Girls on the run training

Growing up in a small beach town in Connecticut, you sort of live in a bubble.  Okay, you definitely live in a bubble.  The town is small, everyone is sort of the same, the schools are great and the streets are more than safe.  In the winter the population drops substantially and it's just a quiet little beach town. 

Well, that bubble was broken quickly when I moved out here to downtown Salt Lake City.  The landscape and culture was different, I had to get used to the appearance of homeless people, traffic, and the general urban environment with a west coast culture.  Religion rules this city here in the mountains past the corn belt where the air is thin and the people are kind (and insanely outdoorsy).  I slowly fell into this new bubble of living downtown and having the world at my fingertips, or at least a short walk away.

Girls On The Run training was a humbling experience.  I learned about the homeless children that live in the area, and attend a "School With No Name", and I learned about their struggles in every day life.  I learned about the different socioeconomic levels here in the city.  I learned what Title 1 meant, the classification for a school that needs the most financial assistance.  I learned all of this is right in my back yard.  I learned some girls can't even cover the $40 fee to complete the program after scholarships.  I learned that some girls couldn't buy sneakers, or find a ride to the race on race day.  

Humbling 101.  I am happy to report that Payless is giving each girl $25 for shoes,  Harmons is giving each school $100 for healthy snacks.  Girls On The Run is covering 100% of the expenses for some of the girls who cannot cover the remaining costs of entry.  This is truly an amazing program.

I am really excited to have a team of 7th and 8th graders and teach them about peer pressure, living a healthy life style, how to make better decisions, be a role model for the girls, and help them train for a 5k in May.  This training was an exciting and humbling experience and I can't wait to jump right in next week.

The day started with 7:30 am CPR and AED training. 

Then it was breakfast and a guest speaker- we received these adorable coach bags, t shirts, water bottles, and other swag!

The theme this year is Be Your Own Superhero and the girls will have capes and other fun goodies for race day.

There are so many amazing activities, lesssons, events in this bin!  My favorite is the "lap counters".  One cute idea was a new colored hair clip for each lap the girls complete that day! 

The race is going to be amazing!  A sea of girls from different towns and backgrounds, coming together to run a 5k-  all wearing capes, hair die and super hero makeup.  There will also be adults running the race with the kids as "running buddies" to help the girls along the 3 mile course. 

Amazing or what?  Can't wait to update you all on our first day next Tuesday!