While most people will recognize Jessica Mendoza as a medal winning Olympic softball player (outfielder), her gold and silver medals represent just a few of her athletic accomplishments. A graduate of Stanford University, Jessica has been a part of the US Women’s National Softball Team since 2001. During her time with USA Softball, she has played on US teams that have won over half a dozen championships in international competition. Jessica has also been a member of the Arizona Heat, a professional team in the National Pro Fastpitch League. In addition to her accolades on the field, she has also served as the color commentator for ESPN's broadcast of the 2007 and 2008 Women's College World Series. Jessica and her husband Adam Burks welcomed their child, Caleb in August 2009.

Jessica brings her passion to her involvement with Women's Sports Foundation. The Women’s Sports Foundation is the trusted voice of women’s sports and physical activity because their work is anchored on fact-based research and 34 years of experience in the design and execution of award-winning education and public policy programs. Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women’s Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through physical activity. You can find out more about the foundation here.

The success of the Women's Sports Foundation depends on people around the world who work with them to help every girl and woman believe that she can be fit, confident and healthy in a body of any size. Below are just a few ways you can join Jessica to create a society in which girls and women of all ages fully experience and enjoy sports and physical activity with no barriers to their participation:

Advocate for change: Share your story, contact policy makers, grade your school and grade your newspaper. The Foundation provides all the tools you need right here.

Attend or create: Join the Foundation at one of their events or create your own! New Yorkers can make plans to attend the BJK Showdown where four of the world’s top female tennis players will compete in a single elimination event that honors tennis pioneer, Billie Jean King. Creating an event is extremely helpful in creating awareness of the Foundation and their mission to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. You can find information on the whens and hows here.

Donate: Your donations help give the fuel to do the important advocacy work that they do every day on behalf of girls and women. Beyond legal and public policy work, they give hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to provide opportunities for girls to play sports through our GoGirlGo! grants. To donate, click here.

For a full list of ways to support the Women's Sports Foundation, click here.


(Content courtesy of Jessica Mendoza and womenssportsfoundation.org)