AUGUST 6, 2009 ISSUE
Self-Esteem Building Program for Local Girls Needs Donors
An effort to bring Girls on the Run International to Watauga County seeks financial support from area businesses and individuals. Girls on the Run (GOTR) is a successful self-esteem building program for pre-adolescent girls.
“We are so excited to bring this well-led, well-respected program to the High Country. I think it will make a world of difference to girls in the Watauga County area,” said Mary Sheryl Horine, associate director for community outreach in ASU’s Institute for Health and Human Services (IHHS).
IHHS is partnering with the Be Active-Appalachian Partnership, Appalachian District Health Department, Zap Fitness and the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System’s Wellness Center to bring Girls on the Run to the area.
Girls on the Run is a nonprofit prevention program that encourages girls in grades three through five to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. The program’s curriculum and activities address girls’ physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being. The 12-week program culminates in a 5K run. Local organizers say they believe the program is important in order for girls to resist peer pressure as they enter middle school and high school.
Girls on the Run was created in 1996 by Charlotte-resident Molly Barker, a four-time Hawaii Ironman tri-athlete and former high school teacher and track coach. Today, there are Girls on the Run programs in more than 150 cities in the United States and Canada.
The first local Girls on the Run group will begin in September with a total of 12 girls and four volunteer coaches. The group will meet twice weekly after school at Appalachian Regional Healthcare System’s Wellness Center. Additional groups may be created in the spring. The cost per participant is $150.
Funding is sought to help with curriculum and supplies, scholarships, race entry fees, t-shirts and other needs. Founding partners are needed to help get Girls on the Run of the High Country started. Organizers have a five-year goal to expand the program into Ashe and Avery counties, which will increase fiscal and volunteer staffing needs.
A Founders Breakfast was held July 21 at Appalachian’s Institute for Health and Human Services to generate support. Founding donors to date are Chip and Amanda Williamson, the Walter J. Hoyt Family, Dianne Davant and Associates, Rob and Jackie Dyer of the Best Cellar Inn at Ragged Gardens, Zap Fitness, Be Active-Appalachian Partnership, Appalachian’s Institute for Health and Human Services and the Appalachian Regional Health Care System’s Wellness Center.
Jodi Cash, director of the Wellness Center, said, “Girls at this age need positive reinforcement. I think Girls on the Run will be a great asset to our community.”
To become involved as a founding donor, contact Horine at 828-252-7557 or horinems@appstate.edu.
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