Girls Inc. raises $150,000 at luncheon

-- Elise Gee

COSTA MESA -- A record 600 supporters attended the annual Girls Inc.

luncheon Tuesday, the organization’s largest fund-raiser of the year.

More than $150,000 -- a 25% increase from last year -- was raised for the

Costa Mesa-based group. Leah Modigliani, an investment strategist for

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., gave the keynote address at the

luncheon.

Thirty girls from the organization, which seeks to help children achieve

academically and socially, also attended the luncheon.

TeWinkle Middle School student Rachel Schmidt, 11, and Estancia High

School junior Brenda Velasquez, 15, each spoke about how Girls Inc. has

helped them achieve goals.

Girls Inc. provides an after-school program for children at its center in

Costa Mesa. This year, it has launched a program called Mentor for a Day,

which links professionals with children.

Part of the money raised at the luncheon will go toward the Eureka

program, a partnership with OCC that helps girls with schoolwork and

employment.