PLANO,
Texas, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night at
The espnW: Women + Sports Summit in Ojai,
California, presented by Toyota, Toyota and espnW announced
the seventh class of Toyota Everyday Heroes. Toyota's Everyday
Heroes program recognizes female individuals making a difference
for women and girls in their local communities through sports. The
Heroes were provided with grants in the amount of $15,000 and recognized on-stage by Team Toyota
Athlete and Paralympic gold medalist Jessica Long. Toyota has been a presenting
sponsor of The espnW: Women + Sports Summit for 10 years.
"We're inspired by these women's stories, as they exemplify the
true meaning of a 'Hero' in their communities," said Angie White, senior manager of media, Toyota
Motor North America. "Toyota is proud to announce the 2022 Everyday
Heroes – Liz Ferro and Nzingha Prescod – and support their mission to
make an impact for women and girls through sports."
The two 2022 Toyota Everyday Heroes are:
Liz Ferro (Girls With Sole –
Cleveland,
Ohio)
Liz Ferro is the
founder and CEO of the Girls With Sole. She started Girls With Sole
(GWS) in 2009 as a way to help underprivileged girls facing
difficult life circumstances. A survivor of foster care and abuse
herself, Ferro believes that sports provided an escape and focus
for her, saving her life. GWS provides free fitness sessions (such
as running, hiking and basketball) and wellness programs
(activities promoting friendship, self-esteem and more) to help
at-risk girls facing the same issues she did.
Ferro runs all the programs herself with help from volunteers.
While she has received grants and both monetary and in-kind
donations, Ferro does much of her own fundraising from running
marathons and competing in triathlons around the world. Liz has
written two books, with all of the proceeds going to GWS. Over
1,000 girls have benefitted from GWS over the years, "lacing up for
a lifetime of achievement," as the GWS mantra goes.
Nzingha Prescod (PISTE Academy
– Brooklyn, New
York)
Growing up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn,
Nzingha Prescod had extremely
limited opportunities for after-school sports. Prescod's mother
discovered the Peter Westbrook Foundation, where she began fencing,
resulting in an Ivy-League education and two Olympic berths.
In the summer of 2020, Nzingha started her "Fencing in the Park"
program, and it rapidly grew into the Prescod Institute for Sport,
Teamwork and Education (PISTE). Each year, 20-25 students
participate and learn the mechanics of fencing, discipline,
resilience and self-control. PISTE additionally offers school and
community programs, 1:1 academic tutoring and other educational
courses. In addition to PISTE, Nzingha has been working with the
city of New York on legislation to create an Office of Sport for
the city, a position designed to create more equitable
opportunities for sports.
"We're honored to partner with Toyota in showcasing the
incredible and inspiring work of these Everyday Heroes," said espnW
founder Laura Gentile. "Through
their remarkable leadership, resilience and dedication, they have
created sports initiatives that mentor and inspire women and girls
to dream bigger, live fuller lives and achieve their dreams."
To qualify for a Toyota Everyday Heroes grant, a person and/or
organization must:
- Have been operating as an active, sports-related organization
for at least two years;
- Are currently creating sports opportunities for girls and women
in their local communities, and making a meaningful, inspiring
impact with quantifiable results.
Past Honorees:
- 2018 – Cecelie Owens
(founder/president, G.I.R.L.S. Sports Foundation), Liz Brieva & Megan
Livatino (founder & executive director, Girls Play
Sports) and Melissa Clarke-Wharff
(founder, Courage League Sports)
- 2017 – Darlene Hunter (founder,
Lady Mavericks Wheelchair Basketball), Fartun Osman (founder, Somali Girls Rock) and
Mira Manickam (founder, Brown Girl
Surf)
- 2016 – Courtney Payne Taylor
(founder, Girls Riders Organization), Tracy
Pointer (founder, GROW/GROW Girl) and Beth Devine (founder, Philly Girls in
Motion)
- 2015 – Chrissy Lewis-Summers
(founder of Beyond Sticks) and Heidi
Boynton (founder of Mini Mermaid Running Club)
- 2014 – Dr. Kimberley S. Clay
(co-founder, Play Like a Girl!), Monica
Gonzalez (founder, Gonzo Soccer) and Claire Smallwood (co-founder and Executive
Director of SheJumps)
- 2013 – Barb Lazarus (founder,
Game On! Foundation), Justine Siegal
(founder, Baseball For All) and Mobolaji Akidoe (Hope 4 Girls
Foundation)
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in
North America for more than 60
years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation
mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than
1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in
North America who have contributed
to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars
and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's
14th plant in North Carolina
will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified
vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than
any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company's 2021
North American sales were electrified.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota,
visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
About espnW
espnW is a global multiplatform brand dedicated to engaging
and inspiring women through sports. espnW.com,
the brand's content home, offers total access to female athletes
and the sports they play, takes fans inside the biggest events, and
captures the biggest trends in sports life/style. espnW also
provides a unique point of view on the sports stories that matter
most to women and highlights the crossroads of sports and culture.
Founded in July 2010, espnW's content
and voices live across digital, television, radio, films, events,
educational platforms and social media.
Media Contacts:
Samuel Wells
Mahoney
samuel.mahoney@toyota.com
Saatchi for Toyota
Ava Weaver
469-357-2114
Ava.weaver@saatchi.com
espnW
Jay Jay Nesheim
jayjay.nesheim@espn.com
Isabelle Lopez
isabelle.m.lopez@espn.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America