The following are samples of letters written to American Girl over the controversy of their teaming with the liberal organization Girls Inc. (see post below). These letters were actually sent by concerned moms to the company and you may use them as a guide if you wish to contact the company yourself (email contact: im_catalog_cs@americangirl.com) American Girl's response is posted after the sample letters:
To Whom It May Concern:
I went to the American Girls website and found the "I Can" bracelet for sale with profits going to Girls, Inc. There is a link to find out more about Girls Inc. It is disgusting. There are resources available such as Sexuality Resources for Girls and Girls and Lesbian, Bisexual, and Questioning Identities.
Under the Take Action heading, girls are told there are Supreme Court Vacancies and the site goes on to imply that the Supreme Court must “preserve reproductive choice.” American Girl should not be supporting them.
You will not be receiving any business from me or my extended family until you remove your support from this anti-life, anti-child, anti-woman, anti-family organization. American Girls affiliation with Girls, Inc. is possibly the worst business decision ever made. Your company has completely alienated your base, because of your involvement with this organization.
I am going to personally do everything in my power to inform people about your affiliation with Girls, Inc and encourage them to boycott your business this Christmas season.
To whom it may concern:
I hope that in the future American Girl researches it's charities and
organizations it affiliates itself with a little better. I am shocked
that American Girl would be associated with Girl's Inc and it's agenda.
I don't want my daughter to be introduced to questioning her identity, abortion issues, and an obvious political agenda namely lobbying against abstinence programs. This offends me and my family's religious convictions.
I believe it would also offend many of your other customers as well. I am organizing a boycott of your company and it's upcoming movie if this "I can" bracelet is not removed from your website and magazine.
Here is the response from the American Girl Company:
Thank you for your letter expressing your disappointment with American Girl's affiliation with Girls Inc. We appreciate you allowing us the opportunity to address your concerns about this issue.
Our goal with the "I CAN" program is to celebrate and encourage the individual qualities, talents, and dreams that every American girl possesses. In addition, we made it a cause-related effort to help reinforce the idea that helping others achieve is also an important part of life.
The donations from American Girl to Girls, Inc. are earmarked specifically to support their work in the areas of intellectual development, leadership, and sports programs, including:
- Girls Inc. Operation SMART®, which builds girls? skills in science, math and technology - Girls Inc. Discovery Leadership®, which develops leadership skills and community awareness
- Girls Inc. Sporting Chance®, which encourages athletic skills, cooperative and competitive spirit, and an interest in sports participation.
We chose Girls Inc. as our benefit partner because of their strong focus and commitment to help millions of girls realize their potential in these fields. American Girl believes that the girls we serve and support today will be the women who make a difference tomorrow. Our support of these three Girls Inc. programs allows us to have an even greater impact on today's girls, particularly those in high-risk, underserved areas.
We hope this information helps provide a better understanding of our affiliation with Girls Inc. Please be assured that we have noted your comments, and again, thank you for sharing your concerns.
Sincerely,
American Girl® Customer Service
Phone: 1-800-845-0005 or 608-831-5210
Fax: 608-828-4790
Available Monday - Sunday 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. Central Time
Now, most people know that when you donate to a "good" area of a bad charity, that frees said charity to spend more money in the bad areas. So, this explanation is not satisfactory for those of us who know a good PR attempt when we see one.
Don't let this company pull the wool over your eyes. Demand that they stop ALL fuding of this dangerous organization, or they will find themselves in the midst of a wide-spread boycott.
We were going to purchase several American Girl items for our two daughters for Christmas and have chosen not since having knowledge of their involvment with the Girls Inc. group. We will not support or be part of an organization that will participate in such actions. Our values are not being represented by American Girl and we will no longer purchase their products.