Shirisma Shavers Feature Article Girls on the Run Exclusive to News & Neighbor For Immediate ReleaseEvent date:

Sunday, May 20, 2012 Nonprofits Positive Impact Runs Through the Community By Shirisma Shavers For Girls on the Run, developing a positive attitude in among young girls is sometimes as simple as saying Booga Booga! Girls on the Run (GOTR) is an organization that encourages positive body images, healthy habits, and high self-esteem in girls ages 8-13. The girls participate in a 24-week curriculum that also trains them for a 5K run. My favorite activity is when we run and get points because it gets you healthy! exclaimed Maddie, a third-grader at a local elementary school. Yes, chimed Laney, Maddies GOTR teammate. I love to run, and if someone says a negative comment while we are running, we all say Booga Booga! Though the program helps girls at Johnson Citys and other northeast Tennessee elementary and middle schools, their can-do spirit is spreading throughout the community as well. Community-buildersincluding college students, stay-at-home moms, or people who love to runcome together to teach the girls how to use media properly, develop self-confidence, and identify their own unique gifts. Lauren Hubbard began volunteering for GOTR as a senior at Dobyns-Bennett High School and continues to volunteer as she competes in track and field at Milligan College. [GOTR] helps me with my own confidence in an environment where I can interact with them and encourage them, Hubbard says. It has changed me because it has given me a different perspective, and I am capable of making a difference just like they are. Volunteers such as Chala Osborne, who coached the Towne Acres team, thoroughly enjoys the program and the impact she has seen in each girls life. It is so rewarding on race day to see everyone have the confidence to run the race and do it as a team, Osborne said. When I finished the last race, I finished holding hands with two of my girls that I thought in the beginning could never run a race. When we finished, all of the girls cheered us on, we were so excited! During the third six-week section of the program, the girls create a service project for their local community as a team. Over the years, GOTR teams have done projects such as making cards for sick children and raising money for animal shelters. Southside Elementary of Johnson City raised over $1,000 last year for a giving tree that benefited students at their school. The community impact doesnt stop here, as 15 local businesses and schools support GOTR. They range from Eastman Chemical Company to the WashingtonUnicoi-Johnson County Medical Alliance. Leslie McCallister, a professor at East Tennessee State University, creates a survey every semester to examine if the girls perception of their body image is healthier after the GOTR curriculum. Milligan College has also been the beautiful location of the spring 5K run for the past 2 years. It is so rewarding to see someone finish something they thought would never be possible, said Osborne. The race is all about working together; it is not a race to see

Shirisma Shavers Feature Article Girls on the Run who finishes first. GOTR allows everyone to come together to learn, dream, live, and run! The GOTR 5K run will be held Sunday, May 20, at Milligan College. Registration is open now through May 4; registration will also be available at the race. Everyone in the community is encouraged to participate. For more information and to register, visit www.stronggirlsrun.com. Photo Captions: Mother and Daughters: A mother and daughter encouragement teamNedra Veronick (center) with Hayden (left) and Jorifrom Fairmont Elementary join hands in running the 2011 GOTR 5K run. Finish Line: Race participants for the 2011 GOTR race cross the finish line. Check Photo: Southside Elementary GOTR girls raised over $1,000 for their schools Fuzzy Tree project to help disadvantaged kids at their school. Girls: Two excited race participants for the 2011 GOTR 5K run.

###