The Play Like a Girl Honors Gala
Ever wondered what it's like to attend a glittering Nashville charity gala, packed with a sea of glamorously-dressed guests and sparkling with a light of a thousand flashbulbs?
Well you can quit wondering, because we're inviting you to join us at the Play Like a Girl Honors Gala, to be held November 26 at the Marriott Hotel in Cool Springs. And we're going to be giving you a peek at the amazing creative process beforehand since we're just kicking up the pressure on the planning process.
As our biggest and brightest event of the year, the Play Like a Girl Honors is a chance for those of us in the sweaty stench of the work all year long to come together as a community and take a break (just for one night!) from our crazy-busy schedules to live it up and celebrate our accomplishments. Plus, of course, we're celebrating some pretty amazing people.
Hosted by talented ESPN host and commentator Cari Champion, the Play Like a Girl Honors celebrates the contributions and exceptional service of leading women and men in sports and the girls they inspire. The 2018 honorees include professional tennis player and 2017 U.S. Open finalist Madison Keys, inspirational coach and mentor Bart Brooks (Belmont University Lady Bruins Basketball), global sports brand strategist Kenyatta Bynoe, corporate volunteers Sammie Griffin & Paula Hood (Wells Fargo Bank) and influential sports marketer Kenisha Rhone (Belmont University Athletics).
The Honors has become a staple in Play Like a Girl history by celebrating extraordinary shining stars in sports including Mo'ne Davis, the first girl to earn a win and to pitch a shutout in Little League World Series history, and Kim Mulkey, the first person in NCAA history to win a basketball national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach, among others.
Without a doubt, a gorgeous affair of this kind takes quite a bit of planning and work. This year Laura Lubin of Ellerslie Interiors is the master planner serving on the Host Committee alongside Co-Chairs Danielle Breezy & Kelly Ford, and we're working together with a team of 40 women volunteers to brainstorm and bring our concept for the gala to life.
Together, we'll transform a mundane conference center into a sophisticated party scene. Once the space design is finalized, we will take you behind the scenes to the design studio of Elizabeth Imber to show you just how amazing this process is, from pulling in elements from the venue and combining them in the event branding to designing the elegant Save the Date announcement and invitation suite using a sleek gold and metallic palette.
We'll be sharing videos along with the final invitation. It is truly a work of art, and we want you to be a part of it. Hope you enjoy the journey as much as we do!
To purchase tickets or host a table, please visit iplaylikeagirl.org/honors.
Trisha Yearwood Reports for Snack Duty
Country music superstar and New York Times bestselling cookbook author Trisha Yearwood and her sister, Beth, stopped by Play Like a Girl for snack duty during camp and filmed an episode of her Emmy® Award-winning Food Network series Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.
Trisha and Beth taught our girls how to make Easy Snack Skewers. Inspired by the day, Trisha whipped up some other snacks, too, including Baked Apple Chips with Rainbow Fruit Salsa, Power Wraps with Sweet Potato Hummus and Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins. With help from the campers and camp volunteers Abby Blair and Amanda Webster, Trisha and Beth also had fun playing like girls—volleyball, Double Dutch and all!
The episode of Trisha's Southern Kitchen featuring Play Like a Girl will air Saturday, August 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET, 9:30 CT on Food Network.
Yearwood, a former athlete herself, is known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a perspective that has been described by music critics as "strong" and "confident". Yearwood is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2000.
Yearwood rose to fame in 1991 with her debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became her first No. 1 single and was featured on her self-titled debut album. Yearwood has continued to find success and widespread critical acclaim, selling more than 15 million albums worldwide, and has won three Grammy Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, two Academy of Country Music Awards, an American Music Award, and a Pollstar Industry Award for touring.
On November 26, Trisha will join us again as Honorary Chair at the 8th Annual Play Like a Girl Honors Gala where she will gather a flock of fans and friends as we add a splash of Grammy Award-winning country to our only fundraiser of the year. Don your favorite cocktail dress and raise your glass for this elegant dinner and awards presentation at our host hotel Marriott Hotel Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee.