Volunteers build special boxes ahead of Girls & Science official kickoff: "Girls can do anything they want to do"
Calling all girls. It's that time of year again! CBS News Colorado is proud to partner with Girls Inc. of Metro Denver and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for the ninth annual Girls and Science event, led by First Alert Chief Meteorologist Lauren Whitney.
Ahead of the big launch, dozens of volunteers got together inside a Denver warehouse in a labor of love for girls all around the Denver metro area.
"We are packing and assembling and putting together activities for 1,000 boxes which equates to 1,000 girls," said Kayla Garcia, president and CEO of Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.
Inside the special thINC Outside the Box kits, there are about six hours of STEM curriculum and programming that will be delivered right to doorsteps.
"We are so excited. This is an awesome time of year for Girls Inc of Metro Denver being able to provide this. We actually run this subscription every month, and March is our largest month. We know they'll be pleasantly surprised and have lots of schwag," Garcia said excitedly.
CBS News Colorado anchor Mekialaya White caught up with volunteers like Janeese Worley as they were packing away. She had the box assembly down to a matter of seconds.
"Did I hear you say you have some pizza box-making skills?" White asked Worley.
She laughed, "Yes, my first job was at 14 years old. I work for Xcel Energy, in the gas business right now."
Worley said she had been involved with Girls and Science in a previous year and felt compelled to come back out for another box build.
"I have nieces and I want them to be excited about any and everything they can do career-wise. It really puts into perspective the industries they can get into... 15, 20 years ago they couldn't. These careers don't have to be tailored to the men in our lives. Girls can do anything they want to do, so I'm excited to be here helping out," she said.
If you'd like to order a box for a girl in your life, click here.
You can also get free admission into the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on March from 5-9 p.m. as a part of the official kickoff that evening and meet all of this year's mentors, including Whitney, in person.
SECTION: Girls & Science
