The Sky Cares Foundation supports the Sky’s mission of building girls’ self-esteem and providing girls and young women with positive mentors. Sky Cares is deeply committed to creating programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive self-image, through education and support for youth and family development initiatives. Founded in January, 2008, the Sky Cares Foundation’s first initiatives are "Give Girls Game" and "Learn to Soar."
Give Girls Game was a health and fitness festival designed to show girls 10-16 all the ways they can get active, whether by playing a sport or dancing or jumping double-dutch. Research has proven that good habits in health and physical activity help build self-esteem and confidence:
Girls who do 15 minutes of moderate physical activity a day reduce their risk of obesity by almost 50 percent
Girls who play sports are less likely to do drugs and get pregnant; they are more likely to get higher test scores and develop self-confidence
Oppenheimer Funds study finds 4 out of 5 executive business women played sports growing up
Having role models, mentors, educators and coaches who model and teach this behavior is a critical aspect of building these positive life habits. Sky Cares worked with several local girl-serving organizations, including Girls in the Game, Girls on the Run-Chicago, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s GoGirlGo! Chicago program, Step Up Women’s Network, Chicago Park District and the Mayor’s Fitness Council to bring together mentors and coaches with over 500 girls from the Chicago Public Schools on May 29 from 4-6 p.m. at UIC’s SEO field. After the girls visited all the festival stations and earned a t-shirt, we kept them moving by walking together to UIC Pavilion, where the girls watched the Sky take on the Minnesota Lynx. The game gave the girls an unforgettable opportunity to witness first-hand the power and poise of professional female athletes and provided a motivating message of what can be accomplished through dedication, determination and discipline.
Sky Cares Foundation’s Learn to Soar program was a series of three workshops for girls 10-16 focused on teambuilding, conflict resolution, health and body image, and leadership and goal-setting. Following each workshop, girls were driven by trolley to the UIC Pavilion where they were treated to an unforgettable Sky game experience.
Teamwork and Conflict Resolution: Carla McGee, former WNBA great, Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Champion, kicked off the workshop with her inspiring story of overcoming a near fatal car crash to become a legendary basketball player. Girls watched the stirring documentary "The Heart of the Game," and were lead through a highly-regarded curriculum built around the themes of teamwork, character and conflict resolution.
Health and Body Image: Award-winning author Jean Kilbourne was named by Time Magazine as one of the three most popular speakers on college campuses today. Her powerful presentation called “The Naked Truth: Advertising’s Image of Women” helped girls reject unrealistic media images in favor of their own positive self-image.
Leadership and Goal Setting: Julie Foudy, co-captain of the US Women’s National Soccer Team for ten years, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA World Champion, now runs a leadership camp for girls. Her workshop gave girls practical leadership tools for their team, school, community and life.
To learn more about Sky Cares or to make a donation please contact Ronnie Ramirez at rramirez@chicagosky.net.
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