Second-Annual SHE FLIES Community Festival Coming May 21
Sport Oregon Foundation to award $125,000 in Community Grants at this year’s festival
The second-annual SHE FLIES Community Festival is coming soon, with this year’s event set for Sunday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Overlook Park in North Portland (1599 North Fremont Street).
Designed for the whole family, the event will feature live fitness activities, interactive exhibits and the awarding of $125,000 in grants to deserving organizations already advancing the SHE FLIES mission. The SHE FLIES Community Festival is free and open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend.
The event invites anyone wanting to learn more about the Sport Oregon Foundation’s flagship SHE FLIES initiative or to get directly involved the chance to come out and hear from athletes, coaches and parents, meet the grant recipients and hear about the great work they do. Interactive activities will include a variety of workouts and fitness activities, aimed at educating and reinforcing the importance of a fit-for-life lifestyle.
It has been roughly two years since Sport Oregon formally introduced its new SHE FLIES initiative. The goal, from the start, was to build a community to support the organization’s efforts to foster safe community spaces where all girls and women have equitable opportunities and are greater empowered to use sports to take flight and realize the many benefits that participation provides. Pleased with the success of the first-ever SHE FLIES Community Festival in 2022, organizers are excited to continue to grow the event.
“We have been very pleased with the initial support our SHE FLIES initiative has received in a relatively short amount of time, and we are looking forward to building on last year’s Community Festival,” said Julia Mayfield, director of foundation relations for Sport Oregon. “Our goal is to offer an event where community members and families can learn more about our mission while enjoying free fitness and educational activities, and learning how to stay active and involved.”
In 2022, SHE FLIES awarded grants to six deserving groups, including Active Children Portland, The Children’s Course, Hood River Outrigger Canoe Club, Ophelia’s Place, the Rose City Rollers and Skate Like a Girl.
Thanks to a substantial financial commitment from Alaska Airlines, Sport Oregon has increased the amount awarded through the SHE FLIES Community Grants program, from $25,000 in the program’s first year to $125,000 in 2023.
At its core, SHE FLIES is inspired by a fundamental belief that, through sports, people learn to soar as confident individuals, team players and strong leaders. Further, its mission is to connect girls and women across Oregon to sports, and to create inclusive opportunities through its programs, partnerships and networks.
The SHE FLIES initiative includes three primary areas of focus, and also aims to bring together like-minded groups already doing great work in the community. With girls being twice as likely to drop out of sports by age 14 than boys and participation rates ranking statistically lower for girls of color or from low-income households, a key focus area is that of “keeping girls in the game.” Secondly, the initiative aims to empower women coaches, with statistics showing less than 30 percent of youth coaches being women. Thirdly, SHE FLIES strives to inspire a “fitness-for-life” mentality, encouraging a life-long pursuit in sports and of staying healthy through regular exercise.
A big part of the SHE FLIES mission is focused on engaging parents, and promoting the many benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle not only for younger girls, but as a lifelong pursuit to enhance anyone’s quality of life, regardless of age.
We look forward to seeing everyone at this year’s SHE FLIES Community Festival!
Join Us
The second-annual SHE FLIES Community Festival is a free event open to anyone who would like to attend. No RSVP required. It will be held at Overlook Park in North Portland (1599 North Fremont Street) on Sunday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For More Information on SHE FLIES
To learn more about SHE FLIES, its grants program and overall mission to connect girls and women across Oregon to sports, and to create inclusive communities through the organization’s programs, partnerships and networks, go to www.sheflies.org.