Submitted by M&M’s
The candy company M&M’S is celebrating one of the founders of Girls Play Sports, Liz Maday of Evanston, for her impactful work to empower women and flip the status quo. She will receive a $10,000 grant to further fund her mission with Girls Play Sports as one of 20 national winners of the M&M’S Flipping The Status Quo program. More than 1,000 consumers throughout the country submitted nominations for the barrier-breaking women in their lives who are flipping the status quo in their everyday lives and deserve to be celebrated and rewarded for their amazing work.
Girls Play Sports exposes girls to sports they never tried while also creating future leaders by engaging them in meaningful conversations about important topics that affect women today. The organization was founded with the goal of fostering leadership skills and confidence in girls (grades 3-8) through their participation in a wide variety of sports. To help Maday further her impact on these young females, M&M’S is funding her flip with a $10K donation and spotlighting her on its platforms to spread awareness of her mission.
“The M&M’S brand is committed to using the power of fun to create a world where everyone feels they belong,” said Gabrielle Wesley, chief Marketing officer, Mars Wrigley North America. “The winners of the M&M’S Flipping the Status Quo program are breaking barriers and positively impacting their communities across the U.S., creating a space for more incredible women to follow in their footsteps. Their immense efforts to flip the status quo in areas such as well-being, equality, education, and inclusion are an inspiring example of how harnessing the power of fun through meaningful passions and initiatives, can help to create a world where everyone feels they belong.”
More information on the 20 inspiring winners and a full list of their initiatives and organizations can be found here.
I’ve had the honor of working with Ms. Maday to educate students at the middle school level. Her creativity is beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed in my 25 years of teaching. She is able to take abstract concepts and teach it in a way that makes it relevant to students’ lives. Students thrive in her compassionate classroom.
Coincidentally, Ms. Maday was also my daughter’s volleyball coach at ETHS. I was able to witness the strong correlation between team-building and game success. At the freshman level, she understood how important it was for the players to make strong positive connections so they could support each other when games aren’t going as planned. They continued to stay positive and come out with smiles each time.
Girls Play Sports is simply Ms. Maday spreading her love of sports and using it as a vehicle for promoting leadership amongst females. In a small community, such as Evanston, the empowerment of a single female has ripple effects that radiate for generations. Imagine the tsunami that can occur with an entire team of strong females!
Congratulations, Ms. Maday!