Support Youth Activities and “Girls On The Run”
My 9-year old granddaughter, Riley, likes to run and be active. She knows that I run and do races. When she visits she likes to “exercise” with me using the treadmill, rowing machine, stationary bike and weight machine in my basement. It’s fun that we have healthy activities as one of our shared interests.
Early this year she was very excited to tell me that she had signed up for a program through school called “Girls on the Run.” I had never heard of it but if it got young girls into running and healthy lifestyle, I was all for it.
I learned that GOTR is a nationwide program mostly for girls in 3rd and 4th grades. It’s designed to help build social, emotional and physical skills needed to successfully navigate life. They meet a couple times a week after school to run and talk about health, nutrition, and training but also to do activities that build confidence, foster friendships, manage emotions, increase empathy and more.
A highlight of the program is running or walking a 5k with girls from other GOTR programs all around metro Detroit and SE Michigan. In May we watched Riley participate in the Girls on the Run 5k at Lake St. Clair Metropark in Harrison Township. There must have been a few hundred girls participating and you could see the excitement and energy as they warmed up for the run. It was not a timed event and most girls seemed to walk/run the 5k as they laughed, smiled and waved at family and friends that lined the course.
Whenever you get the chance to support and encourage young people participating in physical activity (especially running), don’t pass it up. With so many kids glued to screens, the more we can set examples by being active and staying healthy, the better chance they have of doing that same.
Hopefully one day Riley and I can run a race together and share the experience of testing yourself and accomplishing a goal regardless of where you place in the results.
