Meet + Mentor Memphis
Female middle school students in Memphis, Tennessee will take part in a Play Like a Girl Meet + Mentor day camp powered by Academy Sports + Outdoors on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.
AutoZone Park, home to the Redbirds Baseball Club, will be transformed into a mentoring lab designed to encourage local girls in their STEM pursuits and create a diverse female STEM leadership pipeline.
Play Like a Girl staff, Academy employees and volunteers will accompany 20 middle school students through STEM-related and confidence-building activities centered around the mathematics--data, statistics and analytics--behind the game of baseball (and softball). Activities include:
- Panel Discussion and Q&A featuring accomplished women in baseball, softball and STEM
- STEM Mentoring Moment, an opportunity for students to meet and have a hands-on working session with women leaders in the architectural design of stadiums and sports facilities
- Confidence-building Activity Inspired by Play Like a Girl’s Curriculum, through which girls can learn SMART goal-setting from Play Like a Girl’s CEO Dr. Kimberly Clay
- Softball Clinic with players and coaches to run drills and play ball--maybe even some soccer, too!
Play Like a Girl Meet + Mentor events are ongoing celebrations to shine a light on empowering women role models in an effort to inspire more girls to reach their full potential in sport and STEM.
Participating students will be featured in a three-part YouTube series showcased across Academy's social channels this summer.
The next event will take place in the Houston/Katy, Texas area on July 13, 2021.
US-Mexico-Nicaragua International Sports Programming Initiative
The US-Mexico-Nicaragua International Sports Programming Initiative, organized by WorldChicago and the Women Win Foundation, is a US Department of State-sponsored exchange program that aims to promote sports as a tool for development, particularly in women's empowerment, gender equality, and youth leadership.
The program is currently looking to enroll aspiring and non-elite coaches and administrators of Girls Sports (aged 20 and over) from the United States in a virtual exchange, scheduled to run from November 6 to December 18, 2020, and a tentative in-person exchange in Chicago, scheduled to occur in May 2021.
American participants will benefit from the following perks:
- FREE access to a series of expert-led workshops on coaching and sport administration for social change from November 6 - December 18, 2020.
- Double-Goal Coaching Certification from the Positive Coaching Alliance at ZERO cost.
- Meaningful cultural and professional exchanges with athletic professionals from Mexico and Nicaragua.
- Recognition as program alumni of the US Department of State and exclusive access to alumni support resources.
If you are interested in promoting equal opportunity in sports and expanding your professional network in Latin America, apply today at: https://bit.ly/3hrhBwl.
Questions? Contact Brian Peckrill at [email protected] or Thi Nguyen at [email protected].
Office Hours with Danielle Gaw
Danielle Gaw
Director of Corporate Partnerships
Nashville Sounds Baseball Club
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” – Dolly Parton
With nearly 10 years of experience working in baseball, Danielle Gaw oversees all corporate partnerships with the Nashville Sounds, Triple-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers.
5 Things She Can’t Live Without
My vinyl collection: I’ve always had an appreciation for old things and good music. I love the thrill of searching for records at a store and hearing them on the record player!
My dog, Merle: My senior and toothless rescue dog. He’s laid back and reminds me to slow down every day. When not at work, you can find Merle and me sitting on the patio or taking a walk.
To-do lists: I find my handwritten to-do lists everywhere. I like to write it all down to get it out of my brain – and the digital notes just aren’t the same.
Coffee: Keeps me going through the long days of working in baseball. It’s never too early or too late for a coffee.
My three sisters and parents: Girl power all the way! We grew up in a household filled with sports, Barbies and a lot of time outside. Thankful for a supportive family that is always there for me.
Nashville Sounds For The Win
The Nashville Sounds baseball club selected Play Like a Girl as its “Charity of the Game” partner at last night's home game against the Oklahoma City Dodgers. Sounds fans and Play Like a Girl supporters were able to bid on custom game-worn “A League of Their Own” jerseys through an online, mobile and in-ballpark auction.
The pale pink jerseys, featuring the Sounds wordmark and iconic guitar, were worn to benefit Play Like a Girl, raising $2,200 to support our work locally. Auction winners that were present for the game were invited to the field to meet the player wearing the winning jersey and to get their jersey autographed.
In addition to the jersey auction, Sounds players hosted a softball skills clinic the morning of the May 26 game for girls between the ages of 12-14 to learn from Scrap Yard Dawgs outfielder A.J. Andrews. Andrews is the first woman and professional softball player to ever receive the Rawlings Gold Glove Award.
The day was amazing. Our girls were inspired. And we can now get more girls off the sidelines and into the game, thanks to A.J. and the many MEN responsible for this amazing win.