Spring is in the air which means it’s time to play softball!  I was asked by the Board of Directors at Oakland Girls’ Softball League (OGSL) to revamp and reinvigorate their Opening Day Ceremony and Carnival.  I was happy to oblige!

OGSL is a league of more than 200 girls from all over Oakland, CA.  The OGSL mission is to provide organized fast pitch softball to girls between the ages of 5-14 with the overall goal of promoting sportsmanship, developing individual skills, encouraging friendship, and providing leadership opportunities via a fun and positive athletic experience. www.ogsl.org  OGSL is proud to see many of its players go on to play softball in high schools throughout the Bay Area.  When you see all of these girls gather on a gorgeous March morning, you really feel the empowerment!

To spice things up, we added an old fashioned cake walk (there was a line waiting to play during the entire carnival!), lots of fun games (milk bottle toss, throwing softballs through targets), a lollipop tree (with candy prizes!!), and a “snack” shack that would rival any restaurant in town – fresh ceviche, grilled chicken quesadillas, pesto pasta with grilled vegetables, a snow cone station, nachos, hot dogs, and more!

A donated cake!

We topped the fun off with face painting and balloon animals – thanks to Magikidz who gave us a discount on their wonderful services – www.magikidz.com.  This was OGSL’s only fundraiser for the year, so we were working on a very tight budget.  They raised a lot of money to give scholarships to girls who want to play softball, and to help improve baseball and softball fields throughout Oakland.  What a great organization, and a great day!