Batch helps with Strong Women Strong Girls Jump Into Spring!

Strong Women Strong Girls Jump Into Spring!
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*More than 200 Area Girls and Their College Mentors Gather to Jump Rope at Community Event *
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More than 500 jumping feet will Jump into Spring together April 15th when the elementary school girls, their college mentors and their sponsors participate in this unique jump rope event at Duquesne University, thanks to the fundraising efforts ofStrong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG).
 
Joining the girls and their mentors some notable local athletes including Teresa Conn, founder of the world championPittsburgh Passion football team, and members of the world championPittsburgh Steelers, including Quarterbacks Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon. Charlie Batch and his Best of the Batch Foundation, are regular supporters of Strong Women, Strong Girls in Homestead where girls from his elementary school participate. A member of the Pittsburgh Passion will jump off against a member of the Steelers.
 
*Jump into Spring!,a unique jump-rope event, promotes athletics, academics, teamwork and character education in young women.  The event is the highlight of the learning and mentorship program taking place all year at 17 local elementary school and community center sites throughout the Pittsburgh area. 
 
"As a regional employer with a high percentage of female employees, we strongly believe in mentoring and cultivating talent, both internally and externally," says Sue McMurdy, EVP & CIO, First Commonwealth Financial Corporation. "We see this event as another great way to encourage and support these terrific young women as they begin finding their own paths toward success; athletic endeavors are a great way to develop leadership and critical team skills."
 
Sponsors of Jump into Spring! also build relationships with the mentor group: high-energy, leadership-positioned college students.  Higher education partners in the program here include Carlow University, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Point Park University and the University of Pittsburgh.
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*"All year, these hardworking girls and their remarkable mentors meet after school to practice important life skills, such as determination and perseverance, goal-setting and being strong competitors," says Lynne Garfinkel, SWSG Executive Director. "Jump into Spring! is a celebration of that work—and a chance for the girls to put their newfound abilities into practice."
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*About Strong Women, Strong Girls: Strong Women, Strong Girls is an innovative after-school program in which college women volunteer with at-risk girls in grades 3 to 5 to learn about strong women in history and the skills that brought them success. Partner sites for 2008-2009 include*Arsenal Elementary, Hilltop United Methodist Church, c/o Brashear Association, Centre Avenue YMCA, Community Human Services, Dilworth Elementary, Greenfield Elementary, Homewood-Brushton YMCA, Lincoln Primary Campus, Lincoln Upper Campus, Manchester Elementary, Miller Elementary, Minadeo Elementary, Providence Family Support Center, Rainbow Kitchen Community Services, Roosevelt Elementary, Stevens Elementary, and Sunnyside Elementary. * Across three cities, including Boston, Pittsburgh and Miami, nearly 600 girls and 160 college women currently participate in Strong Women, Strong Girls programming.