Our History
Girls Inc. is the longest-running girls’ leadership organization.
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.
Since 1975, Girls Inc. of Omaha has been evolving with 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
Girls Inc. is the leading expert on girls.
Working with and on behalf of girls for 160 years has given us unparalleled knowledge and expertise. The Girls Inc. Experience changes the trajectory of girls’ lives and prepares them for lifelong success.
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
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
Girls Inc. has served millions of girls across the United States and Canada.
Our participants are equipped with the skills to lead and create positive change in their communities.
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
2023: Candias Jones becomes Girls Inc. of Omaha’s new CEO as Roberta Wilhelm officially retires after 20 years.
National History
Girls Inc. was founded in 1864 to serve girls and young women who were experiencing upheaval in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Across the decades, we adapted to meet the specific environmental challenges facing girls and young women, always working in partnership with schools and communities, and guided by our founders’ fundamental belief in the inherent potential of each girl. Woven into those early girls’ clubs are the same core values of Girls Inc. today: the importance of creating a safe gathering place for girls to learn and to share in a sisterhood and a strong premise that each girl can develop her own capacities, self- confidence, and grow up healthy, educated, and independent.