The Lower Eastside Girls Club is in the running for a $50,000 award if it wins the DVF Foundation’s “People’s Voice” online vote, which started Monday. Actress Rosario Dawson nominated the club for the competition. Four other organizations are also on the ballot — though these are national groups, unlike the girls club, based in New York’s own East Village. Voters can also enter their names to win a free trip to New York City and a DVF (Diane von Furstenberg) shopping spree — only one person will win. (If a New York City resident wins, hopefully she or he will get some other perk since no travel is required.)
To vote for the girls club, go to https://girlsclub.org/vote/, and click on the “Vote for Lyn” button above the YouTube video of Lyn Pentecost, the girls club’s director.
The DVF Awards were created in 2010 by von Furstenberg and the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation to recognize and support women who are using their resources, commitment and visibility to transform the lives of other women. Honorees receive $50,000 in support of the nonprofit, 501c-3 organization with whom they are affiliated to further their work. The last day of voting is Feb. 15.
If the girls club wins, the money will go toward construction of their new Avenue D clubhouse and for their continued employment of local teenagers, Pentecost said.
“It’s really a vote for localization and a sustainable community,” she said. “It’s about keeping it all in the neighborhood.”
