A team of girls from the Burton Street Elementary School and a team from the Cazenovia Middle School recently participated in the completion of Girls on the Run programs at each school, with the guidance of trained Girls on the Run Coaches.
Girls on the Run was established in 1996 in Charlotte, N.C. It provides pre-adolescent girls with the necessary tools to embrace their individual strengths and successfully navigate life experiences.
The program begins in March of each year. Each girl works toward the goal of completing a 5K Run at the end of the program. Girls learn about goal setting, they learn decision making skills and how to be member of a team.
The girls from Burton Street Elementary School, with coaches Cindy Hirt, RN and Beth Ryan completed Paige’s Butterfly Run in Syracuse on June 3. The girls from Cazenovia Middle School, with coach Vicki Gilliland and Assistant Coaches Katy Pushlar, RN and Maggie Dougherty, completed the Twilight Run in Ithaca on June 21.
The program began in Cazenovia in 2014 after the Madison County Rural Health Council was able to obtain funds from Exellus BlueCross BlueShield to begin the program. The Girls on the Run Finger Lakes Chapter was able to add Madison County to their area and has been supportive of the Madison County program since that time.
If another school in Madison County is interested in beginning the program, contact the Madison County Rural Health Council at 315-726-4869 or [email protected] for assistance in beginning the program at your school.
