ABOUT US
IT STARTS ON THE FIELD. IT LAST A LIFETIME
CGB Scholarship Fund
This fully or partially (depending on need) funds the cost of registration for girls who would otherwise be unable to join us.
Free programing for girls in underserved communities
We understand that transportation to fields may be a barrier to participation, so we reach deeper into communities to create opportunities for girls to join us where they already are - in their schools.
Canadian Girls Baseball started with one girl who loved baseball. We changed the game for her, so she wouldn’t quit, and we've since been changing the game for girls across Canada. We're on a mission, building a movement and making space for girls in sport. But we can't do it alone.
At Canadian Girls Baseball, our belief is that ALL girls who want to play with us should be able to. We know that girls face enough barriers to joining sports - especially male-dominated sports like baseball - and we work hard everyday to break down as many barriers to participation as possible.
One of those barriers is sometimes financial in nature, and for this reason, we offer various programs to help girls across the country access our programming. To date, we’ve been able to offer programs like:
Free for Newcomers Program
This provides free league membership to Canadian newcomers, as well as access to fields that may be more accessible for their families.
Free community programming
We regularly hold open field days in communities across the country for girls to join us and try baseball!
MEET THE TEAM
Dana Bookman
Founder & CEO
Deanna Ryan
Programs Manager
Murray Carr
Manager of Player Development
Kylie O'Donnell
Manager of Coach Development
Jen Donaldson
Eastern Canada
Programs Coordinator
We shine the spotlight on each of our incredible coaches - many of them women's provincial and national team players
ADVISORY BOARD
Bart Given
Bart is currently the Managing Director of TORQUE Strategies, and has been a senior lead on projects with Hockey Canada, Rugby Canada, Canada Basketball, and the Canadian Olympic Team.
Bart spent twelve years with the Toronto Blue Jays making the career journey from summer-intern to Senior VP Baseball Operations & Assistant General Manager.
Danielle Bedasse
Danielle has made her career in the business of sport and its effective use in youth engagement, community development and brand building.
Danielle currently serves in a dual role with Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves as the Director of Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Atlanta Braves Foundation, responsible for the community marketing, community outreach, youth baseball and philanthropic endeavours of the Atlanta National League Baseball Club.
Her previous role was with MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays as Executive Director of the Jays Care Foundation. She developed and delivered award-winning programs and outreach initiatives with an impact for tens of thousands of children and communities across Canada.
David Rhode
David founded Pitch In For Baseball and Softball, a US-based non profit, which gives the gift of play and contributes to positive youth development by providing equipment to more than 900,000 children around the world. David studied undergraduate business at Georgetown University. He graduated with Honors with an Masters in Business Administration from The Wharton School.
David is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, instructing graduate students in Non Profit Branding and consults with both for profit and non-for-profit companies seeking to scale their operations.
Jennifer Orange
She is a lawyer, mediator, adjudicator, and human rights expert. She has deep experience in non-profit leadership, and is committed to the rights of women and girls. Most importantly, she loves baseball!
Vickram Agarwal
Vickram leads the Black Rock Marketing Group as Partner & Managing Director. Based in Toronto, they work with global brands like Hershey, Canada Dry, Energizer, Nestle Health Science, Kraft Heinz, Mattel and DAP, to name a few. Raised in India and the Middle East, educated in the UK, he started his marketing career with General Motors in Dubai. In 2011, he founded Stroke Consulting, a Strategy & Digital Marketing Consultancy with clients across Canada, the U.S, Middle East & U.K. He is an Advisory Council Member of the Harvard Business Review and created Daddy’s Digest, an online platform with over a million users that bridges the parenting gap through the creation of expert and user generated content.
