Dallas Tennis Association Presents Girls Spring Play Days
DALLAS, — Local non-profit Play Like A Girl! is kicking off its 10th Year Anniversary, with its annual Spring Play Days, encouraging girls across Dallas to play and get active outdoors. Spring Play Days is a free family event inviting communities to come together for fun outdoor activities that improve physical activity in girls and their male peers. This year’s Spring Play Days takes place at Kiest Park in Dallas on Saturday, March 29 and April 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
“We are excited to commemorate our milestone 10th anniversary with our flagship outdoor fitness festival,” said Dr. Kimberly Clay, Executive Director of Play Like A Girl!. “We hope to once again inspire hundreds of girls and families across Dallas to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle during the 2014 Spring Play Days. This year, we’re enlisting the next generation of girl athletes to help us spread our message and get girls outside to play.”
Today’s 10-year-old girls are expected to live 5 years less than their mothers, largely due to physical inactivity. In fact, less than 5% of girls ages 2 to 19 get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Lack of play is directly linked to increased childhood obesity – one of the main issues facing girls today. Research shows that play enhances girls’ learning readiness, learning behaviors and problem-solving skills. Girls who are physical activity are also happier and better able to reach their full academic potential.
“The Junior League of Dallas is proud to partner with Play Like A Girl! on their first ‘Spring Play Day.’ Members of the League’s Provisional Class have worked hard to create fun activities focused on the importance of fitness, education and nutrition to encourage healthy lifestyles for the young women participating in the Play Like A Girl! program,” says Jamie Rogers, Junior League of Dallas.
Play Like A Girl! is a local non-profit organization dedicated to ending childhood obesity in girls, and one of the ways it does that is through its annual Spring Play Days. The Spring Play Day program is presented by the Dallas Tennis Association and made possible by the ongoing philanthropic support of Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities as well as the Junior League of Dallas.
The free Spring Play Days will offer girls and their families an afternoon of special guest appearances and old-fashioned games, including Red Rover and Red Light-Green Light as well as dance, outdoor bowling, a soccer clinic and Yoga to encourage active and healthy lifestyles. This year’s Spring Play Days will also commemorate World Tennis Day with special tennis demonstrations led by Dallas Tennis Association coaches and young tennis players from across the city.
Starting today, parents can email info@iplag.org to apply for their girls in grades 3 through 12 to be a part of the “When I was 10…” campaign featuring girls who engage in regular physical activity through dance, gymnastics and team sports. Up to 25 girls will be selected and invited to a private photo shoot for digital and print public service advertisements highlighting the importance of sports and active play in combatting the childhood obesity epidemic. Play Like A Girl! also has partnered with Telemundo TV to film a special Spring Play Days television promotion intended to help inspire Hispanic girls to live happy, healthy and active. Find Play Like A Girl! on Facebook to learn more about our upcoming events.
