Girls on the Run of WNC: June News

Important Fall 2020 Season Announcement

To the extended Girl on the Run of WNC Family:

This month, Girls on the Run of WNC turns 18-years-old. It has been an honor to help grow almost 15,500 strong, resilient, and caring girls. We cannot wait to see what the next 18 years bring as we all partner to serve girls across our 14-county region.

The global pandemic hit every facet of society and our agency is no exception. After surveying our fall sites and considering CDC recommendations, our Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to cancel the fall 2020 Girls on the Run of WNC season. However, as painful as change can be, we will use this summer and fall for renewal and preparation. Rest assured, we are planning a robust spring 2021 Girls on the Run season!

When we canceled the spring 2020 season, we offered prorated refunds to families, donated snacks to feeding programs, and supplied weekly, virtual content, in English and Spanish, as well as videos, to our families. Some girls met with coach-mentors through GOTR Connect, an online forum. We are even holding a free virtual 5K from June 20-27 to celebrate the girls. Sign up to join us, running at your pace, your space, at www.gotrwnc.org/5K. We want to post your 5K pictures on our social media, too.

 

This summer, we are excited to offer Power Up, a fun, at home, activity kit produced by Girls on the Run International. The kits include an activity booklet, a t-shirt and hairband, plus access to video lessons and other online content. Please look out for more details in the coming weeks. 

To prepare for spring 2021 and beyond, we are considering ways to come back stronger than ever to support more girls. Fundraising is crucial to our success and we hope you will consider a donation as part of your commitment to grow strong, healthy, girls. You may donate through our virtual 5K page or at www.gotrwnc.org/Support-Us. Further, we are downsizing our office space and arranging with staff to offer an outstanding afterschool experience when we gather together in the new year.

In the meantime, please know this: Girls on the Run of WNC remains committed to inspire girls to recognize their inner strength and celebrate everything that makes them unique

 

… and to the girls of Western North Carolina: We grow together. We learn together. We run together. We create change together. We cannot wait to be with you again soon. We believe in the power of you.

Feel free to contact me with questions or to partner with us. Our successes are shared with you.

 

Standing with her until she leads us,

 

Karen Wallace-Meigs
Executive Director, Girls on the Run of WNC
karen.wallace@girlsontherun.org

Great Beginnings & Great Smiles

Girls on the Run Virtual 5K and Spirit Week 

A Message from Girls on the Run International CEO, Elizabeth Kunz 

 

At Girls on the Run, we find strength in connectedness and value the dignity and humanity of all people. We believe that Black lives matter and are grieving over the senseless murder of George Floyd last week – along with the lives of countless Black men and women that have been lost to racism over the decades.

 

Four hundred years of systemic racism in this country has led to feelings of hopelessness, anger, despair and fear. People are exhausted by our country’s ongoing failure to acknowledge and address centuries of deeply entrenched injustice. As a country, we can no longer stifle, deny or ignore the root cause of these painful emotions. Protest is a powerful way to stand up for ourselves and others to build a better world. Now, we must come together to create lasting change that ensures life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. I hope that we have finally reached a tipping point where true change can take place and healing can begin.  

 

Knowledge is also power, and we must each work to be informed and create safe spaces for others to be educated. At Girls on the Run, we are finding hope in the lessons we teach our girls in things like:

• not being a bystander but being a standbyer
• putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to develop empathy for their experiences
• valuing the worth of every member of the team
• using our voices in ways that matter
• making choices that create a better world.   

    

We are living through a momentous time in history. What actions can you take now to be a part of the change we so desperately need in the world? How do you want to be remembered? Progress is not inevitable, and virtue is a choice. Now is the time to step up, come together and build a new nation of love, equity, justice and dignity for all.