Serena inaugurates second Kenyan school

Always a trailblazer. Always doing good things.  Always going the extra miles.

Just over a year after visiting Kenya to open the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya, Serena Williams returned to the country to follow up on her humanitarian efforts. Williams arrived on February 22 for a three day charity mission where she will inaugurate the Wee Secondary School in Makueni, Eastern Province, Kenya.

The new school lies roughly 50 kilometers from the first one. While in the country, Williams will follow up on the progress of the Matooni school and will hold a tennis teaching session with the students at both schools.

Williams has partnered with technology giant Hewlett Packard and the Build African Schools initiative. She is a global ambassador for the firm and has also worked with the Starfishgreatheart Charity for orphans in South Africa.

Check out pics from Serena’s visit to Kenya in the photo gallery.

Hewlett Packard will equip the school with computers, printers and internet connectivity, while facilitating the training of the local teachers and students.

Ken Mbwaya, Hewlett Packard’s managing director for East Africa, said: “As our ambassador, Serena was touched by the plight of children from these areas. This has made many keen to learn, even with daily challenges and limitations. Education is the best platform to invest in as it empowers whole communities.

“Sixty-two percent of Kenyans live in absolute poverty, which means that some very bright children are hindered from achieving their potential. This is an actual impediment to the realization of Vision 2030 and we need to tackle this before we seek IT penetration into rural Kenya. Education is the best platform to invest in as it empowers whole communities.

(via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Got Milk? Shawn Johnson does

Gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson is the latest milk-drinking celeb to don the famous Milk Mustache to inspire teens to ‘Drink Milk for a Change.’

Shawn joins the ranks of more than 290 other athletes, actors, models and musicians who have lent their upper lips in support of milk and its health benefits.

Look for Shawn to appear in an array of ad campaigns targeting teens as well as her pet project “Project Shine” which helps kids not as fortunate as her get  the support or resources they need to provide them with a bright future. She wants teens to back her in helping kids in Detroit, Mich., shine from the inside out by renovating a school or learning center to give them a brighter future.

Help Shawn make Project Shine a reality by voting for her project here.

Red Hot start to Fashion Week

Beginning today, with National Wear Red Day, millions will celebrate the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. Everyone can participate in the national movement by wearing their favorite red outfit, or Red Dress Pin.

And beginning next Thursday, February 11, 2010, The Heart Truth will bring the Red Dress to life once again on the runway at New York Fashion Week with the debut of the Red Dress Collection 2010.

Fashion Week is an eight-day preview of the fall looks of 100 or so designers. And for the sixth year in a row, the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection fashion show will feature celebrities on the catwalk in red designer dresses promoting the anti-heart disease campaign.

The event, which features singers, actresses and supermodels in red designer dresses, is held to raise awareness about heart disease — a leading killer of women. The show uses the glamour of fashion to highlight risk factors such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, and lack of exercise which are leading causes of heart disease.

In the past Uber-model Heidi Klum, who rarely graces the catwalk these days outside “Project Runway,” walked in the skimpiest dress – a short two-layer slip dress by Marc Jacobs with thin spaghetti straps.

Last year, The Fashion Show paired America’s top designers with 20 “Women with Heart”, including  (above) Daisy Fuentes for Pamella Roland, Vivica A. Fox for Jenny Packham, Hilary Duff for Donna Karan, and Lynda Carter for Carolina Herrera.

Look for heads to turn at this year’s event as well which will feature participating designers such as: Badgley Mischka, Betsey Johnson , Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Max Azria, Vera Wang, Zac Posen and others.

See InStyle’s slideshow of the 2008 collection for ideas on how to “Dress Red” this week and give yourself an early Valentine’s Day gift.

Soles 4 Souls: Lend a hand to Haiti by donating shoes

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti last week  is a reminder just how fragile our world is, and seeing the devastation that has affected so many,  Soles4Souls is mounting a massive response of emergency relief to  victims of the disaster.

The non-profit organization has partnered with a number of big brands and companies to help.

Starting this weekend, all 55 Sports Chalet stores will be accepting gently worn men’s, women’s and kids shoes until Sunday, January 31. All the shoes collected will be sent directly to Soles4Souls for distribution to the Haitian people.

Why shoes are critical

People are in immediate need of the most basic necessities, like food, water, AND SHOES. Soles4Souls is working with trusted partners to provide one million pairs of new boots and shoes to help survivors locate others trapped in the rubble and begin the rebuilding process. As you can imagine, the amount of broken glass, twisted metal and raw sewage is staggering. Soles4Souls will rush this protective footwear to them as quickly as possible.

Perhaps you can organize a local shoe drive in your community and bring them in. During their last shoe drive,  one young man actually went door-to-door in his neighborhood asking for gently worn shoes.

It’s only a natural response to want to do something to help… and here’s your chance.  Stop by a drop-off location with one, two, or even three pair of shoes that can help someone in need today.

Take the stairs – the piano stairs

It’s great when viral videos do more than just make us laugh.

Recently, we learned about a great video created by the Nike Foundation called the Girl Effect (definitely worth checking out)

We came across another video today from TheFunTheory.com. The  site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better.

Many understand the importance of physical fitness and have read or heard the advice ”Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator” but the fact is few people actually follow that advice.

Can we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do? Volkswagen, the company behind the Fun Theory initiative, produced this video to find out:

Summit on the Summit

File this under Pretty Good!

Did you know that over 1 billion people don’t have access to clean water? In fact, every 15 seconds a child dies from a preventable water-related disease – that is the equivalent of crashing a 747 jet filled with children into a mountainside every 2 hours every day of the year.

Multi-talented musician Kenna is hoping to change that. The Ethiopian-born artist is taking a stand by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa – the highest free standing mountain in the world with a peak of 19,430 ft – in order to raise awareness for the worldwide water crisis.

Kenna’s own father nearly died of a water-borne illness in his youth, so it’s an issue that he takes very personally. He won’t be alone on his trek, though — he’s bringing along friends like Lupe Fiasco and Jessica Biel,and a host of others will join him on the trip to the peak.

As you can imagine, you can’t simply put on your climbing shoes and wander up the over 19,000 feat that make up Africa’s highest elevation. It takes a great deal of training, and Kenna and his team are all hard at work.

We love the fact that Kenna is going to be joined by some great women on his Summit on the Summit (SOTS). Biel will be joined by Elizabeth Gore, Santigold and others on the climb.

Visit the SOTS site for more info and to follow along live when they start the trek January 7th.

Kenna also did a tune for his Summit On The Summit project called ‘Turn‘ which is worth checking out.

Call to Action: Jefferson Award nominees

The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America.  They began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to Action for Volunteers” in local communities.

Did you know that athletes give back to their communities more than most groups?  Well, it’s true. Check out some of their random acts of kindness.

This month, voting begins for the prestigious national Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Athlete.   A list of highly impressive nominees includes the following women:

Cheri Balwut – Paralympic Gold Medalist

Brandi Chastain – Soccer player

Lauren Fleshman - Long distance runner

Sara Hall – Runner

Mia Hamm – Soccer player

Lindsey Harding – Basketball player

Ana Ivanovic – Tennis player

Jelena Jankovic – Tennis player

Jessica Mendoza – Softball player

Angela Ruggiero – Hockey player

Kerri Walsh – Volleyball player

If you’re not already familiar with these inspiring women, you need to be. Click here to read about the incredible things these athletes are doing and to vote (by November 15th) for your favorite nominee.

Video: Play Soccer So They Can

If you play soccer or are a fan, you know why it’s called the Beautiful Game. Soccer is a global language that has the power to unify people. Last weekend, a group of players got together  in Los Angeles  so that others around the world can have the opportunity to play as well.

The event, called Play Soccer So They Can, was organized by Opportunitas Aequas (Latin for “Equal Opportunity), a non-profit, grassroots organization that uses soccer to build stronger communities for youth in Rwanda and Uganda affected by war and violence.

Meet pro soccer player Jill Oakes and event organizer Becca Clyde (representing the all-girl Pretty Tough FC team) and check out the day’s action:

What can you do to help?:
You join the
facebook group,
Watch the YouTube
videos, share with a
friend, attend a meeting
or event, share with your team,
buy a t-shirt, donate 5 dollars, get
your team or group to do something,
each donate, get t-shirts for your adult
league jerseys, team fundraiser, have a table
at your next tournament or facility or the school
you coach at, get your kids involved, show the vide
at work, have a ball drive, have a recycle equipment drive
for local kids, create a fundraiser, create a benefit game, create
a tournament, talk to your local school, league, pro team about doing
something, start a soccer team where there is a need, host a race, bake sale, concert, festival, host an on-going event, monthly/biweekly soccer game, seasonal or weekly fundraiser, show the video to a new school each month, etc.

National Love Your Body Day

A headline from the Tucker Center blog alerted me to the fact that today is Love Your Body Day. The Tucker Center, by the way, is a think tank at the University of Minnesota  that studies  girls and women in sport. Lots of great resources and definitely worth checking out.

So, today is the 12th annual National Love Your Body Day sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW).

According to NOW, “This campaign is a giant shout out to the fashion, beauty, diet and advertising industries: No more fake images! Show us real women, diverse women, strong women, bold women. And to the women and girls who are targeted by messages telling them that the key to success and happiness is manufactured beauty, we say: It’s okay to “Be You” — the true you is beautiful.”

How do you celebrate Love Your Body Day?
NOW has a list of suggestions:

• Host an indulgence party,
• Stage ‘real women’ beauty pageant,
• Watch a thought-provoking movie, or
• Promise to do more.
• Take the love your body quiz, and encourage your friends to do it, too.
• Don’t forget to enter NOW’s poster content!
• No matter how much time you have, you can find the time to love your body!

If you sometimes feel that Hollywood and the fashion, cosmetics and diet industries work hard to make  us believe that our bodies are unacceptable and need constant improvement, this is your time to fight back.

The Tucker Center, NOW and other advocates for women want to  see real women in realistic portrayals, doing the variety of things women do in their daily lives….including images of female athletes, coaches, and referees in action and “on the court”.

See if you can be one of those making a difference. Love YOUR body.

It’s Pinktober – Female athletes unite against breast cancer

Organizations everywhere are kicking off month long breast cancer awareness programs.

At least half of you know someone who has or had breast cancer. Whether a mom,  aunt, grandmother, neighbor, or family friend, breast cancer strikes over 200,000 women a year.

Fortunately, with early detection, there are many different treatment options available. And every year new research improves cancer care. If you’re young, you may not think breast cancer will affect you. But your youth and energy makes you an invaluable tool in the fight against the disease.

You can help this month and all year by working with various programs in your  community.

• If you surf or snowboard, check out Boarding  for Breast Cancer.
• If you’re a runner, jogger or walker, Susan  B. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure events take place all year.
• Climbers, bicyclists and paddlers can join those who have climbed, biked, and kayaked at Against the Odds events.

These are just a few of the fun ways you can use your athleticism to support cancer patients, survivors, friends and family. Help out if you can.

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Check Yourself
Just a friendly reminder to do your monthly breast self-exam (BSE)! If you don’t know how to do a BSE, click here to learn!

Early Detection
American Cancer Society recommends performing a self breast exam starting at the age of 20. For more information on the importance of early detection and screening tips, visit National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Army of Women
The Love/Avon Army of Women is recruiting one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer once and for all. Join the Army of Women.

Other Resources
Kids Konnected provides friendship, understanding, education, and support for the children who have a parent with cancer, or have lost a parent to cancer.

Keep-a-Breast is a unique non-profit organization creating plaster forms of the female torso, customized by fine artists and auctioned to raise funding for breast cancer.

Breast Friends for Life aims to improve and strengthen the mental and emotional well-being of young women living with breast cancer.

The Young Survival Coalition is a foundation created to support young women battling breast cancer.

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