BUFFALO STATE ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Former women’s basketball player and Buffalo State Athletics Hall of Famer Cecelie Owens was honored last week at the ninth annual The espnW: Women + Sports Summit in Newport Beach, Calif., as a Toyota Everyday Hero. Toyota Everyday Heroes are individuals making a difference for women and girls in their local communities through sports. Owens recognized on-stage and provided with grants in the amount of $10,000.
Owens, an educator and native of Buffalo, is the Founder and President of the G.I.R.L.S. Sports Foundation, Inc. (GSF). She founded the non-profit organization in 2007 to make a positive impact on girls in Buffalo through sports participation, mentoring, educational workshops and more, preparing them to be successful in all aspects of their lives. G.I.R.L.S. stands for Goals, Integrity, Respect, Leadership, and Sports – the main pillars of the program. Cecelie involves parents and members of the community to not only have fun, but teach the girls strategies for overcoming adversity, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and promote teamwork. More than 5,000 girls have participated since the organization was founded. In 1999, Cecelie became the first African-American woman inducted into the Buffalo State College Athletic Hall of Fame and has served as the Director of the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) hosted at Buffalo State College for 10 years.
Owens, who is the principal at Buffalo Public School 94 – West Hertel Academy, was standout on the hardwood at Buffalo State from 1980-84. She finished her career with 905 points in 77 games, including averaging 18.4 points as a senior, when she was named to the ECAC Division III Upstate New York All-Star and Kodak All-East basketball teams. She helped lead Buffalo State to a title in the first-ever SUNYAC Championship in her final senior season.
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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. The annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit brings together top athletes and industry leaders for meaningful conversations around women and sports, and is the leading event of its kind in the sports industry.
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