unleash their greatest potential, #IPlayLikeAGirl will highlight the personal stories of 13 female athletes ages 13 to 30 all from the Dallas, Texas, area including U.S. Olympians Michelle Carter (Shot Put)and Nikki Kubes (Judo). Their stories emphasize the role sports has played in enhancing their physical and emotional health, self-confidence, academic performance and social relationships.

“We are proud to showcase these young women and girls and the positive impact that play can have in the lives of countless others,” said Dr. Kimberly Clay, Founder and Executive Director of Play Like A Girl. “Each has used participation in sports as a major step in overcoming significant hurdles in their lives including bullies, body shaming, low self-esteem, debilitating accidents and injuries, and life-threatening illnesses.”

Creating a strong emotional connection with women and girls, #IPlayLikeAGirl is centered on a one-minute video that showcases sporty girls and young women practicing Yoga, running a mile, lifting weights, dancing and boxing among other physical activities. Condensed into thirty and fifteen second television and radio advertisements, their impactful messages will be seen and heard throughout all of the major broadcast outlets in the Dallas, Texas, region.

“Through Judo, I found the strength and confidence I needed to achieve my dreams,” saidNikki Kubes, U.S. Judo Olympian featured in the #IPlayLikeAGirl ad campaign.  “After the Olympics, I set my sights on a new dream. I’ve always trained with the boys, fought with the boys, and always knew there was nothing a girl couldn’t do. So now I work with the boys and my dream is to be the best police officer I can be.”

The #IPlayLikeAGirl campaign draws inspiration from Sport for All, Play for Life: A Playbook to Get Every Kid in the Game recently released by the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Nike, ESPN, the Clinton Foundation and the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. The report outlines a national plan to re-imagine organized youth sports, prioritizing health and inclusion, while recognizing the benefits of unstructured play. The report presents the most promising opportunities to extend the benefits of playing sports to all, including the millions of girls who grow up with limited access to regular physical activity.

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Nearly one in three children and adolescents today is overweight or obese. Physical inactivity contributes to the epidemic and is passed forward across generations, creating a cycle of poor physical and emotional health and tragically wasted human potential. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites physical inactivity and obesity as risk factors for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and depression. By 2030, the combined medical costs associated with treating preventable, obesity-related disease is expected to increase by up to $66 billion per year in the United States, with a loss in economic productivity of up to $580 billion annually.

Childhood is the ideal time to create habits that establish a healthy weight, and participation in after-school physical activity programs–like those provided by Play Like A Girl–hold the most promise in reducing obesity rates among children ages 6-12, according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. This is especially true for African-American and Hispanic girls who are doubly hit by both gender and race disparities in sports and physical activity.

Play Like A Girl has been inspiring girls through health education, physical activity and sports for over 10 years, targeting girls across the 16 Deep South states where the burden of childhood overweight and obesity is greatest. With this new campaign, Play Like A Girl continues to provide girls the opportunity to find and play sports they love.

Play Like A Girl invites girls and women everywhere to join the movement and share how they play like a girl. Tweet, snap a photo, shoot a video or send a message to join the conversation and inspire young girls everywhere to be active.

To hear the stories of girls and women and be a part of the #IPlayLikeAGirl movement, visit:www.iplaylikeagirl.org.  For more information or to make a donation, visit www.iplaylikeagirl.org and follow Play Like A Girl on Facebook (/iplaylikeagirl), Instagram (@iplaylikeagirl) and Twitter (@iplaylikeagirl).