Jane Fonda reflects on 25 years of GCAPP ahead of anniversary celebration

ATLANTA - Ask Jane Fonda how she’s been doing the past few months, and you’ll get a quick answer.

“Very busy!  I want to go back to shooting ‘Grace & Frankie,’ so I won’t be so busy!”

One of the things occupying the actress and activist’s time is preparing for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential — or, GCAPP — the non-profit she founded back in 1995.

“I was a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations Population Fund at the time, and I went to Cairo, Egypt for a conference,” the Oscar-winner remembers.  “And it was there where panel after panel after panel talked about how you go about reducing the need of young women to have babies when they're very young.  You have to educate them.  You have to give them hope."

Fonda says she decided to create GCAPP following that trip to Egypt, bringing back the methods she learned in Cairo and applying them to the issue of teen births in Georgia; in 1995, Georgia had the highest rate of teen births in the nation.  

"There were counties in Georgia that didn't want us to come anywhere near them,” Fonda says  “And, by the way, now those same counties are inviting us in. Because over the years, we've had a chance to prove ourselves, to show that we're not abortion or anything, we're about trying to unleash human potential."

Today, GCAPP focuses on the broader mission of helping young people make healthy choices.  But Fonda says the teen birth rate has dropped 70-percent since 1995, something she believes is due, at least in part, to the organization’s work.  “I can’t pretend that GCAPP is responsible for all of that…but GCAPP has been, in Georgia, the go-to organization that deals with this problem.  I'm really proud of that."

Now, Fonda will host the EmPower Party 2020 & GCAPP’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, set for Thursday, November 12th.  The event will be virtual, and will feature appearances from Fonda’s ‘Grace & Frankie’ co-stars, President Jimmy Carter, and baseball legend Hank Aaron presenting a lifetime humanitarian award to Ted Turner.

Yes, the fitness icon says she’s a big fan of Ted’s Montana Grill — especially one menu item.

"The meatloaf!” She says with a sigh.  “So good. I love the meatloaf.”  

For more information on GCAPP and the upcoming virtual event, click here.