Girls' Sports and Activity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JCC Association and Women’s Groups Support
Girls’ Sports and Activity

Research shows that women and girls who participate in athletics experience higher levels of self-esteem, get better grades, and are more likely to graduate from college. Accordingly, JCC Association is pleased to announce that 21 JCCs throughout North America have received generous grants through The Haddassah Foundation and the Women’s Sports Foundation to participate in the Women’s Sports Foundation’s GoGirlGo! Project, as well as the newly created Women’s Coaching Curriculum.

"JCC Association is excited to partner with The Hadassah Foundation and the Women's Sports Foundation on projects we feel will positively impact the lives of women and girls throughout North America. We are committed to creating every opportunity for women to excel at any endeavor they aspire to," said Steve Becker, consultant on health, physical education and recreation for JCC Association.

Local JCCs were selected based upon the creativity and scope of their programs, and were awarded a total of $30,000 in cash grants to fund the projects. The GoGirlGo! Project, developed by the Women's Sports Foundation, is a unique program that educates girls about health risk behaviors and life lessons. The project is devoted to changing the way girls view themselves, their peers, and how they interact and develop. It combines athletic skill instruction and programming with the delivery of educational information for girls ranging from age ten to fourteen. The GoGirlGo! Project features true-life stories from champion athletes like Tamika Catchings, Mia Hamm, Holly McPeak, and Jessica Mendoza.

Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, is a volunteer women's organization, whose members are motivated and inspired to strengthen their partnership with Israel, ensure Jewish continuity, and realize their potential as a dynamic force in American society. The Women’s Sports Foundation is an educational nonprofit organization that ensures equal access to participation and leadership opportunities for all girls and women in sports and fitness. Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women’s Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization seeking to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.

The percentage of women coaching women's teams decreased from 90% in 1972 (Uhlir, 1987) to 45.6% in 2000, (Acosta and Carpenter, 2002); less than 2% of all coaches of men’s teams are women. JCC Association has teamed up with The Haddassah Foundation and Women’s Sports Foundation to create a coaching curriculum to encourage more women volunteers to become coaches at their local JCCs. JCC professionals will be trained to teach volunteers how to become coaches.

Below is a list of the 2004 GoGirlGo! Project grantees:

1. JCC of the Greater St. Paul Area, St. Paul, Minnesota
2. JCC of Greater New Haven, Woodbridge, Connecticut
3. JCC on the Palisades, Tenafly, New Jersey
4. JCC of Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, Michigan
5. David Posnack JCC, Davie Florida
6. Camp Sabra, St. Louis, Missouri
7. Marcus JCC of Atlanta, Dunwoody, Georgia
8. Suffolk Y JCC, Commack, New York
9. New Orleans JCC, New Orleans, Louisiana
10. Barry & Florence Friedberg JCC, Oceanside, New York
11. Peninsula JCC, Foster City, California
12. JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville, Maryland
13. Michael-Ann Russell JCC, North Miami Beach, Florida
14. Sid Jacobson JCC, East Hills, New York
15. Harry & Rose Samson JCC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
16. Mid-Island Y JCC, Plainview, New York
17. Edith & Carl Marks JCH of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York
18. Berkshire Hills – Emanuel Camps, Ardsley, New York
19. Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
20. JCC of Staten Island, Staten Island, New York
21. Barshop JCC of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

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The JCC Maccabi Games are a program run by JCC Association. JCC Association is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish Community Center Movement, which is comprised of more than 300 JCCs, YM-YWHAs and camps in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural, social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens connections between North American Jews and Israel as well as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council. JCC Association is the managing partner of the JCC Maccabi Games, and operates in conjunction with Maccabi World Union (Israel), Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel, and Maccabi Canada, which together represent over 1.5 million members worldwide.

JCC Association is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish Community Center Movement, which is comprised of more than 275 JCCs, YM-YWHAs and camps in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural, social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens connections between North American Jews and Israel as well as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the only U.S. government accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.