This past fall I have had the pleasure to volunteer with the Girls On The Run (GOTR) of Franklin County. I stumbled upon the program sometime during my undergrad, but my schedule never fit well with the volunteer times. After moving to Kentucky for my dietetic internship and then the Dayton area after getting married, I had actually requested to be removed from the GOTR email list. No one took me off the email list, and I took this as a sign that I should volunteer for the program since I moved back to the Columbus area. I am so glad that the emails continued and I was able to help as a Running Buddy this year!
The Girls On The Run (GOTR) program is for girls in grades 3-5th and Girls On Track is for girls grades 6-8th. Both are designed to help empower girls to be healthful, happy and confident. Each team meets twice weekly, and each session has a lesson and a fun way to include running. The lessons cover tough issues to help the girls better prepare for situations they may (or may already) face. Some lessons are designed to help encourage teamwork and critical thinking as well. At the end of the program the girls, coaches, running buddies and any other family or community members join together and run a 5k.
I have enjoyed helping with the program for multiple reasons, but I’ll try to keep them brief 🙂
- I view it as a complete health program that implements physical activity, healthy nutrition and encourages development of the spirit.
- Listening to the thoughtful ideas the girls come up with during the lessons
- Hearing how their families stay active together– Some girls have parents who run full marathons!
- Watching the girls be able to run farther each week and encourage each other to continue to work hard
- Knowing that the girls are so fortunate to learn healthy habits and have tools to face certain situations at a young age
This is the final week for the GOTR Franklin County council. I have already committed to work with the same site, and I can’t wait to begin again this spring! If you’re interested in volunteering, I have included both the national and Franklin County links below. You don’t have to be a runner to volunteer either! There are plenty of positions you could consider that do not directly involve running. If you are in the Franklin County area, I have also included the promotion for the 5k this Saturday, November 16th. Maybe I will see you there!
Franklin County GOTR 5k Fall 2013
The No Gimmick RD 