News & Events

Game ON!
A Sporty, yet Upscale Fundraiser

Phoenix Women’s Sports Association – May 8, 2010

Twenty-four elite athletes joined over 300 guests to celebrate the power of sports and raise funds for the Phoenix Women’s Sports Association (PWSA), a non-profit who reaches out to underserved girls and women, providing them with opportunities to reach their greatest potential by building confidence and self-esteem through participation in sports and fitness activities.  A twist on the traditional fundraiser, this year’s Game ON! event offered guests a chance to mix and mingle the entire event while meeting elite athletes and engaging in a variety of interactive games in the spirit of friendly competition.  This event style resonates with the image of PWSA as sporty, yet upscale, with great sincerity about their mission. Indy racing legend Lyn St. James and Olympic Gold Medalist Misty Hyman spoke to the significance sports have had in their own lives; whether it is overcoming personal obstacles or a tool to improve your health, sports can always help you succeed in life.

 
Athletes   Awards
 
Jan Ferraris - LPGA Champion, Nona Lee - Dbacks SVP and PWSA Founder, Lyn St. James, Kristine Hedlund - Dbacks Dir. of Community Affairs   Lyn St. James
 
Nona Lee - DBacks SVP and PWSA Founder, Stefanie Francis - PWSA Board President and The Williams Real Estate Group   Nona Lee, Annie Chandler - PWSA Athlete of the Year, Stefanie Francis - PWSA Board President
 
Nona Lee, Linda Vollstedt - PWSA Advocate of the Year, Stefanie Francis   Tamara Hatfield, Terry Roach and Misty Hyman

 

Arizona Sports Alliance to assist USA Bid Committee in bringing FIFA World Cup to United States

9/25/09

The Arizona Sports Alliance, in association with Global Spectrum, managers of University of Phoenix Stadium, announced today that it will lead local efforts to bring the world’s most popular sporting event back to the United States for the first time since 1994.  The U.S., along with numerous other countries, is vying for the rights to host the FIFA World Cup in either 2018 or 2022.  The Greater Phoenix/Glendale area is one of 27 potential host communities selected to advance to the next stage in the bid process, should the United States be awarded the event in one of these years. 

As part of the bid process, the USA Bid Committee is calling on local communities to assist them in gathering 500,000 online signatures from across the country.  The local goal for the Arizona Sports Alliance is to gather 50,000 signatures from within Arizona. 

Learn more...

Annual “Power to Inspire” Awards Dinner Lives up to its Name

4/29/09

On April 25, some of the nation’s best-known female athletes sat alongside the Valley’s rising stars at PWSA’s “Power to Inspire” Awards Dinner and Auction. They gathered to collectively show their support and admiration for females who have transformed the community through athletic participation and broken down barriers to success, generation by generation. 

Jennie Finch, two-time Olympian and former University of Arizona softball star, served as the keynote speaker, “inspiring” every person in the room. She is living proof that dreams really can come true. At 5-years-old, Jennie dreamed of being a Los Angeles Dodger. At 28-years-old, she is a professional softball player, gold medal winner and has actually struck out several Dodgers!

Keynote speaker Jennie Finch and student Alexis Cordova.

Jennie shared personal insights that embodied the PWSA mission: sports fuel power, and powerful women create success.  “Whatever your dreams are, pursue them will all your heart and passion. Who knows where it may take you.  There is no 80 percent, always give 100 percent. In all aspects of life, there are two things you can control, attitude and effort. Focus on those two.”

Lyn St. James (left) Spirit of the PWSA award winner Jessica Rydberg and Betsy Bombeck PWSA board member

The event also recognized some of the Valley’s outstanding female athletes, as well as their supporters:

Funds raised from the “Power to Inspire” Dinner will help PWSA reach out to underserved girls and women around the Valley, helping them improve their lives through participation in sports. If you would like to contribute to the cause, please e-mail info@phoenixwomenssports.org.