Bay FC midfielder Hannah Bebar wants to be a friend and teammate for the next generation of girls. When she’s off the field, Bebar spends her free time encouraging girls to play sports and build life skills as a volunteer mentor and coach with the San Jose‑based non‑profit organization, Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (BAWSI).
“From the very beginning of my time with Bay FC,” Bebar noted, “I was immediately drawn to BAWSI’s commitment to leveling the playing field and expanding access to sports for girls from under-resourced neighborhoods and children with disabilities.”
This work has earned her a nomination for the NWSL’s 2026 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide. This league-wide initiative recognizes one player from each NWSL club who has made an exceptional impact in their community. As a part of her nomination, Nationwide will donate $5,000 to BAWSI. Learn more about Bebar’s work with BAWSI, the organization, and its history with Bay FC.
Bebar’s Work with BAWSI
“Hannah leads with vision and intention on the field and in our community,” BAWSI CEO Dana Weintraub said. “As a mentor and coach, [she has] built lasting relationships with participants, and consistently used her platform to elevate BAWSI’s mission. In recognition of her leadership and dedication, Hannah was recently appointed to BAWSI’s Advisory Council, where she helps shape the organization’s future.”
“When Hannah and her teammates step onto a BAWSI playground, they help girls see new possibilities for themselves. Later, when those same girls cheer for Bay FC, they celebrate athletes they know — women who have encouraged them, inspired them, and are a part of their community. These relationships stay with girls long after the final whistle, reinforcing that they belong in sport, in their community, and in whatever future they choose to pursue.”
Why BAWSI?
When discussing her work with this organization, Bebar touched on BAWSI’s influence and dedication to the city they’re working in. “This organization does so much for the greater San Jose community,” Bebar said. “They’re in playgrounds every single week with the girls and I think that’s invaluable that they’re not just one-off events. They’re every week and they’re really creating a community for girls to feel welcome and for girls to feel a part of sports.”
Moreover, she likes being present as a friend and a teammate for these girls as they build their skills in the program. “We have such a cool opportunity to be a part, present in community, but sometimes it’s just needing a friend, needing a teammate to go out,” she said. “I want to be that teammate, I want to be that friend, who’s just, ‘Join me, come in the car, come after practice, we have time after practice,’ and I think and that’s the most valuable thing, when you show up for these girls.”
She sees the long-term benefits of the BAWSI programs that extend beyond the playground. “I’ve had so many conversations about people who care about what I do off the field as well as on the field and I think it’s really inspiring to be a part of a community like that who is so accepting, seeing how fierce and confident these girls are it just inspires them when they’re around likeminded girls and they have a space for themselves,” Bebar said. “I think this program does such a good job giving girls those skills of leadership that they can hopefully bring onto their careers and their lives and all the way back to their communities.”
BAWSI In Depth
BAWSI’s mission is to mobilize the Bay Area women’s sports community to engage, inspire, and empower girls from under-resourced neighborhoods and children with disabilities by providing free, inclusive sports programs that level the playing field and expand access to play.
According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, girls have much less opportunity to play sports than boys, which disproportionately impacts girls of color and translates to 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play in high school. Moreover, while 60 million American youth (55.4%) play organized sports, girls participate at much lower rates than their male counterparts: 35.6% to boys’ 41% (EBSCO).
Playing sports leads to positive physical and mental health and even improves graduation rates from high school and college. The benefits don’t stop there: 94% of women in corporate executive roles played sports in high school.
BAWSI has been quite successful in its mission. Over the past two decades, they’ve boasted more than 26,000 participants and 9,500 volunteers. “The relationships built through BAWSI are mutually transformative. Girls discover what is possible for their futures, and professional athletes find meaningful ways to become a part of the communities they represent,” Weintraub said. Moreover, graduates from the BAWSI Girls program have become leaders in their communities in areas as diverse as business, medicine, government and nonprofits.
Likewise, BAWSI team member and two-time NWSL Champion Tegan McGrady recently shared with Weintraub that BAWSI helped her rediscover a sense of belonging as she navigated one of the most challenging transitions of her career. “The girls and BAWSI are healing a part of me that had been broken,” she reflected. “They have given me a space to realize there’s another space I belong. Hannah exemplifies this same spirit, building relationships that strengthen both the girls she inspires and the community she proudly calls home.”
Bay FC and BAWSI’s History
Bay FC and BAWSI’s long history began before either organization existed — back in the late ‘90s. Weintraub believes, “Every movement begins with a moment. For the Bay Area women’s sports community, that moment came in 1999, when Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, and the U.S. Women’s National Team captured the world’s attention at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. They inspired a generation of girls and demonstrated what was possible when women were given the opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest stage.”
This excitement led to the creation of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), with a championship team led by San Jose CyberRays General Manager Marlene Bjornsrud. Unfortunately, the league folded within two years, “…not because of a lack of talent or passion, but because investment in women’s sports had not yet caught up with the vision,” according to the BAWSI executive.
“Rather than seeing the collapse of a league as the end, Marlene Bjornsrud, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, and community leaders saw a new beginning. In 2005, they founded the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (BAWSI) to mobilize the women’s sports community to engage, inspire, and empower girls from under-resourced neighborhoods and children with disabilities through the power of sport. Their vision was simple but ambitious: create a community where women athletes do not simply compete, they inspire, mentor and support the next generation to build confidence, experience belonging, develop as leaders, and imagine new possibilities for their futures.”
That vision came together two decades later when BAWSI co-founder Brandi Chastain, former BAWSI Board Chair Danielle Slaton, longtime BAWSI supporter Leslie Osborne, and Bay Area soccer pioneer Aly Wagner founded Bay FC – bringing professional women’s soccer back to the Bay Area and building a club where players lead on and off the field.
Since their founding, the two organizations have been intertwined. Before Bay FC named its first player, Bay FC staff volunteered on BAWSI playgrounds. Partnering with Soul Focus Sports, BAWSI Athlete Leader Coaches support and participate in Bay FC events to enhance the fan experience. Bay FC players have attended and spoken at BAWSI Galas since 2024. They also share many committed corporate partners, including Sutter Health, PG&E, and PNC, who believe that investing in girls through sport strengthens their communities.
How You Can Support Bebar and BAWSI
Fans will be able to vote for their favorite Lauren Holiday Impact Award nominee in the Fan Impact Challenge between August 14 and 29. The winning player will receive a $10,000 donation from Nationwide for their selected nonprofit. The overall winner will be announced during Championship Weekend and will receive an additional $50,000 donation for their chosen charity. Stay tuned for more details about how to cast your vote.
