Submitted by: Girl Scouts of Orange County
Written by: Emily Lawrence Mendoza
Philanthropy as Proof: Give Girls the Mic
What happens when you stop telling people what an investment in girls can do and instead girls show them?
In March 2026, Girl Scouts of Orange County had that opportunity.
Four local Girl Scouts, Aarna, Paige, Lauryn, and Maddie, walked onto a stage in front of women leaders from Orange County’s construction industry for a conversation called: Building a Better Future. They were there to talk about leadership, confidence, mentorship, representation, and the future they are already helping to help create.
The premise was simple: if adults are going to talk about building a better future, girls should be part of that conversation.
So instead of having adults explain the impact of Girl Scouts, we gave Aarna, Paige, lauryn, and Maddie the microphone.
What followed became a powerful example of what philanthropy makes possible and what happens when an investment in one girl begins to ripple outward into her community.
The Challenge:
Orange County is a place of tremendous opportunity, but access to that opportunity is not always equal.
Girls are growing up in a world where they are navigating pressure to fit in, uncertainty about where they belong, and industries and leadership spaces where they may not see themselves represented. They need more than messages telling them they can become leaders. They need places where they can actually take the lead.
That work isn't always easy or immediate.
Confidence doesn't develop during one workshop. A girl who is afraid to speak in front of a group doesn't suddenly become a confident advocate because an adult tells her to believe in herself. Leadership develops through repeated opportunities to try, struggle, receive support, try again, and eventually discover, "I can do this".
Creating those opportunities requires resources. It requires trained and caring adult volunteers, programs, experiences, community partnerships, and access for girls and families who might not otherwise have them.
That is where philanthropy becomes part of the story.
How:
Through Girl Scouts, girls like Aarna, Paige, lauryn, and Maddie discover their strengths, build relationships, take on challenges, and develop the confidence to turn what they learn into action in their communities.
Sometimes that starts with something as familiar as selling Girl Scout Cookies.
Paige shared that when she was younger, simply talking to someone she didn't know could feel intimidating. Selling cookies required her to practice exactly that. Over time, those small interactions built confidence.
Years later, Paige ran for treasurer at her school, stood in front of the entire student body to give a speech—and won.
Aarna described being hesitant to speak up or try new things when she was younger. When earning her Girl Scout Gold Award eventually felt almost too big to tackle, she drew on goal-setting skills she had practiced through her troop experiences. She broke the challenge into smaller pieces and kept going.
These aren't isolated activities. They are part of a progression.
A girl tries something new. She discovers that she can do it. Someone encourages her to try something harder. Eventually, she begins using those skills not just for herself, but for others.
That's when the investment starts multiplying.
Infinite Impact
Aarna, Paige, Lauryn, and Maddie represent very different expressions of that progression.
Aarna partnered with Families Forward for her Gold Award to create STEM workshops for underserved youth. She developed hands-on activities and a booklet of 19 STEM experiments using common household materials so STEM learning could extend beyond the workshop itself.
Paige recognized that girls don't often see themselves represented in the automotive industry. For her Gold Award, she partnered with Volvo Cars USA and the Petersen Automotive Museum to introduce girls to that world and help them imagine themselves belonging there.
lauryn saw a need for young people to have space to share their experiences and perspectives. She founded OC Focus, a student-led organization centered on storytelling and social awareness, creating space for students to share their experiences and recognize that their voices can contribute to change.
And Maddie, the youngest of the four who's only in 8th grade, brought a different kind of proof. After moving from Idaho to Orange County, she found a community and sense of belonging through Girl Scouts during a difficult transition. She talked about learning that intimidating experiences become manageable when you have the right people supporting you and is in the process of working a project to help kids like her transition to middle school.
STEM access. Career representation. Youth voice. Belonging.
The outcomes look different because Aarna, Paige, Lauryn, and Maddie are different.
That's the point.
Girl Scouts isn't designed to produce one kind of leader. Girls discover what matters to them, develop the skills and confidence to pursue it, and determine for themselves what they want to do next.
Giving Girls a Place in Philanthropy
There was another experiment happening on that stage.
Aarna, Paige, lauryn, and Maddie weren't presenting to their parents, troop leaders, or other Girl Scouts. They were speaking directly to adult business and community leaders.
Too often in philanthropy, adults tell the stories of young people. We describe their needs, share their accomplishments, and explain why donors should invest in them.
But these girls told that story themselves.
They talked about mentors who helped them grow. They talked about uncertainty and stepping outside their comfort zones. They described leadership not as being in charge, but as listening, building trust, serving others, and sometimes doing important work without recognition.
They weren't beneficiaries being talked about.
They were participants in the philanthropic conversation.
At the end, we asked each girl to complete one sentence:
“I know we will build a better future because girls…”
Aarna spoke about girls having the power and experience to follow their own dreams. lauryn talked about girls sharing their ideas and stories without fear. Paige pointed to girls having the tools and resources to develop confidence. And Maddie envisioned girls having equal opportunities and the tools to take on challenges.
Then the question shifted to the adults in the room:
How do we help build that future alongside them?
Because girls don't develop into leaders in isolation.
Behind Aarna, Paige, lauryn, and Maddie are volunteers, families, mentors, community organizations, corporate partners, and donors who helped make opportunities possible.
And that may be one of the most meaningful ways to measure philanthropy.
Not simply by asking what an investment provided today, but by looking at what the girl who received that investment does with it tomorrow.
Aarna developed her own STEM leadership and created STEM opportunities for other children.
Paige recognized a representation gap and opened a door for younger girls to envision themselves in the automotive industry.
lauryn elevated the power of voice and created space for other young people to use theirs.
And Maddie found belonging and now has the confidence to imagine what she will build next.
The return on an investment in a girl doesn't end with her. She carries it forward.
That afternoon in Orange County, we didn't have to tell the audience what philanthropy can accomplish.
Aarna, Paige, lauryn, and Maddie showed them.
They are not simply beneficiaries of philanthropy.
They are its proof.
