Dr. Kristine Strickland Receives 2022 Athena Leadership Award
June 20, 2023
Local children’s store receives grant from the national “Backing Small Businesses” program
June 20, 2023
Girls on the Run Bayou Region is currently looking for new sites to host programming and volunteer coaches to lead teams. Girls on the Run is a physical activity based, positive youth development program that teaches key life skills to girls in 3rd through 8th grade through dynamic discussions and fun games that creatively integrate running.
Girls on the Run Bayou Region is currently accepting new sites to host teams for the Fall 2023 season and provide program opportunities to more girls. Current sites include local schools, community centers, churches, and hospitals. Each site must have a volunteer site liaison, a safe space for physical activity and be able to provide both outdoor and indoor meeting locations.
Volunteer coaches lead small teams of girls at each site. Coaches will utilize a curriculum to engage in fun, interactive lessons. During the ten-week program, teams meet twice a week for 75-90 minutes and girls complete a community service project and become physically and emotionally prepared to participate in a celebratory 5K event. Volunteers provide critical leadership and the non-profit organization is currently seeking coaches to facilitate the program. Coaches do not need to be runners but are required to be a minimum of eighteen years old to serve as an assistant or twenty one years old to serve as a head coach. All volunteer coaches must complete a background check and attend a training session. For more information about coaching and Girls on the Run Bayou Region visit www.gotrbayouregion.org
“Being a coach has impacted me in a positive way. I feel more empowered and confident. All the lessons are lessons that even we as adults can learn from. I love the program.” – Girls on the Run Coach
When asked “Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences in Girls on the Run?” to a 4th grade GOTR girl, she responded: “If you are a girl that is bad at making friends, nobody listens or understands how you’re feeling, and you sit alone every day . . . that was me. Then I joined Girls on the Run. It changed my life. Now I have way more than one friend by the second week of school and I have people who understand me. I used to yell out when I got very angry, but now I can hold my temper. I love my life because of Girls on the Run.”
About Girls on the Run
Based in Charlotte, N.C., Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization with local Councils in all 50 states. Founded in 1996 with 13 girls, Girls on the Run has now served over 2 million girls. Over the course of the program, girls in 3rd8th grade develop social, emotional and physical skills to successfully navigate life experiences. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K event. With the largest 5K series by number of events in the world, Girls on the Run hosts more than 330 5Ks per year. Girls on the Run is included as a top research-based program in a Social-Emotional Learning Guide developed by researchers at Harvard University and has been recognized by the National Afterschool Association (NAA) as one of the most influential after-school programs. Girls on the Run is offered in more than 13,000 across the US. Visit {council website} to learn how to get involved in your community.
