PSA: Volunteer At A GOTR 5K!

First things, first… I want to thank everyone who entered my blog birthday giveaway! I loved reading your comments and will be replying to them over the next few days (I did not do it before because I did not want to throw off the counting).

Without further ado, the winner of all the goodies is- Hollie! Congratulations! Please send me an E-mail by Saturday with your shipping information and I’ll get the package out to you ASAP!

Now I wanted to take a couple of minutes to put out a short PSA!

As you may or may not know, I have volunteered with Girls on the Run for almost two years now. I was a volunteer coach with Girls on the Run of Northeast Florida for three seasons and I am currently working as an intern with Girls on the Run DC. I hope to return back to coaching in the spring but working “behind the scenes” in the office this season has been a huge eye opener.

If you don’t know what Girls on the Run is, it is a program for girls in grades 3-8. The program combines training for a 5K run with a core curriculum covering topics including healthy eating, positive self-image, and anti-bullying. Throughout the course of the season, the girls develop greater self-esteem, confidence, and physical well-being. Thousands of girls across the US and Canada have been involved with the program over the past 16 years.

Girls on the Run DC serves over 900 girls from all across the District. All of the operations are handled and maintained by three incredible and dedicated women who live and breathe the mission of Girls on the Run. As part of my internship, I am seeing first hand how much (wo)man power it takes to not only maintain spreadsheets with participant information, but also fundraising, training sessions, community outreach, and the end of season 5K.

Like Girls on the Run DC, councils all across the country are gearing up for their end of the season 5K’s and I most of them are already looking for volunteers!

If you are in the DC area, our end of the season 5K is on December 2nd at Anacostia Park at 2:00pm. There are tons of ways to get involved including helping at pre-race activities (face painting, crazy hair stations, temporary tattoos, etc), being a cheerleader at “cheer stations” throughout the course, being a course marshall, and running along side a girl as a community running buddy.

If you want to get involved with the DC event, you can sign up to volunteer here. If you are interested in registering for the race as a running buddy, you can sign up on Active using this link.

If you are NOT from the DC area, click here to go to the Girls on the Run International website to locate a council near you. Then you can go to your local council’s page and see if they are looking for volunteers. Even if they do not advertise it on their website, contact the Program Director and inquire about volunteering. I can guarantee that they will not turn you away!

I can say from experience that the end of the season 5K is an incredible event. Seeing the girls cross the finish line is one of the most inspiring things I have ever seen in my life. Running 3.1 miles is a huge accomplishment for all of these girls and they cross the finish line smiling like they have just ran a marathon! I am looking forward to the DC race in December and hope that you will join us (or at your local GOTR 5k!).

Notable Girls on the Run Posts:

• PSA: Become a GOTR Coach!
• My First Day of Coaching (Spring 2011)
• Spring 2011 5K Recap
• First Day of the Fall 2012 Season
• Spring 2012 5K Recap