Mission Statement

The Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI) is a public benefit, nonprofit corporation with a mission to create programs and partnerships through which women athletes bring health, hope and wholeness to our community. Founded in 2005 by Olympic and World Cup soccer stars Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy and Marlene Bjornsrud, former general manager of the San Jose CyberRays women's professional soccer team, BAWSI provides a meaningful path for women athletes to become a more visible and valued part of the Bay Area sports culture.

BAWSI Girls Teams

BAWSI's first program has grown from a pilot project at one San Jose school in 2005 to serve more than 1500 girls in 10 schools in San Jose, Santa Clara, East Menlo Park and Mountain View in 2007. As an active partner in the Women's Sports Foundation's campaign to get girls moving, BAWSI provides participants with individual coaching and mentoring by top college women athletes in a weekly after-school fitness program designed to prevent or reduce obesity while building self-esteem. A grant from the Health Trust enabled BAWSI to create a girl-specific activity curriculum and expand to additional sites. The girls enjoy themselves tremendously while learning the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Participants in the program are also invited to attend "BAWSI Game Days," selected women's collegiate sports events, to cheer on their coaches and bring more community support to local women's college teams. READ MORE »

BAWSI Dads and Daughters

With former San Francisco 49er Brent Jones as spokesperson, BAWSI Dads and Daughters creates the kind of shared family sports experiences between dads and daughters that sons have long enjoyed. With the growing interest in sports among girls today, this program also exposes girls to the athletic role models they can most identify with: women athletes. It encourages dads to play an active role in creating real dreams for their daughters of all ages by taking them to see women athletes compete. BAWSI Dads and Daughters provides participants with organized activities and group seating at local sports competitions which highlight professional and college women athletes. Dads can subscribe to the BAWSI email newsletter to be alerted of upcoming events. READ MORE »

BAWSI Rollers

BAWSI Rollers is an 8-week after school sports program for third through eighth graders with physical disabilities. Similar in format to the BAWSI Girls Teams, it includes various games and sports that are specifically designed for kids in wheelchairs. Participants have an opportunity to try wheelchair basketball, rugby, soccer, football, volleyball, hockey, softball, bowling, and various other games. They have fun while also developing hand-eye coordination, greater physical strength and fitness, and more confidence in their abilities. World-class Paralympic athletes serve as coaches and share their stories to inspire and motivate the participants of this unique program. READ MORE »

Salud por Vida

BAWSI, in collaboration with SIREN (Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network) and the Mayfair Improvement Initiative, created the Salud por Vida program in the fall of 2006 to combat obesity and diabetes in the Latino communities of East San Jose. The response to the BAWSI Girls program has been so overwhelmingly positive that teachers, principals, and parents encouraged BAWSI to modify the activity program to meet the needs of the parents along with the girls. READ MORE »