Increasing Girls’ Participation in Sports

Black Girls Talk Sports

Host Rekaya Gibson chats with special guests Elizabeth Flores-Amaya, the Director, Community Impact at the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), and Marguerite Jane Heyward Bowen, the girls’ basketball coach at North End Recreation Center in Waterbury, Connecticut. They spotlight the Sports 4 Life program, co-founded by the WSF and espnW, that helps close the sports access gap for girls of color. This year, they awarded 25 organizations in 14 states including Washington D.C., with a total of $175,000 in funding. #KeepItSporty

About Elizabeth Flores-Amaya

Elizabeth Flores-Amaya has dedicated her career to increasing girls' athletic participation and advocating for equitable access and opportunity for all girls so they can reach their full potential. The Director, Community Impact at the Women's Sports Foundation, she is a nonprofit program management expert, focusing her work at both the grassroots and national level initiatives to improve funding, research and education. Elizabeth enjoys running and is a coach for Girls on the Run.

About Marguerite Jane Heyward Bowen

Marguerite Jane Heyward Bowen is an extraordinary woman. Marguerite was born and raised in Waterbury CT and has been focused on coaching and uplifting her community for the past 20+ years. You can find Marguerite at the North End Recreation Center coaching girls’ basketball and mentoring most evenings. When Marguerite isn’t coaching at The Rec, she is coaching the junior varsity team at Holy Cross, where she has been for nine years. If that isn’t enough, Marguerite works full time as an Assistant Residential Program Manager at Ability Beyond in Danbury, where she shines and has been supporting individuals with disabilities for 17 years. Marguerite is a woman with presence, skill, and a whole lot of heart that can get you through anything. She is regarded as a strong and gifted coach, and she continues to move forward each year diversifying her coaching skills. She is involved in the partnership between the Hispanic Coalition and North End Rec, setting up her teams with coaching, mentoring, fitness programs, or anything they need. Marguerite has brought her teams to Flight Camp with Michael Jordan, NBA games, and has most recently been affiliated with the Women’s Sports Foundation where she shares her passion for women sharing in all sports. Marguerite demonstrates every day the power of sports done right to unite young people around common goals, and to become strong, resilient, and caring adults who thrive.

Mentioned in this episode:

Women’s Sport Foundation - www.womenssportsfoundation.org

North End Recreation Center – www.waterburyct.myrec.com

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