"That to me is the most important aspect of this; just making sure everyone feels welcome in the sport,"
To Renee Hess, the next step for the Black Girl Hockey Club was a natural one. The associate director of service-learning for community engagement at La Sierra University in Riverside, California, Hess founded the club at the beginning of this season because she wanted to create a comfortable atmosphere for black women to watch hockey games together.
But successful outings to Washington, New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn) and Nashville and the exponential growth in membership to more than 200 got her thinking about what the group could do beyond going to games. So earlier this month, Hess began the process of transforming the Black Girl Hockey Club into a nonprofit organization that can help others get involved and give back to a game that brings her joy.
