Making A Difference For Orange County Girls: Local Hero

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented and changing times.

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these heroes making a difference in their communities. We’re working to let all your neighbors know about these outstanding people and their stories.

This submission comes from Carrie Williams-Freitas who nominated Lucy Santana of Orange County.

Local hero’s full name

Lucy Santana

Local hero’s home state

California

Local hero’s Patch

Orange County

How do you know the local hero?

Work colleague

What does the local hero do?

Lucy Santana is CEO of Girls Inc. of OC. Girls Inc. of Orange County positively changes the lives of 4,000 girls, kindergarten to 18 years old, each year by providing year-round holistic, compensatory, and intentional programming focusing on STEM, financial literacy, sound body image, healthy relationships, and college and career readiness

Why do you believe the local hero should be recognized or honored?

Under Lucy Santana’s 20+ years of leadership, Girls Inc. of Orange County has grown into one of the strongest chapters of Girls Inc. nationally. Lucy and her team directly impact 4,500+ girls in OC each year, with transformative programs designed to empower girls from economically disadvantaged circumstances to become “strong, smart and bold.”

The organization’s programs address the full range of topics for girls + young women — healthy bodies/body image, literacy and financial literacy, to making good life choices, building life skills and preparing for college and career. Thanks to Lucy’s efforts, Girls Inc. of OC will share $10 million in funding from Melinda French Gates' Pivotal Ventures' Equality Can’t Wait Challenge with a handful of Girls Inc. chapters nationwide, launching Project Accelerate this year. Lucy helped to create the program that is aimed at expanding the power and influence of women in the United States by 2030.

As co-creator of Girls Inc.’s Project Accelerate Program, girls in OC and throughout the nation will receive programming that addresses inequality in the workplace, particularly the absence of women of color in positions of influence and leadership. As a child of Mexican immigrants, Lucy understands this need first-hand, and is passionate about creating workplace equity for women of color.

In addition to growing Girls Inc. of Orange County’s chapter to serve nearly 5,000 girls each year, Lucy also has been key to winning an impressive amount of funding — through corporate donors, individual donors and grants — to make Girls Inc. of OC’s mission possible. Under her leadership, the organization also has launched and expanded successful professional mentorship + externship programs and college bound programs, involving companies ranging from Edwards Lifesciences and Disney to PIMCO, Ingram Micro and many others. Lucy holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from California State University, Fullerton.

She actively participates in a variety of community groups that include WIL: Women in Leadership in Orange County, OneOC Non-Profit Advisory Council, the El Sol Academy Advisory Council, the Latino Leadership Council of Planned Parenthood and Los Amigos of Orange County and its Education Committee. She is the Co-chair of ACT Anaheim, a youth collaborative focused on supporting the needs of Anaheim youth and families.

She volunteered and served as the President & Chair of the Board of Directors for Relampago del Cielo, grupo folklorico for close to 25 years, served as the former President of MANA de Orange County, was a member of the Girls Inc. National Board for six years, and currently serves on a variety of task forces supporting both the national and local initiatives and strategies of Girls Inc. She has participated in a variety of leadership programs, including HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality) Leadership Program, Leadership Tomorrow, the Fieldstone Executive Leaders Group, and Leadership California. Currently serving as a Coach through the Fieldstone Leadership network.

Lucy is unwaveringly committed to ensuring that girls and young women get the support and enrichment they need to live strong, smart and bold lives.

Thank you for all you do, Debbie Eclevia!

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Know someone making a difference in town?

Nominate them here.