– Breast Health Awareness to Take Place Aug. 17-31 –

– Five Dedicated Nationally Televised Games in August with In-Arena FIT Month Activations –

NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2022 – WNBA FIT Month presented by Kaiser Permanente tips off today August 1 with a special focus on engaging players, partners and community organizations to highlight the importance of leading a healthy life through mind, body and spirit.

Throughout August, the WNBA will encourage physical and mental well-being for fans of all ages with grassroots programs and events, broadcast and digital ads, and in-arena and online programming.  The WNBA will also work with experts to address health inequities with a focus on communities of color.

In addition, the league and its teams will help educate fans and support those affected by breast cancer with WNBA Breast Health Awareness from Aug. 17-30.  The league’s longest-running platform, WNBA Breast Health Awareness (BHA) empowers women to proactively manage the risks of breast and ovarian cancer.  It also shines a light on the disparities in breast cancer incidence, care and outcomes.

As part of the BHA efforts, the WNBA and its teams will coordinate events and in-arena activations while promoting initiatives from community partners and organizations dedicated to cancer awareness and prevention, including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, American Cancer Society and Bright Pink.

During WNBA FIT Month, the WNBA and Kaiser Permanente will host four grocery pop-ups in partnership with Goodr, a certified B-Corp that uses technology and logistics to fight food waste and insecurity. Designed to provide healthy food options to families facing food insecurity and HBCU students who are returning to campus, the pop-ups will take place on Aug. 14 in Los Angeles, Aug. 20 in Seattle, Aug. 25 in Atlanta and Aug. 30 in Washington, D.C.  Each event will feed up to 250 families.

There will be five dedicated nationally televised games throughout WNBA FIT Month that will include in-arena activations, beginning on Thursday, Aug. 4, when reigning Kia WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones and the Connecticut Sun host 2022 WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith and the Phoenix Mercury on ESPN2 (4 p.m. ET).

ABC will present two doubleheaders during WNBA FIT Month.  On Sunday, Aug. 7, the Sun will visit reigning WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper and the Chicago Sky (1 p.m. ET), followed by 2020 Kia WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces taking on two-time WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart and the host Seattle Storm (3 p.m. ET).

ABC’s second doubleheader will take place on the last day of the 2022 regular season, Sunday, Aug. 14, highlighted by the final regular-season games for WNBA legends Sylvia Fowles and Sue Bird.  In the first game, Fowles will lead the Minnesota Lynx against the Sun in Connecticut (1 p.m. ET).  In the second game, Bird and the Storm will visit the Aces (3 p.m. ET).

The full schedule where there will be FIT Month activations is as follows:

• Thursday, Aug. 4: Phoenix Mercury at Connecticut Sun, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2
• Sunday, Aug. 7:  Connecticut Sun at Chicago Sky, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
• Sunday, Aug. 7: Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
• Sunday, Aug. 14: Minnesota Lynx at Connecticut Sun, 1 p.m. ET, ABC
• Sunday, Aug. 14: Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces, 3 p.m. ET ABC

To learn more about WNBA FIT Month, please visit https://cares.wnba.com/wnbafit/.

About the WNBA

The WNBA, which tipped off its 26^th season on May 6, 2022, is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.

In 2020, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women’s basketball – and women’s sports overall – with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league’s partnership platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&T, the WNBA’s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and NIKE, Inc, and subsequent additions Google and U.S. Bank. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers.  Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: about.kp.org

About Goodr
Founded in 2017, Goodr is a sustainable waste management and hunger relief company that leverages technology and logistics to reduce food waste and fight hunger. Goodr, a certified B-Corp, is built on the principle that food insecurity is not an issue of scarcity; it’s a matter of logistics. Goodr offers a variety of Hunger Relief and Food Waste Solutions, which include Surplus Food Recovery, Pop-Up Grocery Markets, and more. Headquartered in Atlanta, Goodr operates nationwide with clients in industries ranging from food service and hospitality to sports teams, universities, arenas and more. As of 2022, Goodr has served nearly 30 million meals to those in need and redirected nearly 5 million pounds of organic material away from landfills. For more information on Goodr, visit www.goodr.co or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, @goodrco.

# # #