Girls Inc.® of Greater Philadelphia and
Southern New Jersey was the first agency in the Delaware
Valley
to provide
Big Sister services for girls. Since its inception in 1961,
the agency has expanded to provide a full range of comprehensive
services for girls.
1961
Agency founded as Teen Aid, Inc. a diversionary service
for pre-delinquent and delinquent teenage girls.
1978
Teen Aid changes its name to BIG SISTERS of Philadelphia,
Inc. and assumes the status of the premier Big Sister
program in Philadelphia.
1979
BIG SISTERS of Philadelphia is admitted as a full member
to the National Organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters
of America, Inc. and begins to contract with the Philadelphia
Department of Human Services, Children and Youth Division
to provide Services to Children in their Own Home (SCOH).
1980
The agency is admitted as a full member of the United Way
of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
1989
The agency re-establishes its relationship with the
Family Court of Philadelphia through its Project
FORWARD –a
comprehensive outreach program for adolescent girls
involved with the court system.
1990
Project SELF – Self-reliance through Example,
Learning and Fun, is implemented to serve youth with
physical and/or
sensory disabilities.
1993
BIG SISTERS of Philadelphia receives the Williams Award
for Excellence from the Philadelphia Foundation.
1994
BIG SISTERS of Philadelphia receives the Better Business
Bureau Award for Most Dramatic Growth for Non-Profit.
1996
Project BOLD, school-based life skills training, begins
to unleash the power of adolescent girls to be Bright,
Outstanding, Lively, and Determined.
Project STEP, School-based Training and Education Partnership
begins providing weekly life skills workshops for middle
and high school youth who are deaf and/or who have physical
disabilities.
1998
BIG SISTERS of Philadelphia becomes an associate member
of Girls, Incorporated®; a national organization
conducting research and advocacy for girls and setting
standards
for training
for girls.
1999
Signs of Friendship, a mentoring program matching girls
who are deaf with women who are deaf, is inaugurated
with its first match.
SchoolSisters, a mentoring program recruiting college
women to mentor groups of middle school girls, is established
with six middles schools and five colleges/universities.
2002
GirlSMART, a family-strengthening program for parents of
adolescent girls is launched (2005 name changed to
Love and Limits: Strengthening Families Program).
Project FORWARD expands to a five-day per week after school
program for girls at-risk for delinquency.
Agency disaffiliates from Big Brothers Big Sisters of
America, becomes full affiliate of Girls Inc.® and
officially changes its name to Girls Incorporated of
Greater Philadelphia
and Southern New Jersey.
