PACE Center for Girls, Lee County Awarded 2018 Sports 4 Life Grant by Women’s Sports Foundation and espnW

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation joins the effort to empower young girls through sports
Fort Myers, FL – The Women’s Sports Foundation and espnW, in collaboration with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, announced PACE Center for Girls, Lee County as a 2018 recipient of the Sports 4 Life initiative, a national effort to increase the participation of girls in youth sports programs.
Sports 4 Life, co-founded by the Women’s Sports Foundation and espnW in 2014, and supported by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation supports programs that help girls in four foundational areas – leadership, self-esteem, confidence and perseverance – with the expectation that growth in these areas will also support girls’ physical and emotional health and academic success. PACE Lee is the first recipient of the Sports 4 Life grant in Southwest Florida.
“Our vision is that one day, all girls will have the opportunity to reach their full potential through the transformative experience of sports,” said Deborah Antoine, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation. “Even more than we believe in the power of sports, the Women’s Sports Foundation believes that all girls – regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ability, zip code or family income – deserve equitable access to the lifelong benefits of sports. We’re proud to team up with espnW and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to make that vision a reality.”
“In a few short years of commitment and focused attention, we have seen the tangible positive results that Sports 4 Life has brought to the lives of girls of color across the country,” said Laura Gentile, ESPN senior vice president, espnW and ESPN Business Operations & Content Strategy. “This program demonstrates the universal value and appeal of sports, and it is an integral piece of the espnW mission. We look forward to continuing to empower girls to realize their full potential through sports.”
Since the initiative’s inception in 2014, Sports 4 Life has awarded 200 grants totaling more than $1.1 million and reaching more than 50,000 girls nationally.
“As a young organization, PACE Lee is grateful for the Sports 4 Life grant which will provide the necessary funding to enable us to implement new physical education programming for our PACE girls that would not have otherwise been possible,” said Meg M. Geltner, Executive Director of PACE Center for Girls, Lee County. “Thank you to the Women’s Sports Foundation for helping us turn our vision into reality.”
Meet all the 2018 Sport 4 Life grant recipients and learn more about them here.
About Women’s Sports Foundation
The Women’s Sports Foundation is a powerful voice, catalyst and convener dedicated to ensuring all girls have equal access to sports and physical activity and the tremendous life-long benefits they provide. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, we seek to strengthen and expand opportunities for all girls and women to participate in all sports at all levels through research, advocacy, community impact and a wide variety of collaborative partnerships. The Women’s Sports Foundation has relationships with more than 1,000 of the world’s elite female athletes and has positively shaped the lives of more than 3 million youth, high school and collegiate student-athletes. To learn more about the Women’s Sports Foundation, please visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org or follow us at @WomensSportsFdn and www.facebook.com/WomensSportsFoundation.
About PACE Center for Girls, Lee County
Since 2007, PACE Center for Girls, Lee County has been providing girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training, and advocacy. The gender-specific, strength-based program is one of 20 centers throughout Florida, and is known throughout the nation as a best-practice model for diverting young girls from the juvenile justice system. PACE is a registered not-for-profit organization that relies on the support of individuals, businesses, civic/community organizations and churches in Lee County to serve girls and their families. Since its inception, PACE Center for Girls, Lee County has served more than 680 at-promise girls and young women, believing each one deserves an opportunity to find her voice, achieve her potential, and celebrate a life defined by responsibility, dignity, serenity, and grace. For more information on PACE Center for Girls, Lee County, call 239-425-2366 or visit www.pacecenter.org/locations/lee.