"The more barriers we can eliminate for underrepresented communities, the more joy we can spread."
Glenna Ingraham is the head coach of the North Nova Highlanders, a female baseball program for girls ages 5-18 in the Highland Region. The North Nova Highlanders provide opportunities to play baseball recreationally and competitively within the Bluenose League of Baseball Nova Scotia. Glenna has been coaching baseball for over 20 years but says her life changed when she started coaching the girls' program six years ago. During that time, she was named Baseball Nova Scotia's Coach of the Year, received the Determination Award and was selected for the Sport Make a Difference Award last year for her work growing female baseball across Nova Scotia.
One way in which Glenna has helped to grow female baseball in the Highland Region has been through her very successful equipment loan program. The organization received an equity, diversity and inclusion grant from Sport Nova Scotia to build an equipment loan program which included bats, helmets, gloves and cleats. The equipment is available to program participants free of charge. Users sign out what they need and keep it for as long as they need.
Glenna created the program because of the high cost of baseball equipment. The goal was to make the North Nova Highlanders program more accessible to families. "Many families struggle to pay registration fees and purchase new equipment, and sometimes girls are unsure if they will like a sport. Removing one barrier allows girls to try the sport. If they don't enjoy it, the parents haven't paid for equipment that will sit in a closet unused."
Glenna says the program is popular, "Every year, most of the equipment gets loaned out and has always been returned. I have seen our numbers grow significantly and have had positive feedback from parents saying what a help it was." The amount and variety of equipment in the program continue to grow yearly, with families donating personal equipment when they no longer need or use it.
Many parents have shared that they would not have been able to participate in activities through the North Nova Highlanders without the equipment loan program. One parent noted that the program was helpful in the beginning stages of trying the sport, "Being able to borrow equipment until we see whether she likes baseball is great."
Glenna advises organizations considering starting a similar program: "Start small if you have to, but the more barriers we can eliminate for underrepresented communities, the more joy we can spread."