Girls on the Run gets girls running and training for races. But the after-school educational and athletic program for ages eight to 13 years old also stresses healthy living and community service. 

The program was founded North Carolina in 1996 and the Chicago affiliate launched in 1999. The program combines physical training for 5K runs in the fall and spring. Volunteers provide coaching and teach programs to encourage positive emotional, social, mental and spiritual development.

Girls can join the program once their schools enroll. More than 70 schools are enrolled in the Chicago area alone. November 20 commemorates the 10th anniversary of Chicago's Girls on the Run with a gala celebration. Kristen Kainer-Turner, program manager for Girls on the Run in Chicago, answers questions about the organization and its mission.

Q: What does your job entail for Girls on the Run?
A: I am a program manager and I have two partners. We work to spread the program to new sites, spread the word about our program, train the coaches, communicate with the schools and plan for the 5K. I spend half of my time working on the current season and the other half working on the upcoming season.

Q: Tell us about Girls on the Run?
A: Girls on the Run Chicago is the Chicago affiliate of Girls on the Run International. It was founded in Charlotte, N.C., in 1996 and came to Chicago in 1999. We’ve been here 10 years. There are about 160 other chapters around the country. It’s a non-profit after school program for girls in third through eighth grades. We have two seasons per year, our fall and spring seasons. Our curriculum is built to have two lessons each week throughout the 12-week season. Each lesson combines talking about a specific life lesson. It might be nutrition, healthy communication, dealing with bullies or talking with your parents. And we also teach about being physically active. At the end of the 12 weeks, all the groups across the city come together and run a 5K together.

Q: How does your 12-week program build character in young girls?
A: The curriculum is divided into three separate parts. The first four weeks are talking about individual lessons so the girls learn about their values, their bodies and what’s important to them. They learn how to keep their bodies healthy. The middle part of the curriculum talks more about interaction as a group, on a team, in a classroom, with their family, etc. It’s about how you interact with other people. The last four weeks they talk about who they are in the community. Each group finishes the season doing a community service project. We really want to hit home to young people that although you may be in the third or seventh grade - you’re old enough to impact your community. One school decided to paint the door of the school. Some schools decide to clean up the area around their schools, and one school went to a nursing home nearby and sang songs to the residents there. You’re never too young and you always have the opportunity to impact people in a positive way. That’s a fabulous lesson to learn.

Q: Girls on the Run Chicago is celebrating your 10th anniversary next week. What do you hope to accomplish in the next 10 years?
A: Just continued growth. We want to add more programs and be in more schools in the different counties that we serve to bring it to more girls. This weekend is our first alumni race, so we’re encouraging the girls who came through the program to come back and run with us. It’s great - so celebrating our past, while also our present and thinking into the future.

Q: How can you volunteer with Girls on the Run? Are there any requirements?
A: The biggest requirement is to be interested in developing these young girls and commit to the time to do the curriculum. For more information about volunteering, you can check out our website here.

 
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