No event has better captured the spirit of GoGirlGo! Boston than the July 10 tennis tournament at the Ferncroft Country Club. Venus Williams was playing a World TeamTennis match for the Philadelphia Freedoms, and Joan Norton, an avid GoGirlGo! donor and supporter, was a host sponsor of the event. Read more about the event and Joan Norton’s dedication to girls' empowerment.
No event has better captured the spirit of GoGirlGo! Boston than the July 10 tennis tournament at the Ferncroft Country Club. That evening, community support created inspiration for girls; Venus Williams was playing a World TeamTennis match for the Philadelphia Freedoms, and Joan Norton, an avid GoGirlGo! donor and supporter, was a host sponsor of the event. Knowing that Williams would be stopping by her VIP tent, Norton saw an opportunity for girls from a GoGirlGo! network organization to meet the international tennis star. Three girls were chosen for their embodiment of the tenacity and never-give-up feisty attitude that characterizes our program’s founder, Billie Jean King. After chatting with the girls and signing their caps, Williams went on to help the Philadelphia Freedoms reign victorious over the Boston Lobsters. In addition, all three girls took home free tennis racquets so they could practice their tennis skills.
Norton’s allegiance to the program stems from the dramatic impact that Billie Jean King had on her life. Norton was raised in Dorchester and Quincy, Mass., by her single mother, who was developmentally disabled as a result of a childhood bout with spinal meningitis. While her mother struggled to support her family on her cafeteria worker salary, a shorthand teacher and guidance counselor at Quincy High School tried to push Norton into taking shorthand and becoming a secretary. But not only was she an extremely independent spirit, she was also a horrible speller—she was shocked at being pushed into a future that suited her so poorly. Today, Norton wonders, “was it because I was a girl? Or because my mother was poor and single?” At the time, Billie Jean King was changing history for female athletes through her advocacy efforts, and her precedent inspired Norton to pave her own path. Needless to say, she did not pursue a career as a typist but excelled academically and went on to college at UMass Boston. Today Norton is an award-winning independent financial advisor, succeeding in a field in which a mere four percent of her colleagues are women.
GoGirlGo! Boston is proud to be partnered with women like Joan Norton who believe in the right of every individual to create her own future. She stressed that “kids need to reflect internally on what they love to do and focus on that, not let any adult push them into a career or life that doesn’t fee right to them.” At the tennis tournament, Norton not only provided an amazing opportunity for GoGirlGo! girls, but also encouraged everyone at her tent to donate to the program. Seeking to ensure that girls have opportunities that will set them up for success, Norton will be sponsoring tuition for a graduate of GoGirlGo! programming to attend the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 2009 and is actively seeking other successful Boston women to sponsor additional years of tuition. This story is an incredible testament to the power of inspiration, action and possibility. We hope it is one of many stories to be told of passionate women in Boston helping to change the lives of young girls.