Article Ann E. Butenas | Photography Tammy Pence
You better watch out! There are some girls on the run in a neighbor- hood near you, and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. No, they are not running from anyone or anything, but they are definitely running toward something absolutely amazing. In the Kansas City area and beyond, thousands of third through eighth grade girls are experiencing life-changing moments right on their own school grounds that are enabling them to become confident, self-aware, empowered and healthy, paving a path for them to become enriched, ambitious and strong young women in the future. Through Girls on the Run (GOTR), an inter- national program founded 15 years ago, these young women are participat- ing in an after-school youth development program that is educating them and preparing them for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.
Kathy Stone, executive director for Girls on the Run of Johnson County, has worked in the non-profit arena for 11 years and has been with GOTR for the past 18 months. While she has worked with other organizations on the intervention end of the spectrum through her past work in matters of child abuse, domestic abuse, crisis pregnancies and the Head Start program, her role with GOTR is allowing her to reach young girls on the prevention side.
“Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running,” explains Stone. “During each 10-week season, one in the fall and one in the spring, the girls meet twice a week for 90 minutes after school. Volunteer coaches generously give of their time and talent to educate, uplift, and en- courage these young girls through a well-researched curriculum of life skills lessons paired with the exhilarating joy of healthy exercise through running or walking together. Each season ends with a New Balance GOTR 5K race, where the girls complete their goal of running or walking in this fun com- munity event and cross the finish line to receive their 5K medal.”
GOTR operates in Johnson, Leavenworth, Douglas, Miami and Wyandotte counties in Kansas, while a sister council in Missouri serves Jackson, Clay and Platte counties.
“I facilitate setting up new program sites across the county,” Stone elabo- rates. “Each site, or location, consists of a team comprised of eight to 15 girls who are coached by well-trained volunteers. Stone anticipates that this spring they will have 540 girls participating in 45 program sites and in the Kansas City area, we could reach as many as 1,600 girls during both seasons of 2012.
To date, there are nearly 200 councils across the country and Canada that serve a combined total of more than 100,000 girls annually. It all began with the tenacious drive and ambition of a four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete named Molly Barker, MSW, who founded GOTR in 1996. She took her counseling and teaching expertise with research on adolescent issues and set out to develop the first curriculum with 13 girls in Charlotte, NC. Through Barker’s program, girls not only train for a 5K event that builds necessary self-confidence along the way, but they also experience life lessons that create a strong emotional foundation upon which they can grow, learn and emerge as healthy and confident young women leading future generations.
Barker was 15 when she first took up running as a means to get herself out of what she describes as the “girl box,” that place in which so many young girls begin to find themselves as they struggle to come to grips with their own identities. Many wonder who they really are as they are bombarded by the ever-prevalent negative self-talk and society’s often unattainable ideas and standards that suggest what a girl should look, talk and feel like. In short, Barker believed the messages targeting young girls were very defeat- ing and limiting, and she set out to change that dynamic.
As such, during a solo run in 1993, Barker had an epiphany of sorts and that inspiration led to the eventual creation of GOTR. Her first season with 13 girls was followed by 26 the next and then 75 after that, and as the program grew by leaps and bounds, it became GOTR International and was officially organized as a 501c3 non-profit organization in 2000.
Stone is extremely excited about getting out into the community and spreading the message to area schools about GOTR. Even after just a year and a half, she has seen numerous lives positively affected and emphasizes that this is way more than just an after-school running program.
“We don’t want girls to get into at-risk behaviors, such as teen pregnancy, eating disorders, substance abuse or trouble with the juvenile justice sys- tem” she says. “Through our program and curriculum, we give them the tools and life lessons they need to carry them through those challenging middle and high school years, college and beyond.”
Registration for GOTR begins on January 2, 2012 and runs through February 25. The spring season begins March 5 and runs through May 18. The season-ending 5K event is May 19. A $100 program fee covers the cost of the 20-lesson curriculum, a program t-shirt, a 5K shirt, a finisher’s medal for the 5K, snacks at each after-school session, as well as the entry fee into the New Balance GOTR 5K event at the end of the season. Schol- arships are available for families who need financial assistance. Parents are encouraged to volunteer and by doing so can receive a scholarship for their daughter’s participation.
For those who think they have to be a runner in order to lend a hand, think again.
“You definitely don’t need to be a runner or any sort of athlete to coach these girls,” Stone stresses. “We train and equip our coaches to be success- ful and have a great experience. What is more important is a strong desire to work with girls this age.”
Stone says that when girls participate in GOTR, the healthy behaviors they achieve often extend to their families, with family members frequently join- ing them for the end-of-season race.
“It also opens the door for parents to openly communicate with their daughters about sensitive issues that otherwise might not receive the necessary attention. We teach the girls life lessons, and also give the parents a guidebook so they can understand what the girls are learning. In many cases this facilitates the dialogue on some very in-depth topics with their daughters.” LL
For more information on GOTR, volunteer opportunities or to find a program site in your area, go online to gotrkc.org or call 913.766.0110.
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