("Glee" actor Max Adler, center, had a blast with Girl Up Teen Advisor Annie and friends)

Last week, I held the event that I had been dreaming about since I first applied to become a Teen Advisor.

My friends entered the room bursting with excitement. First, they bought raffle tickets then wrote encouraging letters to girls in Malawi, Ethiopia, Liberia and Guatemala. They had the opportunity to meet and take a picture with our celebrity host, “Glee” cast member Max Adler.

Once the girls all sat down I told them to look under their chairs. If they didn’t have a yellow Post-it under their seats they were told to stand up. They were all curious why they had to stand when their friends did not have to.

I told them that if they were one out of every five girls standing, and they lived in Ethiopia, they would not have a friend. A study by UNFPA in Ethiopia showed that 21 percent of girls said they had no friends.

These girls want friends like many of us, but it’s hard to make the time when their days are filled with household chores and helping to support their families. Everyone was shocked and looked dismayed at the thought of not having a friend. I chose to emphasize this statistic because I knew it would have tremendous impact.

Once we discussed why it is important to support Girl Up, we enjoyed pizza and candy and watched the movie “New Year’s Eve.” I can only imagine how happy the girls will be when they receive our letters!

You can write letters to girls, just like my club did! Email Julie Willig at clubs@unfoundation.org to find out how you can get involved and make the difference in the life of a girl.

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