Gabrielle Douglas of a United States celebrates after winning a bullion endowment in a Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Individual All-Around final in London, England. (Image credit: Getty Images around @daylife)
2012 was The Year of Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas.
She rocked a universe of sports by gracefully competing during a London Olympics and apropos a initial American gymnast to win group and all-around bullion in a same Olympics.
Douglas’ tour to a tip of a lectern is not a story of privilege, though rather an instance of what is probable when a village embraces a means contestant and is peaceful to deposit in her future.
Yes, when we deposit in women, a universe does change!
That was one of a many messages from a Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, where a wealthiest people in America including Oprah Winfrey and Melinda French Gates spoke to their peers about a energy of giving and investing in girls and women.
It is also a pushing idea of a Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), an classification dedicated to advancing a lives of girls and women by competition and earthy activity.
The WSF, founded in 1974, is a personality in compelling sports, health and preparation for girls and women. With Billie Jean King as a owner and ongoing visionary, a WSF continues to be an representative for change.
Specifically, a nonesuch of appropriation for women in sports and a barriers to a success of womanlike athletes is an area where a substructure continues to champion change. Year-after-year a WSF attempts to tighten a resoruces opening around a Travel Training Fund, that supports means and gifted athletes by awarding grants trimming from $2,500 – $5,000 to cover a costs of coaching, specialized training, equipment, and transport expenses.
Since 1984, a account has awarded tighten to 1,300 grants and $1.5 million to women athletes in a different array of sports.
Last month, a WSF announced a 2012 Travel Training recipients. Douglas was among a 23 particular athletes and 3 teams representing 18 sports who perceived a award. Her mother, Natalie Hawkins, submitted an focus to a substructure before Douglas’ ancestral Olympic opening and off a pad achievements, that include an publicity understanding with a Kellogg Co., being named a WSF’s Sportswoman of a Year and a AP’s Top Female Athlete of a Year, and releasing a discourse Grace, Gold Glory.
While Douglas’ financial conditions and world-wide approval have significantly altered for a better, one thing that has not altered is her piety and clarity of gratitude. She decided to present her $5,000 extend behind to a WSF to assistance fuel a dreams of another athlete.
“I am sanctified to be in a position to give behind to other athletes and open adult opportunities to them,” pronounced Douglas to FORBES.com. “I had hardships during my career and my highway was not easy. If we can give them any help, afterwards we am some-more than happy to do that.”
The primary corporate underwriter of the Travel Training Fund is Gatorade, and a WSF is elegant of its behind-the-scenes fasten to women and girls. In a future, a substructure envisions additional corporate sponsors fasten Gatorade and giving during a same $100,000 level. Ultimately, a WSF’s idea is to renovate a account into a $1 million program.
“We consider this is such a superb module and a formula are obvious, and they are measurable,” pronounced Kathryn Olson, CEO of a Women’s Sports Foundation to FORBES.com.
However, the Travel Training Fund is some-more than only frame a subsequent chosen athlete. Olson explained that a WSF is committed to formulating a subsequent era of leaders by providing entrance to competition and aptness to all girls, generally those in underserved communities.
In 2012, Douglas taught us that a subsequent era of women leaders are out there, and anything is probable if we brave to deposit in their dreams.
Here’s to 2013 and a subsequent womanlike personality to shake adult the world!
Alana M. Glass is an profession and sports entrepreneur. You can review some-more of her work on IWantToBeAnOwner.com and AlanaGlass.com. Follow her on Twitter: @IWant2BeAnOwner.