For Alum & Donors

The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center Broadens Girls’ Horizons

“An investment in Girl Scouts is an investment in our future. Girls and young women visiting this first-of-its-kind Leadership Center will quickly learn that there are no boundaries for what they can do.” -Julia Argyros, Philanthropist and Community Leader, Argyros Family Foundation

The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center (GSLC), named after philanthropists and community leaders Julia and George Argyros, serves Orange County’s 20,000 Girl Scouts as a hub for Girl Scout STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs. Visits to the GSLC provide girls from all cultures and backgrounds extraordinary opportunities to practice leadership the Girl Scout way, like a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™, as they explore exciting 21^st Century careers and learn how they can take action to make the world a better place.

Girl Scouts visiting the GSLC also have plenty of opportunities to create lifelong memories -- kayaking from the bayfront property, toasting s’mores on the sprawling patio, and participating in fun water and sand activities on Newport Beach’s beautiful Balboa Peninsula.

Building Tomorrow’s Leaders

“Being a Girl Scout was an important part of my youth. As a Girl Scout, I learned how to set and achieve goals.” - Dr. Lynne Doti, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Chapman University

The Leadership Center is aligned with Girl Scouts’ national mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place and Girl Scouts of Orange County’s vision to create the best leadership development experiences for all girls in Orange County. As the first leadership center of its kind in Orange County, the Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center fills a critical gap in our county’s developmental offerings and boldly addresses the lack of women in leadership and STEM careers, where future job growth is expected to soar.

Through the support of our valued alumnae and donors, the Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center provides Orange County Girl Scouts with life-changing opportunities that broaden their horizons through program experiences girls won’t find anywhere else and help them develop the confidence and skills to succeed in life.

About INSPIRE™ – Housed Exclusively at the GSLC
INSPIRE is Girl Scouts of Orange County’s signature interactive multimedia program. Through INSPIRE, girls have life-changing opportunities to explore exciting 21st Century careers and learn how to take action on issues they care about, while developing an understanding of the importance and relevance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in their everyday lives.

Girl Scouts earn badges, go on field trips, and take action to make lasting change in their communities. Developing skills and thinking about their interests for the future is all part of the Girl Scout program progression. INSPIRE focuses on two key areas of leadership development that are cornerstones of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience - Career Exploration and Take Action. Each 1 ½ hour program introduces girls to inspirational female role models on giant 80” television screens who share insights about their career and leadership paths. Through the INSPIRE program, girls embrace their STEM education, expand their capabilities, maximize decision-making, and develop the skills and confidence to become tomorrow’s leaders.

Learn More About INSPIRE

Career Exploration: Career Exploration is a key component of the INSPIRE™ program. Through Career Exploration, Girl Scouts of all levels will hear from extraordinary women spanning diverse careers and learn the vital role STEM plays in what these women do, while exploring their own career aspirations.

Finding a diverse group of female professionals from various careers for girls to meet is often difficult for troop leaders. Through interactive video presentations, INSPIRE brings career women right into the room with the girls, appearing life-sized on 80” television screens. The women, representing 15 different careers, will tell the girls about who they are, what they do, the importance of STEM in what they do, and what they love about their careers.

The INSPIRE career women were selected based on girls’ interests, such as sports and dance, and suggestions by our Girl Scout volunteers to provide insight into career choices that their Girl Scouts may not be aware of, such as deep sea exploration or cloud computing. The women featured in INSPIRE come from across the United States, and represent a diverse population of female leaders that girls of all ages can look up to as role models.
Take Action: Take Action is a key component of the INSPIRE™ program. Through Take Action, Girl Scouts of all levels hear from Gold Award Girl Scouts across the nation who have used STEM skills to tackle important issues on topics from robotics to clean water and learn how to take action on issues they care about.

The goal of the INSPIRE Take Action program is to provide girls with a fun, interactive experience that enables them to think about issues that matter to them, how they can build a plan to address those issues, and ultimately inspire them to create an impactful Take Action project in their own community.

During INSPIRE, the Gold Award Girl Scout appears on video telling her Girl Scout sisters about how she planned her project, budgeted expenses, and used STEM to make a lasting change.

Each of the nine young women whose Girl Scout Gold Award projects are featured in INSPIRE were selected for their exemplary take action projects. Most of the Girl Scouts featured in INSPIRE are also recognized as National Young Women of Distinction, the highest honor conferred by Girl Scouts of the USA.

Interested in Building on the GSLC's Legacy?

The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center boldly addresses the shortage of female leaders by providing Orange County’s 20,000 Girl Scouts and 13,000 volunteers and adult members a state-of-the-art, safe learning environment where girls embrace challenges and expand their world by exploring 21st century careers, engaging in take action projects that have a sustainable impact, and creating lifelong memories.

Supporters of the Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center provide girls with life-changing opporunities to broaden their horizons through program experiences they won’t find anywhere else and help them develop confidence and skills vital to succeed in life.

Become a Sponsor

Girl Scouts of Orange County has launched a comprehensive campaign to raise $5M by the end of 2018 to offset the construction costs of building our new 6,000-square-foot Leadership Center, develop STEM-related programming, and establish an endowment that will help maintain the operation costs into the future and ensure the continuation of this enriching experience for all Orange County Girl Scouts. Funding is vital and allows us to keep the Leadership Center’s programs and tools relevant and current as technologies continue to advance.

We send our heartfelt thanks to all those who have already supported this special endeavor and hope to inspire others to give a generous gift that will have a lasting impact on the future of Orange County’s Girl Scouts.

For more information, please contact Monica McDade at mmcdade@girlscoutsOC.org or 949-461-8812.

Become a Program Provider

“We have worked with the Girl Scouts of Orange County for years now, educating Troops who have come out whale watching with us and getting them excited about our oceans. We absolutely love it!” - Jessica Roame, Marine Education Specialist for Newport Landing Whale Watching

By connecting with Girl Scouts of Orange County, you link your business to a cause that yields exponential benefits through the development of our community’s future leaders. Your support helps ensure that Orange County’s 20,000 Girl Scouts and the 13,000 volunteers and adult members who support them have the resources they need to realize their dreams. Collaborating with Girl Scouts of Orange County offers your brand increased visibility through GSOC’s recognition of your company’s involvement. Partners also have opportunities to leverage their Girl Scout partnership with their stakeholders.

Share your knowledge and expertise through Partnership Opportunities such as:

▪ Field Trips ▪ Organization Tours ▪ Events & Activities for Girl Scout Members and Families ▪ Volunteer Opportunities ▪ Community Service Opportunities ▪ STEM Education ▪ Badge Workshops ▪ Keynote Speakers ▪ Discounts for Girl Scout Members ▪ And More!

Click here to Learn more and contact Program@GirlScoutsOC.org to request a Program Proposal form.

Support the Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center Gift Registry

The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center (GSLC) will create wonderful new experiences and memories for Girl Scouts from all over Orange County, and you can help bring the vision of the GSLC to completion! We have launched a campaign to supply the Leadership Center with all the utensils, tools, and equipment the girls will need during their visit. Please help us by shopping through the Amazon Smile shopping portal and purchasing the items needed to complete the girls’ memorable experiences. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4!

Create or log into your AmazonSmile account at https://smile.amazon.com.
Choose “Girl Scouts of Orange County” as your charity.
Go to “Find a List or Registry” under your “Account & Lists.”
Type “Girl Scouts of Orange County Gift Registry.”

Your gift will not only supply needed items for the GSLC; you will also be donating to Girl Scouts of Orange County with a portion of your purchase.

For more information, please contact Monica McDade at mmcdade@girlscoutsoc.org or (949) 461-8812.

View the GSLC Gift Registry

About our Naming Donor - Julia Argyros

Julia Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center

The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center is named in honor of philanthropists and community leaders Julia and George Argyros, whose family contributed a historic and transformational $2.5M gift to bring Girl Scouts of Orange County's vision for the Leadership Center to life. The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center develops new generations of female leaders by providing Orange County’s 20,000 Girl Scouts and 13,000 volunteers and adult members a safe, state-of-the-art learning environment where girls embrace challenges, expand their world by exploring 21st century careers, engage in take action projects that have a sustainable impact, explore the waterfront surroundings, and create lifelong memories.

Julia and George Argyros have long been respected pillars of the Orange County business and philanthropic communities, donating time, wisdom and money to causes close to their hearts, including health care, education, conservation, youth, and the arts. Their philanthropy is focused on supporting leading institutions making lasting contributions to the quality of life in the community about which they care so deeply.

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