Girls on the Run of Snohomish County

Mission

Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. We envision a world where every girl knows & activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. We inspire girls to recognize their inner strengths and celebrate what makes them one of a kind. Our girls learn essential life skills that help them navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation for health & fitness.

Description

This season, Girls on the Run of Snohomish County is providing more than 50% of our participants with financial assistance. Those who are on full scholarship also receive a new pair of running shoes. For many, this is the first athletic gear they’ve had; the first big goal they’ve set; the first finish line to cross - but certainly not the last.  We believe in the limitless potential of every girl and we want them to recognize it in themselves. We never want to turn away families who are unable to pay the registration fee. We raise over 40% of our revenue from individual donations. Help us keep the program open to any girl who wants to join! 

Here is some information about our organization:

Girls on the Run uses running as a platform for teaching life skills and promoting holistic health outcomes for girls in grades 3-8. This after-school program, delivered throughout Snohomish County, includes lessons that specifically target helping girls improve in competence, confidence, caring, character, connection, and contribution. The program inspires girls to build lives of purpose and to make a meaningful contribution to community and society. The season concludes with a celebratory 5K event which gives the girls a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals.

Girls in our program learn essential life skills that help them navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. When we reach girls at this formative stage in their development, they leave our program empowered to make healthy decisions in all aspects of their lives.

Research shows that by age 9, girls' self-confidence begins to decline. Fifty percent of girls ages 10 to 13 experience bullying such as name calling and exclusion at a time when peer relationships become more central to their lives. Additionally, physical activity levels decline starting at age 10 and continue to decline throughout adolescence. Girls on the Run provides a positive youth development program to counteract these powerful social forces faced by today's pre-teens and teens.

Our coaches receive required training in racial equity, trauma-sensitivity, disabilities inclusion, and in elevating safety and inclusion in our program. Both the Girls on the Run curriculum and these new trainings have been designed by youth development and educational specialists at our headquarters, providing a high-quality program that addresses the complex needs of the girls we reach through our program. The focus on creating a trauma-sensitive space for girls is especially important this year as all girls grapple with the pandemic and it's affects.

Girls on the Run offers something for every girl and here's what they had to say about our program...

The best thing about being a GOTR girl is:
*you get to be yourself!
*running calms me
*being part of a great team
*having a safe community always with you

If a friend asked me about how it feels to be a GOTR girl, I would tell her:
*it is inspiring and helps you to choose good friends and make good choices.
*it feels like you can do anything!

What I learned at GOTR is:
*that no body is perfect!
*to be a leader and stand up for other people
*to push myself to the limit and stay strong

Through its inclusive nature, the Girls on the Run program draws girls with varying athletic abilities as no previous experience or expensive equipment is required in order to participate. We believe that children everywhere are drawn toward community, toward connection, toward belonging. Girls on the Run holds space for girls to engage in positive conversations, activities and relationships, which improves their sense of connection and their quality of life.