SHE FLIES Celebrates Impactful First Year, Sets Sights on Greater Accomplishments in 2023

Sport Oregon to host Holiday Bash Dec. 6 to benefit flagship SHE FLIES initiative

When Sport Oregon launched its new SHE FLIES initiative last year, the organization had clear objectives for the signature endeavor. In its most simple terms, 2022 would take a building approach, with more ambitious goals in store for 2023.

As the flagship initiative of the Sport Oregon Foundation, the focus of SHE FLIES is connecting girls and women across Oregon to sports, and creating inclusive communities through its programs, partnerships and networks. It aims to do so through three focus areas: getting girls in the game, empowering women coaches and promoting fitness for life.

Now, as the holiday season approaches and 2022 winds down, it’s rewarding for the organization to look back at the first full year of SHE FLIES and see the strategic work behind building such an impactful initiative from the ground up come to life.  

“The past year was really about building a network and constructing what SHE FLIES is, and can be,” said Maika Janat-Vennemann, COO of Sport Oregon.

As Sport Oregon continues growing the initiative to achieve increased impact, awareness and support, it is hosting The Sport Oregon Holiday Bash benefitting SHE FLIES. The event is set for Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Cosmopolitan Ballroom at Hotel Eastlund in Portland. The Holiday Bash will feature an online auction, a raffle and a live auction with exclusive packages, such as a Grand Slam trip for two to New York to take in the 2023 US Open for tennis and a VIP access experience for next year’s INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland. 

Individual tickets and tables for The Sport Oregon Holiday Bash are currently available for purchase.

The goal all along has been to build a solid foundation for SHE FLIES, with the focus of 2023 centering around boosting its programs and increasing its impact.

“This first year was more about friends raising than fund raising,” Janat-Vennemann continued.

Still, while it’s a relatively new initiative, it’s safe to say SHE FLIES is off and soaring on the strength of a great first year. In 2022, SHE FLIES has generated upwards of $100,000 in revenue thus far. Through SHE FLIES, Sport Oregon awarded $25,000 in Community Grants in the spring. Additionally, the organization launched a new SHE FLIES content series, produced a free SHE FLIES Festival event, hosted a Women in Motorsports panel event in conjunction with the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Portland, and SHE FLIES became the exclusive non-profit partner and beneficiary of The Red Gala. Notably, the organization has established a number of strategic partnerships that have set a great foundation for the organization to experience continued growth for SHE FLIES.

Looking ahead to next year, Sport Oregon is looking to substantially add to and further enhance its events and fundraising efforts around SHE FLIES. For starters, the organization aims to give a minimum of $125,000 in Community Grants, with the new cycle beginning February 2023. Additionally, plans are in place to make the SHE FLIES Festival a much larger event, with future plans to expand it to additional communities across Oregon.

While there are plenty of successes to celebrate at the upcoming Holiday Bash, there is still work to be done to ensure 2023 is even bigger and better than expected. The organization hopes you can join them in their efforts to connect girls and women across the state to the many benefits of sports participation.