Woo Hoo! Another amazing and life-changing year was experienced by participants in Girls on the Run of Bay County. Sponsored locally by the Junior Service League of Panama City, Girls on the Run is a non-profit organization which uses an interactive curriculum and running to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The twelve-week program uses running, playing games and discussing important issues to empower girls with a greater sense of self-awareness, a sense of achievement, a foundation in team building and a commitment to enhancing their communities. The program concludes with all participants walking or running in a 5K event. Girls on the Run focuses on the physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being of third through eighth grade girls.
Now in our forth year, we have grown to more sites that we even thought possible. Thanks to the committee of Alisa Stone Herring, Catherine Hester, Nancy Tilghman, Laura Myers, Amy Dobbert, Lauren Hughes, & Natalie Brock we brought the GOTR message to 175 girls, their coaches & volunteers. This school year saw sites at: Breakfast Point, Hutchison Beach, Covenant, Girls Inc., Holy Nativity Episcopal, Lynn Haven, Northside, & Patronis Elementary Schools. We continue to rely heavily on the assistance of the District’s school teachers. The League committee of eight only makes up a small fraction of the 44 coaches we trained this year in the GOTR philosophy.
The biggest accomplishment for this year’s GOTR team has to be the planning and implementing of our first annual Junior Service League 5K Rabbit Race. Held on the Saturday prior to Easter Sunday, over 400 runners came to the Marina Civic Center to jog down Beach Drive for the 3.1 mile course. While 175 participants were from the GOTR family, the majority were runners from near and far out supporting a great community cause. Our girls in their pink GOTR shirts paired with others in their lime green race shirts mirrored the beautiful pink and green balloon arch over our race’s start and finish line. We gladly awarded every 5K finisher 12 and under with a Rabbit Race medal and were very pleased to report profits of $3,720! We look forward to having TWO 5K races next year for our Girls on the Run participants as well as any other interested runners!
If someone you know is interested in being a part of our program, please share the information here: Girls on the Run is designed to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living with warm-ups and workouts that encourage emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical health. Our objective is to reduce the display of at-risk behaviors (including teen pregnancies, eating disorders, depression, suicide and substance abuse) among our participants by providing the girls with the tools and encouragement to make good decisions and to form healthy self-images. Our goal is a community service project and a 5K run at the conclusion of our 12 weeks of lessons. Additionally: We require each girl to pay a participation fee of $50 or complete a scholarship form. (There is also the additional cost of the 5K run.) The class sizes can be no more than 15 girls. For insurance purposes, all volunteer "coaches" must submit to a background check and must sign non-compete paperwork. There is also a 2 hour training that we ask each coach to attend. Also the site's head coach must be CPR/First Aid certified. (The Junior Service League covers the cost of this training if needed.) The season runs twice a week for twelve weeks. Coaches can choose to run a fall season, spring season, or BOTH! There is a set curriculum, listed supplies, and goody bags for each girl! (Includes t-shirt, bracelet, & sports bottle.)
Girls on the Run IS SO MUCH FUN!
For additional information, visit www.girlsontherun.org or contact the Junior Service League.