"Let's play ball!"…that's the phrase the girls at the STAR Series program at Hope Gardens Community Center in Bushwick, Brooklyn wanted to hear. Playing softball was the overwhelming favorite sport of the program. STAR Series is an after-school program incorporating sports clinics and the Women's Sports Foundation's "Go Girl Go" healthy living curriculum for girls 10-14 years old. Even though some of the girls had never played before, they were eager to give it a try and by the end of the 10-week series they were hitting balls out of the park!

The first half of each session introduced the girls to different sports like softball, tennis, and volleyball. For many of these girls, it was the first time they were exposed to a wide variety of sports. "My dad used to play baseball and make home runs," said Giselle, 11. "I didn't know what it was but now I do."

That's not all these girls learned! The second half of each session was dedicated to teaching the girls healthy living. They heard stories of female athletes who went through hard times from drugs and alcohol, to depression and eating disorders. Maria, 12, said that her favorite thing to learn was that "athletes went through a lot but they still came out ok." Carolina, 11, learned important lessons like teamwork and respecting yourself while Grace, 9 gained valuable advice of staying drug free and not giving in to peer pressure.

While STARS Series is dedicated to benefiting girls, others got fulfillment from the program as well. Anita Haines, director of the New York City Housing Authority's (NYCHA) Hope Gardens Community Center, was pleased with how much the program helped these girls. "It was an excellent program," says Anita, "the girls got a lot out of it and they were excited about it. They looked forward to coming every Thursday." One of the changes Anita saw in these girls was their self-esteem. "Before, if they weren't an excellent player, they were not on the team, now they learned you don't have to be an excellent player, as long as you try."

Maria steps up to the plate…she swings…it's outta here! As she rounds the bases one can hope that this is just the first step in helping girls become champions not only in sports, but, more importantly, in life.