You go, girls!
I finally started volunteering again and I am psyched – the organization is called Girls on the Run and it combines two of my passions: women’s issues and running!
GOTR is a NFP that uses running to encourage preteen girls to cultivate their sense of self-respect and develop a healthy lifestyle through running. It is SO cool. Young women ages 8 to 13 train with coaches – ladies like you and me from all walks of life – in short fun runs, with the culminating event being a 3.1-mile event (yikes! That’s what I run once a week!) The workouts are designed to be all about boosting their self-esteem and promoting strong, positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. The ultimate goal? To reduce the potential for at-risk activities among our younger generation – fewer adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders, less depression, fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems. I believe the thinking goes: The better you feel about yourself (from running), the less likely you are to be swayed by peer pressure or societal influences.
So, I’m on the Junior Board and we met this week for the first time. It was so great to meet a new group of like-minded women and I soon realized everyone has such a unique, impressive backgrounds. One is a volunteer counselor for a child bereavement program at the local hospital. One is a comic book illustrator. One spent a college spring break building a Habitat for Humanity home. One speaks fluent Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. Um…I blog!
I looked around and saw lots of well-worn running shoes, more than a few ACL scars peeking out from shorts and skirts and overheard things like, “Are you running “Disney?” and “I just finished a relay race from Madison (as in, Wisconsin) to Chicago.” Crap. I hadn’t even worked out that day. But as it turns out, you needn’t be a Runner’s World poster girl – some women there don’t even like power walking while others marathon in their sleep. The important thing is we all care about shoring up the self-esteem of young girls in a fun, distinctive way.
Another fun aspect of GOTR (which, BTW, has picked up so much momentum that there is now a waiting list to join the more than 2000 girls nationwide…from just 60 girls in 1999!): Team Tiara. This is the charity running leg of GOTR, made up of runners who enroll in marathons and raise funds while running in crazily designed foam tiaras. Very fun. And apparently they yell “Sparkle Fingers!!” to encourage each other on – younger girls and grown adults alike :-)
I am really excited about this opportunity to influence the future of our girls and introduce them to healthy habits. There are opportunities in cities all over the country and I encourage you to check it out.
Go girl power!
Comments
this is so awesome, leslie! i have participated in the girls on the run Wodergirl 5K the past two years with two lovely 12 year-olds :) i cannot say enough amazing things about GOTR!
speaking of bringing back girl power, check out a recent book called "Packaging Girlhood" - it will inspire all of us to get out there and help young girls and teens navigate through the negative images and stereotypes they are packaged and sold everyday.
keep us updated on GOTR!
Leslie:
My name is Molly Barker and I am the founder of Girls on the Run. I just want to thank you for articulating what makes Girls on the Run so powerful. The connections we make with each other as a result of wanting to help young girls feel "safe in their own skin" somehow helps us feel "strong in our's." Thank you for your enthusiasm and taking the time out to be a volunteer--one of the thousands of Girls on the Run coaches who now helps our organization reach over 40,000 girls a year! Your blog made my day!!!! Your enthusiasm for life is obvious and I consider myself lucky to have you as one of my Girls on the Run sisters!!!
Molly B.
Hi Molly!
So wonderful to hear from you and see your name on the Weighting Game. We're thrilled to have a woman of such vision among us and I am honored to be a part of your organization.
Ladies - get excited!!! Follow your passion!!
Hope everyone had a great weekend,
Leslie
My sister did GOTR in middle school and LOVED it. She started running and getting on my case about running, now we are both runners (she is in HS now and in track and Cross Country) and we frequently run 5K's and other races together. Without GOTR, I would never be a runner and I didn't even partcipate in it. It is a wonder, wonderful program!
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