Walk for Women

I have been involved in athletics since I was a small child.  I was fortunate to have parents who instilled in me the desire to work hard and persist to lofty goals not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom and now in the workplace.  As a member of the Missouri Western Tennis Team from 1996-1999, I recognized quite quickly that I was not only a member of the team, but of a larger family of athletes at MWSU.  The experiences on the tennis court as a representative of MWSU as well as in the University classroom set the stage for the life I now live today.

Now as the Assistant Director of Secondary Education in the St. Joseph School District, a wife, and a mother of two small children, I continue to reap the benefits of what athletics taught me when I was growing up.  I learned traits like balance, leadership, and resilience as an athlete, but now I use them in the workplace and in my personal life on a daily basis.  Missouri Western State University definitely gave me the start I needed to be a successful wife, mother, and career woman.  It is time to give back.

I invite you to join the University that has made an impact on not only my life, but thousands of other lives, in the 2^nd Annual Women’s Walk for Athletics on November 14, 2009.  Proceeds benefit Women’s Athletics as well as the YWCA Choices program which teaches middle school girls about setting goals, identifying priorities and career options, being assertive, respecting their bodies, and supporting one another in saying “no” to tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.  As an educator, I can say this is a valuable program for our young teen girls and we need to do our part to keep it going.  I was fortunate to have older female athletes mentor me when I was a teenager and it left a lasting impact on how I competed on the field and in the classroom.  Let’s give other middle school girls the same chance by supporting this walk.

Women of all ages will now have more choices thanks to the hard work of the Women’s Athletic Department of Missouri Western State University and the YWCA. The upcoming Missouri Western Walk for Women being held on November 14th, not only will we be supporting women in athletics but encouraging young women to make healthy choices in our community. So many choices face the women and girls of today. We not only see this on the playing field, but as role models, students, career women, wives, future mothers, and community leaders. Make it your choice to join us and walk this November. Not only will it be fun, you could make a difference. 

Location: Looney Complex - Missouri Western State University

Second Annual Missouri Western Walk for Women
The Missouri Western Athletic Department understands that our student athletes are not only representatives of their respective programs, but of the University and Community as a whole. Our student athletes serve as wonderful role models for area youth. Our female athletes understand that self esteem and the ability to make good choices for themselves is a challenge for young women today. It is in that sentiment that the Western Athletic department has coupled with the YWCA Choices program to raise funds to support the Women’s Athletic program and the Choices program.

The middle school aged girls that attend the YWCA Choices program learn about setting goals, identifying priorities and career options, being assertive, respecting their bodies, and supporting one another in saying “no” to tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. A portion of your contribution will go toward funding for this worthwhile program. The Missouri Western Athletic Department is committed to Choices and will provide female athletes as Choices mentors.

Missouri Western Athletics has increased competitive opportunities for women by fifty percent over the past three years. We want to provide the necessary funding to support this exciting trend. Your contribution will not only be enhancing the educational opportunities for our female student-athletes, you will be promoting leadership, discipline, and teamwork for the development of our leaders of tomorrow.
 

GRIFFON ATHLETICS HELD FIRST ANNUAL WOMEN'S WALK