Local Gymnasts Join Olympian Chellsie Memmel to Raise Money for Women and Girls

Cecilia, KY – Becca’s Place Gymnastics competitive gymnasts launched a fundraiser today to help women and girls in their community in honor of Olympian and World Champion gymnast, Chellsie Memmel. Earlier this month, Becca’s Place Gymnastics announced that Memmel will join local gymnasts as a guest coach at the gymnastics center later this summer.

Memmel, who recently returned to elite competition after an eight-year hiatus during which time she got married and had two kids, is passionate about doing all she can to help women and girls thrive and never give up on their dreams.

“When we learned about her desire to support women and girls, we reached out to the Central Kentucky Community Foundation to identify two funds that are aligned with Chellsie’s passion. From there we selected the Heels Together Women’s Fund and the Youth Sports Fund of Hardin County,” said Jennifer Ryan, co-owner and co-head coach at Becca’s Place. “We are excited to raise money for these two impactful programs.”

The Heels Together Women’s Fund is a women-led initiative uniting money, ideas, and actions to create a lasting change for women and girls, their families, and communities. Since 2015, Heels Together has funded more than $150,000 for various initiatives that support women and girls including STEM education, transitional housing, transportation, a healing garden for victims of sexual abuse, women’s health initiatives, and much more.

The Youth Sports Fund of Hardin County encourages and supports youth participation in recreational sports and makes these opportunities available to any player, regardless of their financial situation. The Youth Sports Fund of Hardin County offers scholarships for families who need financial assistance for children to play sports.

“For the first time ever, the money we raise for the youth sports fund will be designated for girls who want to participate in a recreational gymnastics program,” said co-owner and co-head coach Jessika Bohannon-Ferriss. “We’re thrilled with the opportunity to help more young girls in our community gain access to the sport we love.”

Central Kentucky Community Foundation President and CEO Davette Swiney expressed her gratitude for the partnership.

“We are thrilled that Jennifer and Jessika reached out to us and that we could identify two great ways to help the team give back and support women and girls,” said Swiney. “CKCF serves as a vehicle for philanthropic giving. We always want to help people who want to improve lives in their community, and we love the emphasis Becca’s Place puts on service to others.”

Ryan said service is one of their core values.

“We try to teach life lessons along with the sport of gymnastics,” said Ryan. “Long after these girls make their last tumbling pass or vault, we want them to remember what’s most important.”

Each gymnast attending Becca’s Place competitive team camp with Memmel will participate in the fundraiser with opportunities for private and semi-private lessons for gymnasts who raise the most money.

“Our gymnasts and their families are a competitive bunch who love to serve their community, but also win,” said Bohannon-Ferriss. “We’re counting on their desire to give back and spend time with Chellsie to make this a really impactful fundraiser.”

When Olympian Madison Kocian guest coached in 2021, the gym raised over $18,000 for Tenley and Adley Ward to help cover medical costs associated with the sisters’ cancer battle.

Anyone interested in donating to the fundraiser on a gymnast’s behalf can visit https://app.99pledges.com/fund/heelstoget.

There is also an option on the website to contribute to the fundraiser without designating the donation to a specific gymnast. That option can be found at https://app.99pledges.com/fund/heelstoget/donate.

The fundraiser will end at midnight (PST) on July 15.