Together we can foster leadership skills and confidence in girls through their participation in a wide variety of sports.

Join me in supporting Girls Play Sports, an organization that I have been helping to build in our community! It is a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of girls in Evanston.

Girls Play Sports is a non-profit (501c3) organization dedicated to building leadership skills and confidence in girls through their participation in a wide variety of sports. Girls Play Sports was created to unlock doors, to expose girls to positive, strong role models, and to let girls have fun playing sports without a scoreboard or coach or long-term season commitment. The Girls Play Sports programs emphasize pride in being a female athlete.

"Girls don't play sports!" That's what my daughter was told by a group of boys playing soccer at her elementary school when she was a kindergartner 5 years ago. Hearing her story that night, my wife and I were shocked. Almost 40 years after Title IX and we still needed to break down gender stereotypes in sports? At about this same, I was trying to understand the gap I saw in the sports participation numbers between boys and girls as the Athletic Director at Evanston Township High School and the drop-off in participation for a lot of girls once they reached middle school. What was happening? Was my daughter's experience just an isolated incident with a few clueless boys or was it just the beginning of her experience growing up in a culture that trivializes female participation in sport? Then I met Liz Brieva, mother of seven children in Evanston and former ETHS multi-sport athlete and collegiate volleyball player. Learning from her experiences, looking at the numbers and seeing grade school culture firsthand, it was becoming clear – girls' experiences with sports were far different and damaging than boys' participation, and the seed of Girls Play Sports was planted.

Since that time, I am proud to say that female participation in sports has grown 25% at ETHS! Unfortunately, the participation of girls from low income families continues to lag behind as their access to feeder programs and clubs is extremely limited. That is why I created this fundraiser to support the programs and mission of Girls Play Sports. Your donation will help ensure that the 66 free clinics, the free GPS Festival, and the financial aid for girls from low income families for Team GPS and the leagues and tournaments continue so that ALL girls can learn about and enjoy a wide variety of sports.

You can be a part of it too! Help me ensure that the Girls Play Sports programs can continue to run in our community. Check out my fundraising page and please consider making a $25 donation to help me reach my goal of $5,000. Help us ensure that the Girls Play Sports programs can continue to help our girls become better women and the leaders of tomorrow.

Let's support good in our community and make a difference! Just a small donation will go a long way to helping me meet our goals for Girls Play Sports. Giving online is easy and fast, and your support will make a real difference for young girls in the Evanston community. I appreciate your help!

Chris Livatino