Sewickley Academy and Quaker Valley Girl Up Clubs Raise Over $2,000

Approximately 75 people attended the screening, which highlights the stories of nine girls from developing countries who overcome great obstacles to obtain an education and change their fates. All of the money from ticket sales will be donated to Girl Up, an organization by girls, for girls aimed at improving the wellbeing of women all over the world through education, fundraising, and advocacy.

“It is enriching to be part of such a wide-reaching institution under the umbrella of the UN that does such great work in six target countries. Due to the way that Girl Up functions, our Sewickley Academy branch can work within our community to both improve the local conditions and still contribute to the cause worldwide,” co-presidents senior Katie Hughes and junior Zoe Luther shared. “We are proud to have a branch of Girl Up here at SA because even the small impacts that we can have on our peers and community members makes a difference in the larger picture of women's issues.”

The girls shared that it was initially difficult to organize the logistics of the event such as reserving the space at the Tull Family Theater, securing the screening rights, and obtaining grant money to put on the event. “Luckily, we were sponsored by the Allstate Foundation who were generous enough to give us a grant to aid in the financial aspect,” Katie and Zoe said. “Our partnership with the QV Girl Up branch greatly contributed to the success of the event and generating a larger engagement in this area.”

Girl Up has been a long-running club at Sewickley Academy and is under the current leadership of co-presidents senior Katie Hughes and junior Zoe Luther. The Girl Up branch at Quaker Valley is new and was started by current president Olivia Lehman, vice president Kaelyn Morrow, and project manager Isabella Steinley. This is the first event where both schools have worked in conjunction to sponsor a fundraiser of this magnitude.

“We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came and saw the movie Girl Rising at the Tull a few weeks ago. The fundraiser was a huge success and we managed to raise over $2,000 to support the work of Girl Up all over the world!” The duo continued, “Even if you were unable to attend the event, we hope that you take the time to watch the film as it is an incredible depiction of the issues facing women outside of our community.”