Funds will support STEM programming, summer enrichment programs, and teen programming
Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley with ASML
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Nov. 28, 2023 – PRLog — Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley (BGCSV) is thrilled to announce ASML, a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry, has contributed $1.4 million to support BGCSV’s STEM programming, summer enrichment programs, and teen programming.
“We are immensely grateful for ASML’s extraordinary generosity. This monumental contribution marks a historic moment for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley,” said Steve Wymer, BGCSV President and CEO. “While the challenges facing underserved youth in Silicon Valley have never been greater, BGCSV is stepping into this moment with remarkable support from innovative, strategic, and dedicated partners like ASML. This financial contribution is the single largest donation to BGCSV in our 79-year history and we are thrilled to play a part in ASML’s commitment to community. With this transformative support, we can empower and inspire a new generation of innovators, leaders, and dreamers. This partnership exemplifies the power of collaboration and the profound impact we can create when the community and Silicon Valley tech industry unite for a common purpose. Together, we are shaping a brighter future, where every child in Silicon Valley has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.”
Over the past year, BGCSV has doubled its impact and now serves more than 5,000 kids in Silicon Valley. Boys & Girls Clubs play a vital role in helping transform the lives of millions of young people across this country through positive interactions with caring adults and potentially life-enhancing programs.
“We feel privileged to participate as a valued partner in the communities in which ASML employees live, work and play. Expanding our longstanding support of the Boys & Clubs of Silicon Valley will help scale our effort to drive positive social impact,” said Leah Sicat, ASML Global Head of Employee Impact & Regional Community Engagement. “Our Silicon Valley team is especially proud of the significant investment ASML is making in the development of Santa Clara County youth with this donation.”
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley has been at the forefront of youth development in Santa Clara County for over 75 years, providing innovative and effective afterschool and summer enrichment programs primarily for low income, at-risk Santa Clara County youth ages 5-18+ years. Our mission is to inspire and empower all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring adults. To learn more about our programs and opportunities, visit www.bgclub.org or join our online community on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @BGClubSV.
About ASML ASML is a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry. The company provides chipmakers with hardware, software and services to mass produce the patterns of integrated circuits (microchips). Together with its partners, ASML drives the advancement of more affordable, more powerful, more energy-efficient microchips. ASML enables groundbreaking technology to solve some of humanity’s toughest challenges, such as in healthcare, energy use and conservation, mobility and agriculture. ASML is a multinational company headquartered in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, with offices across Europe, the US and Asia. Every day, ASML’s more than 42,500 employees (FTE) challenge the status quo and push technology to new limits.
The Frizz Girls, a new children’s picture book series, has launched two empowering eBooks for girls aged 5-13. These books teach wavy and curly-haired girls how to care for their hair confidently. Available on platforms like Amazon, Etsy and Payhip, the eBooks aim to promote self-acceptance and provide essential hair care guidance. Pre-orders for the upcoming hardcover print books, along with accompanying merchandise, can be made at on The Frizz Girls website. Join The Frizz Girls in celebrating natural curls and empowering young girls today.
The inspiration behind The Frizz Girls series stems from the personal experiences of creator Stacy Schilling. Growing up with parents who lacked knowledge of caring for wavy or curly hair, Stacy empathizes with the challenges faced by young girls and aims to prevent others from enduring the same struggles she did. By bridging the gap in children’s literature, The Frizz Girls provide a valuable resource for readers with wavy or curly hair, instilling a sense of self-acceptance and empowering them to embrace their natural curls.
With a passion for inclusivity, The Frizz Girls series aims to equip young readers with practical tips and tricks to nurture and maintain their unique hair types. Through engaging storytelling, relatable characters, and valuable insights, the books offer guidance that fosters self-confidence, celebrates individuality and teaches about wavy and curly hair care.
To support The Frizz Girls and join the movement of promoting self-confidence and hair care education, visit their official website. Explore the range of offerings available, stay updated on the forthcoming hardcover print books, and find inspiration in the empowering message of embracing and celebrating natural curls. The Frizz Girls are poised to make a positive impact on the lives of young girls, guiding them towards a journey of self-discovery and self-love.
Find The Frizz Girls:
Online, through YouTube and Facebook under: The Frizz Girls Shop eBooks on Amazon, Etsy and Payhip under the author’s name, Stacy Schilling
About Stacy Schilling: Stacy Schilling is a creative visionary and the creator of The Frizz Girls. She empowers young readers to embrace and care for their natural curls. With a deep passion for the visual arts, Stacy has an impressive portfolio, collaborating with prestigious clients like Belkin, Mercedes, NBC, Porsche, and UCLA. Her contributions have garnered numerous awards, establishing her industry reputation. Stacy also taught art and design for a decade, helping aspiring college students excel. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Graphic Design, recognized on the President’s and Scholar’s List. Stacy resides in Bowling Green, KY, teaching design, promoting health and wellness, and pursuing her creative outlets. She is currently working on the third book in The Frizz Girls series.
The Frizz Girls Stacy Schilling 310-571-8318 www.thefrizzgirls.com
The Island of Lost Girls a unique ‘family made’ thriller screened under best debut film category at IFFI 53
Working on a movie with a baby in a backpack is not glamorous: Director Ann Marie Schmidt
Posted On:
22 NOV 2022 5:28PM by PIB Mumbai
#IFFIWood, 22 November 2022
Parenting is no small task. Ask any parent with at least one kid, you will get at least an hour long lecture on the ups, downs, tensions and challenges of parenting. Now, imagine a couple with six rollicking kids doing a feature film in the sea caves of Baja Mexico, literally without anyone’s help often dodging sea lions and giant elephant seals.And that too with their youngest three girls aged ten, six and four as main actors. The Schmidt family from Coronado is here at 53rd IFFI with their ‘family’ thriller The Island of Lost Girls to share with movie buffs their experience accomplishing this unique venture.
Speaking at the IFFI ‘Table Talk’ – an interaction for the film crew organised by PIB with media and festival delegates held in connection with the film festival, Ann Marie Schmidt, Director of the film and the mother of six kids said that it is quite interesting to work with children in general and one’s own kids in particular. “Working on a movie with a baby in a backpack is not at all glamorous; it is a lot of hard work. We captured our kids’ capabilities and put them in a movie to present to the world”, she said.
Joining the conversation, Producer of the film and father of the kids, Brian Schmidt said that filmmaking with one’s own kids was a unique experience. Though the film was shot even before the Covid pandemic, the couple waited till the worst of the pandemic was over to release the film. “One of the joys of making a movie is getting a chance to travel around the world and showing the film to various audiences. We want to make sure our girls get a chance to do that,” added Brian.
Ann Marie Schmidt applauded the hard work put by her girls in the production of the movie. “When you don’t see them on the screen, they were behind the camera working a film equipment. They really cared about this movie,” she said. Sharing this sentiment Brian said that the three kids performed their own stunts like jumping off the cliffs and swimming through underwater caves.
— PIB India (@PIB_India) November 22, 2022
Recalling the challenges faced while shooting the film, Ann Marie said that building a movie set to do the things they did in the film is almost impossible. “It was indeed a challenge finding the right location. Hardest thing was dealing with the timing and natural light. There were some instances when you can’t find enough light in the scene and then you have to adjust it in post-production. There are a lot of different adventures we find in natural sets,” she added. Brian recollected one incident in which while shooting in the water, hundreds of tuna crabs came and started nipping the kids.
Avila, Autumn, Scarlet the sister trio who acted in the movie also participated in IFFI ‘Table Talks’ along with their parents. The Island of Lost Girls is competing in the ‘The Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ segment of the festival along with six other movies. The film has been earlier screened at Moscow International Film Festival, Cinemagic Film Festival and Fantasia Film Festival.
Synopsis
Three young girls stick together as they get trapped in a sea cave with crashing waves, hundreds of sea lions, and giant elephant seals. Shot on location in the sea caves of Baja Mexico, this is one of the most jaw dropping tension filled movies in IFFI.
Safety and Security of women have always been paramount to the Indian Railways. Railway Protection Force (RPF) and frontline railway staff are relentlessly working to ensure safe & secure travel of women over the Indian railways. Dedicated to this objective of women security a pan India drive “Operation Mahila Suraksha” was launched from 3rd to 31st May 2022.
During this drive, RPF has arrested more than 7000 persons who were traveling unauthorizedly in the coaches reserved for women. RPF also rescued 150 girls/women from becoming the victims of human trafficking.
With an objective of providing enhanced safety and security to lady passengers travelling by trains for their entire journey a pan India initiative “Meri Saheli” is also operational. 283 teams (covering 223 stations) of trained mahila officers and personnel with an average total deployment of 1125 lady RPF personnel per day, are deployed across the Indian railways who interacted with more than 2 Lakh 25 thousand ladies during this period and provided them end to end security.
Train escort duties with mixed composition of male & female RPF personnel were also widely deployed during this period. Mixed escort duties have commenced few months back and are getting a positive feedback.
To educate the rail users regarding their safety and Dos & Don’ts during their journey, 5742 awareness campaigns were organized. During this month long operation, RPF personnel risking their own life, saved the life of 10 ladies who had slipped while boarding/ deboarding the moving train and were likely to get run over by the moving train.
Indian Railways is keen and determined to continue to enhance women security cover over the railway network.
Chrysa Smith, a resident of Bucks County, PA has just released her eighth children’s book titled, “A Grand Slam Birthday.” Smith has an easy reader series, “The Adventures of the Poodle Posse,” a prequel picture book, “Once upon a Poodle,” and her previous release, “The Upside-Down Gardener.”
“In A Grand Slam Birthday,” Dory Oslo arrives at her cousin’s birthday party, and nobody looks like they’re having too much fun. In fact, the kids are lined up against the wall like toy soldiers. But Dory, (from The Upside-Down Gardener), turns up the excitement once again as her cousin opens her gift and finds something that turns the party inside-out and into something quite unexpected. A piñata becomes baseball practice as frilly cousin Izzy tries her hand at whacking that donkey with a big spoon. After a few tries, she wallops the toy and it’s contents come flying out. Balls, candy and whistles turn into the backdrop for a super-exciting game of baseball, complete with announcer! All the kids jump in, as paper plates serve as bases, big spoon as a bat and a ring pop as a microphone. The MVP of the game turns out to be none other than the unlikely Izzy, but Dory and her cousin Izzy, and the whole gang at the party learn a thing or two about fun, trying new things, and having confidence in yourself.
According to The Midwest Book Review, Chrysa Smith offers a different birthday celebration theme that revolves around translating one’s passion into achievable, enjoyable fun everyone can pursue… Her depiction of how two unfamiliar pursuits eventually engage the entire party in trying something new makes for an appealing story that goes beyond the usual birthday themes to encourage kids to problem-solve in more cooperative ways. The message about trying new things is really a lesson on positivity and creative pursuits. This approach will delight both picture book readers and their read-aloud parents with a taste of something different.
The book is suggested for primary grade independent readers (age 6+) , Dory fans, baseball and fun lovers. It is available on her website: wellbredbook.net, where it can be dedicated and signed, or through Amazon or the Newtown Bookshop.
Smith also writes for adults. She has a column in Bucks County Magazine and Lake & Country Magazine out of Lake Geneva, WI, and has penned articles for Costco Connections, Philly Style and others.
For more information, log onto: www.wellbredbook.net.
The Well Bred Book Chrysa Smith 267-250-6626 www.wellbredbook.net
Contact
/PIBMumbai 
/pibmumbai 
pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com 
/PIBMumbai 
/pibmumbai