Girls on the Run, a
non-profit organization that I feel great pride to be part of, wraps up each season with a
Celebratory 5K. During the ten week
season the girls meet twice a week for practices that incorporate lessons about
living intentionally by making positive choices with, of course, running! The goal by the end of the season is for each
girl to complete the 5K and celebrate their awesomeness. When all 20 teams with 250 total girls come
together for this event, the sight is inspiring and oozing with Girl Power!
We do our best to make this a fun and non-competitive event
with hair painting and face tattoos, balloons and bubbles, and fun prizes
topped off with a special finisher’s medal.
Generous people come out to volunteer, giving up their Saturday morning
to brave the wet and windy weather, and these volunteers are what make this party
possible. Not to mention the 50+ amazing volunteer coaches that meet with these girls every week.
Whether you run, volunteer or just watch, I guarantee you
will be inspired by the hard-working young girls, leaving with cheeks sore from
smiling and bubbles of joy in your chest.
But I have found that part of what makes this celebration so unique are
the individual moments, of which there are probably hundreds, that are just
plain magic. I’m always thankful to
witness these little sparks of connection.
As volunteer coordinator, my focus is to get the dozens of
volunteers organized and in place and also to match our volunteer Running
Buddies with GOTR girls. You see, we
like to make sure that every little girl runs the race with her own personal
cheerleader. Often times they bring a
parent or neighbor to run with them, but there are quite a few whose parents
cannot keep up with their fast little feet.
Thankfully our community is chock full of people anxious to run with the
little cuties.
Early on I was approached by a Mom and a frowning,
freckle-faced little girl. Mom said,
“Ellie needs somebody to run with.”
Standing next to me was one of my dozen co-workers from the YMCA who volunteered
to come out in the rain to support the girls.
Tasha, who spends her days making nutritious meals for the Y preschool,
had never been to a GOTR 5K but was excited to be a Running Buddy. I introduced the Grown-up Girl to the little
red-head and they were bound together for the morning. Strangers until now, they joined Ellie’s team
for the Happy Hair Station, warm-ups and team cheers.
Following the race Tasha, normally a slow and thoughtful
speaker, came running up to me with face still flushed from the effort of
running 3 miles and began talking a mile-a-minute, or maybe three-miles-a-minute. “That was so much fun!” she exclaimed. She narrated the run with obvious
enthusiasm. She said that Ellie was a
dash-and-walk, dash-and-walk runner, which accurately describes probably 75
percent of the young runners. Ellie had
seen some boys up ahead that she knew from school who had teased her now and
then. From that moment on she had a
single goal – to get in front of those sassy boys and show them what strong
looks like! Together Tasha and Ellie worked
hard and passed those young fellows with ease.
The elder told the younger to remember that moment next week and always,
especially at school when the boys might try to make her feel small with
teasing comments.
Tasha summed up her experience as a Running Buddy as the
highlight of her month, at least!
A while later Mom and Ellie, smiles cracking both of
their faces in two, tracked me down to say goodbye, and to thank me for pairing
Ellie up with Tasha. Mom told me that
just the night before Ellie had said, “I’m NOT doing that run!” and was nervous
and worried that she would be alone.
They shared more anecdotes and I told them how much that run meant to
Tasha.
The connection between the adult Tasha and the young Ellie
was a spark of magic. They may never see
each other again, but I’m certain they will be thinking of one another for a
long time. I don’t think Tasha will ever
forget her small freckled friend.
I am certain that there was a virtual electrical storm with
all of the sparks that happened on that blustery morning. I was only able to witness a handful of
joyful transformations myself, but that was enough to fuel my passion for this
program and excitement looking forward to the next season - hopefully with more
schools and more girls involved than ever.
The next time you hear of an opportunity to get involved
with Girls on the Run, give it a shot.
You may get more out of it than you think!
