History

In the early 1960s, Chattanooga Business and Professional Women's Club recognized a deep need to support underserved girls in Hamilton County. When it was chartered in 1961 as the Girls Club of Chattanooga, girls age 6 to 18 attended after-school programs in hygiene, cooking, sewing, flower arranging, Bible studies, and other programs that would train them for traditional roles as wives and mothers. The changing roles of women in the 70's and 80's prompted us to prepare girls for expanded roles in places of business, government, and community service. In1990, the renamed Girls Incorporated of Chattanooga strengthened our mission to lead girls into the 21st century as strong and equal members of the Chattanooga and world communities. Since 2000, two programs originated by Girls Inc. of Chattanooga have been adopted for nationwide use by the national Girls Inc. organization. Today, we serve girls of all backgrounds, from city and suburb. Under the banner of "inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold,^SM our programs encourage girls to take risks, make healthy lifestyle choices, and strive for academic excellence.