Seventy girls and 50 volunteers came together for a Girls in Sports event Saturday at the Jefferson Middle School fieldhouse in Jamestown. Submitted Photo

JAMESTOWN — On Saturday, United Way of Southern Chautauqua County partnered with United Way of Buffalo & Erie County to host a Western New York Girls in Sports event at the Jefferson Middle School fieldhouse.

Girls ages 9-12 were given the opportunity to sample sports, hear from an inspirational speaker, engage with women leaders from our community, and leave with a swag bag and yoga mat. There were 70 girls that participated in the event along with a combined total of 50 volunteers that made the event possible.

Western New York Girls in Sports was established in 2006 by Mary Wilson to promote sports and fitness to adolescent girls while enriching their lives through sports. Through a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and WNY Girls in Sports provide girls across Western New York with sports sampling and exposure to positive female role models.

This event included four sports sampling stations made possible by coaches, student athletes and volunteers from JHS girls basketball, JHS track and cross country, Southern Tier Football Club, and Yoga with Lotus Healing Center. Local community volunteers that supported the event included United Way of Southern Chautauqua County, AAUW, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, YWCA Jamestown, and Women and Chautauqua County Coalition of Women and Girls.

“This event was a great opportunity for young girls to participate in a day that aimed to empower them to try new sports and to engage with women leaders in our community,” said Lindsey Goold, director of advancement at United Way of Southern Chautauqua County, co-host of the event. “We have had so much great feedback from girls and parents of those who participated in the event along with all of the volunteers that made this event possible. We hope is to bring the WNY Girls in Sports even back again in the spring of 2024.”

For more information about WNY Girls in Sports, visit www.uwbec.org/wnygis and for more information about United Way of Southern Chautauqua County, visit www.uwayscc.org.

Western New York Girls in Sports’ mission is to promote sports and fitness among girls, deliver consistent messages and activities that will lead to healthy choices and the development of essential life skills, and create access and pathways for girls from underserved neighborhoods to participate in sports programs at the local, high school and collegiate level.

United Way of Southern Chautauqua County fights for academic success, health and independence, a ready workforce, and self sufficiency of every person in the community. Its human and financial services invest more than $1.3 million annually in 42 local programs to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing the community.