Starlings Volleyball Inc

Starlings Volleyball, USA began with a single, inner-city volleyball team of 11 girls in 1996. Founder Byron Shewman, a Men's National Team Champion and Olympian Kim Oden, sought to establish a volleyball/academic program that would serve girls from lower socioeconomic groups. Far more than a youth program, Starlings is a home-base for struggling girls to find empowerment, direction and love within a setting of quality volleyball training and competition. Today, Starlings is the nation's largest junior volleyball club with teams in more than 50 cities and Native American reservations throughout the U.S. Approximately 3,000 girls currently participate in the Starlings program annually. In July 1998, 24 Starlings teams from across the country participated in the first annual Starlings National Championship in Dallas, Texas. The competition, now held in Southern California, draws more than 100 teams and over 1200 girls each year! Over the last 25 years, over 45,000 girls have participated in Starlings Club Programs, more than 900 College Scholarships have been earned by Starlings Players, and 99% of Starlings players graduate from high school!

To positively impact the lives of at-risk girls through the sport of volleyball