The Seattle Storm is famous for helping out in the community. Whether it is investing in green energy, partnering up with nonprofit organizations to give children free tickets to attend Storm games or honoring local women who help to improve the Northwest area, they continually work diligently to help make Seattle and its surrounding area better.

The Seattle Storm Foundation is one way that they help local children. Through the Foundation, Storm players team up with several area organizations to work with kids and teens, developing their leadership skills, confidence and skill sets. The Storm Foundation began a pilot program of their Girls Leadership Experience Project in 2014.  In the free program, 70 middle school girls were immersed in a summer of leadership exploration and development. The girls are able to work with Storm players and local heroes to learn the skills they need to hone in on their passion, set goals and accomplish them.

The three summer workshops presented that year all included a Seattle Storm basketball game as well as a two-hour workshop. The girls learned problem-solving skills, conflict resolution and worked on self-refection activities. Female mentors were also present to answer questions and demonstrate positive leadership qualities for the participants.

In 2013, Girls on the Run of Puget Sound came on board with the Foundation. As a partner, Girls on the Run worked with the Storm to help encourage youth fitness development in the area. The program is held for girls in grades three through five. For 10 weeks, the girls engage in a comprehensive fitness program after school. Once complete, the girls accomplish their goal of completing a 5k run. Confidence, fitness and fun are all incorporated into the program. More than 900 girls participate in the program.

Some of the organizations that the Seattle Storm Foundation partners with include the YMCA, Girl Scouts of America, Rain City Rock Camp for Girls, Girls on the Run, Reel Girls, Lake Washington Girls Middle School, YWCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Young Women Empowered. Each partner embodies the mission of the foundation: to serve the children of Seattle and surrounding areas by engaging them in physical fitness, character development, confidence building and other essential leadership activities

To find out more about the Seattle Storm Foundation or the other various programs that the women of Seattle Storm engage in to create a better tomorrow, visit the Seattle Storm website.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia