Today is our 2nd day in Washington, D.C.  I started the day by waking up at 6:00am to take a morning shower.  The stairs were creeky and I was afraid that I would wake everyone up.  I was all dressed and ready when the other girls started waking up.  We had breakfast consisting of cereal, eggs, milk, juice or tea.

After breakfast we met up with Lyn and she drove us to meet with the staff of our politicians.  We met staff members of our Congressmen and basically asked them how and why they got started in politics or what interested them.  After the interviews were done, we had lunch in the cafeteria.  The food was delicious and mouth watering.  After lunch, we met up with staff members of Senator Clinton and Senator Schumer.  Today was long, but it felt like it passed by so fast.

The highlight of the day was having dinner at Busboys and Poets.  The bacon burger was juicy and zesty and the cheesecake was heavenly.  We also met with women that were interested in the Girl’s Club and who wanted to know more about us.  They were great and so nice.  I think between Annise, Endrina, Renée, and myself, we left a lasting impression on them that they will soon never forget.

Have you ever wondered what a Senator does at his/her seat in the White House? Senators are very busy people, having long meetings, debates and bills being proposed every minute!

The United States Senate consists of 2 members for each State. There is a total of 100 Senators in the Senate. Each Senator is elected by his or her State as a whole and when they are elected, Senators serve six year terms. There are three qualifications to be a Senator, he/she must be at least 30 years old, a United States citizen for at least 9 years, and must be a resident in the State he/she want to represent.

A Senator is a lawmaker, therefore, he/she proposes new laws, or changes existing laws and works with others to research important information involved in a bill. A Senator also take votes on the laws proposed on the Senate floor, attend meetings on government issues, assist in the development of State budgets, and replies to all the phone calls, letters and propositions they get from the people he represents..

A Senator informs his constituents, the people he represents, and tries to resolve constituent disputes. There are 3 types of jobs a Senator does, a lawmaker, government supervisor, and constituent representative. A Senator is a government supervisor by overseeing the development of Pennsylvania’s government’s annual budget, and reviews applicants who were nominated by the Governor for a position in the state boards, commissions and departments when a Senate approval is required.

Lou Dembrow, Director of Photography Programs at the Lower Eastside Girls Club, plans to start a new photography class at NYU every Monday and Thursday. This program is one of the many things in her busy everyday schedule. She documents programs and events, teaches photography classes, works with interns, does publicity, prints, mounts and edits photos for shows.

Lou’s ambition and love for photography and working with the girls has kept her going for the past 10 years at the Girls Club. It all started when her daughter, Jenny Dembrow, was an intern for Lyn Pentecost, a professor at NYU, who is also the Executive Director of the LESGC. Jenny was offered a job and Lyn needed a photography teacher. What a splendid way for Lou to snag this opportunity!

Lou starts her day by coming in the morning, turning on her computer, answering emails, and looking at the calendar for upcoming events. Then, she would find photos for the calendar and grants from the girl’s work from thousands of photos that are located in bins, books, external hard drives, CDs, and DVDs. Next, she prepares for photography class, which is held 3 times a week, by writing the curriculum, maintaining the camera’s equipment and batteries, and sending emails to the girls reminding them of class.

The most challenging part of her job back then was, working with girls who didn’t have an interest in photography and girls who didn’t want to listen or learn. Now, Lou has trouble keeping up with technology, especially with the new iPods, iBooks, cameras, and phones.

Lou thinks a lot about the advice Lyn gave her, “You need it to get done, you can do it!” and uses it to give advice to younger women. Lou advises younger women, “Say YES when opportunities come up,” and immediately adds, “Say no to drugs!” with a laugh after realizing what she said before gave the wrong meaning.

Lou would like Cascading Leadership girls to help her organize, scan and frame photos, burn DVDs, upload photos onto the Girls Club site, and get more people to be more focused and excited about Girlville.

The fresh aromas of cookies and brownies filled the air as I stepped into the LES Girl’s Club Bake Shop at Ave C between 8th and 9th St last Saturday. Everyone was busy with holiday orders, whether it was baking a batch of brownies, putting the icing on the cookies or shrink wrapping them. Even though it was the busiest time of the year, I enjoyed working there because of the cozy environment and the hustle and bustle of people singing and laughing while doing their work. My job was to roll the dough and make snowflake-shaped cookies, shrink wrapping the baked goods and putting the finished cookies and brownies into boxes to be taken to the LES Girl’s Club office. Holiday orders included the Winter Winter Tin, the Country Winter Tin, and the City Winter Tin. If you are interested in ordering cookies or brownies for catering or for holiday gifts please click here.

The Winter Winter Tin

The Country Winter Tin

The City Winter Tin

Rebel was a mixture of black & white graphics and colorful designs with a catchy song that matched its theme. The short clip was fun to watch and entertaining. There was also a mixture of dance, poses and various movements that showed the uniqueness of each performer. The things I found fascinating were the reddish brown clay turning into a star, the toy man in the garden putting a pail on his head, and the diversity and age of the people shown in the clip. The ending showed each girl’s personality by the way they signed their names and the drawing of the house that represents unity and security at the Lower East Side Girls Club. This is a must see film for all ages that they will enjoy!

Hi, my name is Eva and I am a 17 year old senior attending Midwood High School. My hobbies are shopping, bowling, eating, spending time with friends, watching movies, and sometimes just doing nothing. I also like to listen to music, meet new people, and get involved with various events. I am timid at first glance, but once you get to know me, I can be spontaneous, energetic and loving;D