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MYIA, Inc. Hosts Oakland’s First GoGirlGo!® Outreach Project Bringing the Women’s Sports Foundation to the Bay Area

Vacaville, CA (PRWEB) July 14, 2005

The health of America’s youth – particularly girls in the critical developmental ages of 8 to 18 – is in grave danger. Inactive girls face critical health risks and social problems including obesity, heart disease, smoking, drug & alcohol use, teen pregnancy and depression. GoGirlGo! is a national campaign that the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) established to address these issues and to get one million girls moving, particularly those in underserved communities. In an effort to inspire Bay Area teen girls to get healthy through physical activity and sports participation, MYIA, Inc. (Multicultural Youth-in-Action) will host GoGirlGo! Oakland from 3:00 until 6:00 p.m., Sunday, August 7, 2005 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers Jack London Square, 98 Broadway, Oakland, CA.

The event’s electrifying atmosphere will encompass music, book signings, raffles and appearances by local athletes and other celebrities. Among the afternoon’s special guests will be Miss Black California USA 2005 and Miss Black USA 2005 pageant contestant Rachelle Cain; journalist and Oscar, Emmy and Sundance Award-winning filmmaker (“When the Storm Came”) Shilpi Gupta; and entrepreneur, motivational speaker and author (“1001 Reasons to Think Positive”) Ella Patterson. The festival-like affair will include entertainment by Bay Area vocalists Shari-Bennett Jackson and Khadia Davidson, rapper M C Underdogg and more.

There will be exciting events and activities for youth and adults both inside of Barnes & Noble and on the adjoining patio where MYIA, Inc. representatives will encourage adults to pledge to get the girls in their lives moving. GoGirlGo! Oakland is supported by local Bay Area sponsors Barnes & Noble Booksellers, CityFlight Media Network and ClearChannel San Francisco, and national sponsors of the WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation and GoGirlGo! Advanta, Gatorade, Moving Comfort and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. Interested corporate, in-kind and media sponsors are invited to contact Herb Jones at Herb@MYIAinc.com or 707-301-6302.

According to a 2004 Women’s Sports Foundation report, “… girls do not have enough encouragement or opportunity to participate in sports and fitness activities. Nearly one out of every two high school boys plays sports, while only one in three high school girls participates.”

Also noted in the WSF report, “Economic inequalities exert powerful influences on health and illness. Not all girls have the same sports and fitness opportunities due to the economic circumstances of their families, schools, and communities.” Some of the reports findings suggest the fitness and athletic experiences of poor girls and many girls of color are often mediated by poverty and racial discrimination.

Myia commented, “I am honored that the WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation recognized me as “California 2004 SportsGirl of the Year.” She continued, “And as representative for the WomenÂ’s Sports FoundationÂ’s GoGirlGo! National Outreach Campaign, I am both proud and excited that MYIA, Inc. will be a major participant this year in the Foundation’s national call-to-action to get one million girls moving, and make physical activity part of their lives.”

National corporate sponsors of the WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation Advanta, Gatorade, Moving Comfort and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company are key supporters in the effort, with each company targeting a different age segment to get girls and adults involved in the GoGirlGo! Initiative.

ABOUT MYIA, INC. (Multicultural Youth-in-Action)

Founded by then 10-year-old Myia Jones, MYIA, Inc. is a non-profit community organization formed to develop community service activities that encourage young people to become intimately involved with positive societal events from which participants may learn leadership and citizenship life skills.

The organization’s 13-year-old visionary and president was a top-five finalist for “National 2004 SportsGirl of the Year.” Additionally, Wrigley and the WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation named Myia “California 2004 SportsGirl of the Year.” Myia is currently a representative for the WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation GoGirlGo! National Outreach Campaign, which seeks to get one million girls to improve their physical and emotional health through sports participation. Myia was recently named among the “10 Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area” by CityFlight Media Network and State Farm Insurance. In addition to her community work and sports activities, the highly awarded teen also excels academically. MYIA, Inc. is located in Vacaville, CA. For more information about Myia Jones and MYIA, Inc., please call (707) 301-6382.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S SPORT FOUNDATION:

Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization seeking to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. The FoundationÂ’s Participation, Education, Advocacy, Research and Leadership programs are made possible by gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations.

The purpose of the WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation’s GoGirlGo! Grant and Educational Program is to provide financial assistance ($ 2.6 million in grants) to sports and physical activity programs seeking to add new or expanded program participation opportunities for an under-served population of girls, particularly economically disadvantaged girls and/or girls from populations with high incidences of health-risk behaviors. For further information about the national GoGirlGo! program, please visit http://www.GoGirlGo.com.

The 501(c)(3) Foundation serves as a center for collecting and sharing information on girls and women in sports and physical activity. The WomenÂ’s Sports Foundation also produces quality academic research on the psychological, social and physiological dimensions of sports and physical activity in the lives of girls and women. The Foundation is located in Nassau County, N.Y. For more information, please call the Foundation at (800) 227-3988 or visit http://www.WomensSportsFoundation.org or AOL Keyword: WSF.

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