It’s OK to aspire to be better

The colorful hula hoops, jump ropes and Frisbees that filled the playground were much more than toys. On Monday at the Girls Inc. facility in Costa Mesa, they served as tools for team-building.

More than 100 girls, ages 4 through 12, marked the first day of the Girls Inc. summer program by competing in relay races such as walking while balancing a beanbag on their heads, and jumping like frogs through an obstacle course while laughing and shouting words of encouragement for their new teammates.

Smiling as she watched the girls run and jump, Girls Inc. Elementary Programs Coordinator Kimberly Harnish said, “Here they don’t have that monkey on their back, thinking, ‘What do the boys think?’ or, ‘How do I look when I run?’ They get to meet new people and be themselves.”

There may not have been monkeys on their backs, but there was plenty of monkeying around as the girls, who hail from as nearby as Costa Mesa and as far away as Trabuco Canyon, kicked off the first day of the program and got to know their team members.

After jumping rope, playing relay games and even getting sprayed with a hose by a playful staff member, the girls finally settled in for lunch.

As they munched on lunches they brought from home, girls of different ages and backgrounds all agreed about the best part of the summer program: “The field trips!” This summer, the girls will head to such destinations as Wild Rivers, the Discovery Science Center, Knotts Berry Farm and the beach.

Another thing they agreed on was their favorite on-site activity, a program called Youth Empowerment Self-Sufficiency (Y.E.S.S.), in which the older girls set up shops and sell candy, toys and ice cream to the younger girls.

Participant Allison McInnis, 11, of Newport Beach said she likes the empowerment program because “it teaches you how you should spend money wisely, and you can make mistakes here and it really won’t matter that much.”

The girls are smart and outgoing, energetic and creative — the very characteristics Girls Inc. looks for in its own staff members and volunteers. In fact, Harnish said it’s not uncommon for girls who were once program members to become volunteers and staffers.

“The girls see these role models giving of their time, doing something productive instead of sitting at home going on MySpace all day, and then later they want to still be a part of this,” Harnish said.

Sandra Asencio is a perfect example of this. Asencio, who became involved with Girls Inc. while a freshman at Estancia High School and credits it with keeping her away from bad influences, is now volunteering at the summer program.

“Going to Girls Inc. kept me away from a lot of bad things; it was my haven,” Asencio said. “Girls Inc. taught me that it’s OK to be different, to like different things and to aspire to be better. Now I like to volunteer with the girls here.”