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GSOC Announces $2.5M Gift from Ambassador & Mrs. George L. Argyros for Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center
March 30, 2017
OC’s new hub for Girl Scout STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs and activities will broaden girls’ horizons through program experiences they won’t find anywhere else.
IRVINE, Calif. (March 28, 2017) – Girl Scouts of Orange County announced today it has received a historic $2.5M presenting donor gift from the Argyros family. Girl Scouts’ 6,000 sq. ft. Leadership Center is under construction in Newport Beach’s Marina Park and will be named after philanthropist and community leader, Julia Argyros.
The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center will open later this year for Orange County’s nearly 21,000 Girl Scouts and 13,000 adult members who support them. It will serve as Orange County’s hub for Girl Scout STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs and provide girls from all cultures and backgrounds extraordinary opportunities to explore careers and learn how they can take action to make the world a better place-- all while creating lifelong memories and enjoying the waterfront surroundings.
“An investment in Girl Scouts is an investment in our future,” commented Julia Argyros. “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. This is a safe environment where girls from all cultures and backgrounds can apply their talents and passions to creating powerful and lasting change in our communities and around the world.”
At the heart of the Leadership Center is INSPIRE, Girl Scouts of Orange County’s signature multimedia program, through which girls virtually meet extraordinary women spanning diverse careers and learn the vital role STEM plays in what they do. Girls will also hear from distinguished Girl Scouts, trailblazers across the nation, who have taken action using STEM skills to change the world-- and learn to do it themselves.
“We are profoundly grateful to Julia and George Argyros for this truly transformational gift,” said Nancy Nygren, CEO of Girl Scouts of Orange County. “OC STEM jobs are growing, yet we face a dramatic shortfall of STEM-educated workers and timing is critical. Girls lose or gain interest in STEM by eighth grade. The Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center will give girls early exposure to STEM, helping them understand how STEM is part of everything they do and inspiring them to embrace their STEM education.”
Adjacent to Newport Beach’s first bayfront community park (featuring a community center, playground, restaurant, and sailing center), the Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center is pursuing Silver LEED Certification.
About Julia and George Argyros
Julia and George Argyros are 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, high-risk and high-need children, and the arts. Their philanthropy, along with that of daughters Stephanie and Lisa, and son George Jr., focuses on supporting leading institutions making lasting contributions to the quality of life in the community about which they care so deeply. Organizations that have benefited from their volunteerism and generous giving include Chapman University, MD Anderson, UC Irvine, Doheny Eye Institute, Sage Hill School, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, CHOC and Hoag Hospitals, Alzheimer’s Association, Orange County School of the Arts, and The Nature Conservancy of Idaho. They also established the first scholarship program for soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, the largest military scholarship program of its kind.
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Girl Scouts of Orange County
We are 25,000 strong – nearly 15,000 girls and 10,000 volunteers and adult members who bring girls’ dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs reaching girls in every zip code in Orange County, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and thousands of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit www.girlscoutsoc.org.
