About GOTR Louisville
GOTR of Louisville is an independent council of Girls on the Run International. We started in local schools in Spring 2010. GOTR was previously a successful program in Louisville and we hope to reactivate it to once again reach it’s strong potential. We are in the beginning stages of the reactivation process and can use volunteers in all areas. We would like to reach as many schools in Louisville as possible, while maintaining the quality of our program by focusing on our small participant to coach ratio, which is ideal for the curriculum and activities.
GOTR Louisville Committee Chairs
Mission
We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.
Vision
We envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.
About
Girls on the Run is a life-changing, experiential learning programs for girls age eight to ten years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.
Objectives
The Girls on the Run objective is to reduce the potential display of at-risk activities among its participants. The goal is fewer adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, as well as fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.
History
Molly Barker established Girls on the Run® in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1996. A four-time Hawaii Ironman tri-athlete, Molly holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A former high school teacher and track coach, Molly has also worked as a counselor addressing the needs of women with eating disorders, alcohol and substance addictions and depression.
The Girls on the Run® curricula, the heart of the program, provides pre-adolescent girls with necessary tools to embrace their individual strengths as they enter middle and high school. Written by Molly and Lori Luke, L.S.C.W., it is based upon research in the field of adolescent issues. The earliest version of the 24 lesson curriculum was piloted in 1996 with the help of 13 brave girls. Twenty-six girls came the next season, then 75. In 2000, Girls on the Run International, a 501(c)(3) organization was born.
Today, there are Girls on the Run® programs in 164 cities across North America, with tens of thousands of girls and women participating. In 2008, Girls on the Run® will host over 80 end-of-season 5K events across the United States and Canada. Girls on the Run® has been featured in many media outlets including People, Runner's World, Redbook, Women's Day, O Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Running Times, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, NBC News, NPR, ESPN and Forbes. Molly was selected as a national speaker in Oprah Winfrey's "Hi Gorgeous" tour and in 2006, she was the recipient of several prestigious awards including Redbook magazine's "Strength and Spirit Award" which recognizes individuals who are building a better future for all of us, the "Woman's Day Award" from Woman's Day magazine which salutes individuals who have used their vision and heart to help fix pressing problems and the highly prestigious "Heroes of Running Award" from Runner's World magazine. Corporate sponsors for Girls on the Run® International include New Balance, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Horizon Fitness and Goody's Hair Products.
The true success of the program is told in the words of its past and present participants. "I used to be shy, buy not I'm not anymore." "I know that whatever I set my mind to do, I can do." "Girls on the Run® helps me feel awesome about myself!"
That is success.
Program Locations
Girls on the Run of Louisville is an Independent Council of Girls on the Run International which has a network of 160+ locations across the United States and Canada.