By age 17, 78% of girls are unhappy with their own bodies.
And it's no wonder, when you consider that one in six girls is now obese or overweight, compared with 1 in 21 girls in 1970. At the same time, girls in high school receive 1.1 million fewer opportunities to play varsity sports than boys … Sports Illustrated devotes only 10% of its coverage to female athletes … and the media just won't quit focusing on female physical appearance.
At the Women's Sports Foundation, we think that our girls deserve better - and since 1974, we've been doing our part to help by increasing access and participation in sports and physical activity to all girls; we're helping them to thrive in competitive environments, and to increase their self-esteem - the foundation for greater success in their lives.
But we couldn't have done it alone. We have had the backing of our generous supporters who believe in the importance of our mission, and who are committed to helping us bring the benefits of sport and physical activity to all girls and women.
And because we believe that you care about the work we do at the Women's Sports Foundation, we're writing to ask you to join our team of supporters.
At no other time will your support go so far … or be so valued.
That's because the Women's Sports Foundation is taking on enormous challenges in 2008. We are determined to bring more equity to sports and more opportunity to women and girls – but we have a long road ahead.
Thanks to the generosity of our team of supporters, 2007 had been one of our most noteworthy years to date. Most recently, we launched the Dr. Donna Lopiano Leadership Fund for advocacy and research. The Fund will help the Foundation remain the authoritative source on issues of gender equity in sports. This important Fund will help us continue bringing the benefits of sports and physical activity to all girls and women.
In addition to the creation of the Leadership Fund, we also reached out to girls this year through our landmark GoGirlGo! program which we expanded to Boston, from Chicago, Atlanta and San Antonio, where girls have a more sedentary lifestyle, poorer nutrition and a higher incidence of obesity than girls nationwide. GoGirlGo! just keeps on going, and with the generous help of our contributors, we're getting girls and teens moving on a path to a healthier life.
But our most ambitious goals have been set for the year ahead…
Which is why we urgently need you to join our team of supporters with a gift today. Your support will enable the Women's Sports Foundation to change girls' lives through sport and create a society that understands the importance of investing in girls' physical activity participation.Perhaps most notably, 2008 will bring the opening of the greatly anticipated Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center in downtown Manhattan, dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of women in sports and motivating visitors to work for more sports opportunities for girls and women.
Our programmatic plans for 2008 that aim to increase access and participation, educate parents, and persuade lawmakers are equally exciting and in critical need of your support today.
The involvement of people like you gives our programs the on-the-ground energy they need to succeed. It's remarkable to see. But none of our work can be done without your financial support – so we hope you will join our team with a gift today.
Thank you in advance for recognizing the tremendous opportunity before us and joining our team of supporters.
Sincerely,
Tuti B. Scott and Marjorie A. Snyder, Ph.D.
Co-CEOs