CoverGirl celebrates second year of #GirlsCan campaign
HUNT VALLEY, Md. — CoverGirl on Wednesday announced the launch of a video series produced by journalist Soledad O’Brien, as well as the first-year results for its #GirlsCan program, a campaign aimed at empowering young women.
The women featured in the series include:
CoverGirl Becky G, a young Latina rap star, who has broken through on the charts in a male-dominated industry;
Geena Rocero, a transgender woman and entrepreneur with her own production company who has also graced the cover of top magazines and ads for fashion brands;
Tina Garnanez, a veteran of the 557th Medical Company, who, as a woman, represents 15% of the military population; and
Rochelle Ballantyne, a college student and currently the closest female in the United States to achieving the chess title of “Master” — there are only 50 female masters out of 846 in the United States.
“Women today are out there breaking barriers and setting records in all sectors of their lives but are still facing challenges that many people wouldn’t expect in the new millennium,” O’Brien said. “We are so excited to work with CoverGirl and share our series on how these courageous women are changing society. Their struggles are all real and relatable while their stories are inspiring.”
Through #GirlsCan, Covergirl hopes to inspire women to enter fields in which they are currently underrepresented, including technology, engineering, media and sports.
As part of its $5 million-over-five-years donation, in the first year of #GirsCan, CoverGirl collaborated with nonprofits Girls Who Code and the Soledad O’Brien + Brad Raymond Starfish Foundation.
Through this programming, CoverGirl:
Helped Girls Who Code get closer to achieving their goal of closing the gender gap in computer science, helping fund 500 new club programs for the 2015-2016 academic year;
Challenged Girls Who Code Clubs participants to design a mobile app that would empower women and girls to express themselves and celebrate their unique beauty. After working on their apps for one month, a panel of judges reviewed the submissions based on creativity/originality and the ability to communicate the concept clearly. Six winners were chosen including: Nithya Krishnamurthy, Kelly Zhong, Sonya Ganeshram, Sarayu Malireddy, Gabby Nathan and Giselle Gulik;
Granted 36 scholarships over the next two years to young women pursuing higher education through the Soledad O’Brien + Brad Raymond Starfish Foundation; and
Created a special retail promotion where purchase of a specially marked mascara benefited two additional non-profit organizations, Step Up and Dress for Success.