College athletes mentor KC girls

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – At the Boys and Girls Club, college athletes are creating pathways to scholarships while teaching fundamental sports skills to Kansas City girls who might not otherwise have access to such opportunities.

“It’s really cool to be able to give back and teach the younger generation how to play our sport,” said Campbell Bagshaw, a KU softball player volunteering at the camp.

Breaking Down Barriers to Sports Access

The partnership between Win for KC and the Boys and Girls Club brings Camp Win directly into underserved communities, eliminating transportation and cost barriers that often prevent girls from participating in organized sports.

“We want to give our young folks an opportunity. That’s what Win for KC and Camp Win is all about — giving these young females the opportunity to participate in sports,” said Kary Kankey, Director of Healthy Lifestyles for Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City.

For college athletes like Bagshaw, the experience offers a perspective on skills they take for granted.

“You kind of forget that these are things that we do on an everyday basis, but little girls don’t know how to do them,” she said.

The Emotional Impact

The joy on young faces makes the volunteer work meaningful for the college athletes teaching softball fundamentals like throwing, fielding and base running.

“Seeing these little girls’ faces smile and doing the sport that we love and being able to share it with them and hopefully make them love it too — it’s really amazing,” Bagshaw said.

From Playground to Scholarships

The program’s long-term impact extends far beyond a single day of sports instruction. Taylor Banks, Director of Win for KC with the Kansas City Sports Commission, has witnessed the program’s life-changing potential firsthand.

“Women come up to me who are my age and they have said that the sports they learned at Camp Win when they were a little girl is the very same sport that they then were able to play college sports with and earn a scholarship with,” Banks said.

The representation matters, according to Kankey.

“If they can see it, they can believe it, that they can be it as well,” she said.

Creating a Cycle of Giving Back

For the college athletes, mentoring young girls creates a meaningful connection to their own athletic journey.

“It gives us a reason to keep playing the sport,” Bagshaw said.

Addressing a Critical Need

The program addresses a significant problem in youth sports participation. According to Banks, girls are dropping out of sports at alarming rates.

“We see girls dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys by the age of 14, and if girls can have a positive experience with sports, it really lends them to stay in it longer,” she said.

Kansas City’s Sports Legacy

The initiative reflects Kansas City’s growing reputation in women’s athletics.

“I think the thing to remember, especially in Kansas City, is we are the epicenter of women’s sports, and it all starts with investing in our youth,” Banks said.

The Camp Win community program serves as a condensed version of the main summer camp, which serves 800 to 1,000 girls annually and sells out within 48 hours. Girls who participate in the community version receive free access to the full summer camp experience.

About Camp Win: The program has operated for more than 20 years, offering girls exposure to 14 different sports while building social-emotional skills and confidence. The partnership with Boys and Girls Club represents the program’s commitment to reaching underserved communities across Kansas City.

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