International Women’s Day : Celebrating our Founders

Did you know women make up 75% of the nonprofit workforce? This according to the 2012 “Current State of Women in Leadership” report. The study, Benchmarking Women’s Leadership, was a partnership between the White House and the Women’s College of the University of Denver. This percentage means 9.2 million American women (out of 12.29 million) work in nonprofits, which is the third largest workforce in the United States.

UNwomen.org’s 2021 theme for International Women’s Day celebrates women in leadership.

“Women’s full and effective participation and leadership in of all areas of life drives progress for everyone.”

At Caris Sports Foundation, we could not agree more and are taking this moment to celebrate our female founders: Raquel “Roxi” McNabb, Jennifer Kruse, Ashley Schugg, and Nicole Hawkins.

Caris Sports Foundation was established by women who understand the value of sports and the associated benefits of helping boys and girls grow physically, emotionally, and socially. Each has dedicated countless hours to launching this foundation, reviewing essays and applications, organizing fundraising events, and donating their time to helping the communities in which they live. Between them, they are mothers to 12 children, all of which participate in some level of youth sports including soccer and basketball.

“Through the past few years, I have seen first-hand the passion Roxi and Donovan (McNabb) have for youth sports. Their passion and drive do not change based on age or ability – they want kids to succeed and love the game they play. When you witness that kind of passion, it becomes contagious. I love youth sports, so it is a natural fit for me to walk in step with Caris Sports Foundation to give kids the opportunity to participate in the sport they love by removing financial barriers.” – Jennifer Kruse, Co-Founder, wife, mother, and youth basketball coach