 We received Girls Inc. national’s Outstanding Affiliate Award
2008 We hosted the Girls Inc. regional conference in Omaha [will confirm this date]
2011 We began offering transitional housing to young women in the Barker House
2011 We recruited our first Eureka! STEM cohort in Omaha
2016 We opened the expansion to the North Omaha Center and named it the Katherine Fletcher Center
2016 An on-site clinic run by Nebraska Medicine was opened in the Katherine Fletcher Center
2016 Received Girls Inc. national’s Outstanding Affiliate Award
2018 We began serving girls in Lincoln, NE with the Eureka! STEM program
2018 We were the recipient of the $2.3M proceeds from a 10-year long bet between Warren Buffett and Protégé Partners (Warren won!)
2019 We opened Protégé House, a transitional housing facility 3626 N. 65th Ave.
2021 Football for the World installed a mini-soccer pitch on our sport field
2021 Our gym was transformed into a vaccine clinic to help combat the COVID pandemic