There is so much pressure that comes from social media and messages about growing up to look perfect, especially among young women. Smart Fit Girls is an organization that was created by two CSU alumnae to help guide young women feel confident in themselves and their abilities, and the group will be hosting a fundraising event Sept. 21-22 to further promote women and girls’ empowerment.
Smart Fit Girls is a nonprofit that aims to encourage strength and empowerment in women, especially during adolescence. The program was founded by Chrissy Chard and Kellie Walters four years ago and is continuing to expand.
Chard, now an assistant professor in CSU’s Department of Health and Exercise Science, and Walters have developed a curriculum that is shared with young women to help them create positive body image, improve self-esteem, and learn how to lift weights. The program focuses on what girls’ bodies can do, rather than on what they look like.
“It is hard for young women, especially with social media today, to feel confident in themselves and their abilities,” said Chard. “They typically don’t realize that what they are being bombarded with on social media is not real or is heavily edited. We want young women coming out of this program to feel strong, worthy and that they are enough just the way they are.”
Event details
The Unite For Strength: A Women and Girls’ EmPOWERlifting Event will be held on Sept. 21 and 22 at Pursuit Gym in Windsor. The sponsors of the event include Bodybuilding.com, Life Improvement Fitness Training and the Department of Health and Exercise Science.
Friday, Sept. 21:
Unite for Strength’s Empowerment Evening will host a lineup of strong women sharing insights and experiences related to the empowerment of women and girls. The night will include guest speakers Leanna Carr, Janae Marie Kroc, Chrissy King, Trish Figueroa, Maria Rodriguez and past Smart Fit Girls participants. The speakers event will be held at the Lory Student Center theatre.
The night will include dinner, body positivity activities and a raffle and silent auction. The entry free, which includes dinner,is $50 for one adult and $25 for one child (under 18) and $360 for a table of eight. CSU student may attend for $25 by using the discount code CSUstudent. The event begins at 5 p.m. and will wrap up with a panel and Q&A discussion starting at 8 p.m.
To register for the Unite for Strength’s Empowerment Evening, click here.
Saturday Sept. 22:
The Sept. 22 competition will have two sessions. The first session will begin around 9 a.m. and the second one at about 1 p.m. Spectators will also be able to partake in workouts and body image/self-esteem activities that are included in the Smart Fit Girls curriculum, led by participants themselves. Multiple vendors, including Athleta, Silx, and Colorado Nutrition, will be on site.
To register to compete in the powerlifting meet, click here.
There is no cost to attend Unite for Strength, but a suggested donation of $10 is appreciated. All proceeds go to furthering Smart Fit Girls outreach and initiatives nationwide.
An anonymous donor has agreed to provide up to $15,000 in matching funds, and gifts can be made online here.
“We’ve been there and know what it’s like to be a young girl,” according to the organization’s website. “We want to do everything in our power to ensure that adolescent girls learn to love themselves by embracing their personal strengths.”
