Girls on the Run of WNC is making its physical activity-based positive youth development programs more accessible for girls and families in Buncombe and Henderson counties by hosting three community teams.
At Girls on the Run (3rd-5th grade) or Heart and Sole (6th-8th grade), girls train over 10 weeks with trained volunteer coaches to participate in a 5K running event. The program is open to girls of all fitness levels and meets twice per week for 1.5 hours. Teams are made up of 8-20 girls, and coaches deliver a curriculum designed to help girls find their inner strength and develop important life skills to navigate adolescence with more joy, health and confidence.
“We want girls who do not have Girls on the Run at their school, as well as home schoolers, to have an opportunity to participate in our transformational program,” states Amy Renigar, executive director at GOTRWNC. “Making new friends and developing social skills is a benefit for all GOTR participants but especially for our community team participants, who come from different areas, backgrounds and social circles. We have received nothing but positive feedback from parents/guardians about how much their girls enjoyed building new relationships with their coaches and teammates.”
Spring Community Teams:
– United Way of Asheville (6th-8th grade): Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00- 5:30 p.m. (50 S. French Broad Ave)
– UNC-Asheville Community Team (3rd-5th graders): Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (1 University Heights, Asheville)
– The Park at Flat Rock (3rd-5th grade): Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. (55 Highland Golf Drive, Flat Rock)
The spring session begins the week of March 6 and ends with the GOTR 5k on Sunday, May 21, at Asheville Outlets. Online registration is openFebruary 13-24 at gotrwnc.org. A full list of program site locations across 14 WNC counties is available here.
The full cost to Girls on the Run of WNC to provide the program to a girl is $150. A sliding scale fee structure ranging from $20 – $150 is in place to make the program affordable for all families, and no girl is ever turned away for inability to pay. Questions can be directed to Stephanie Bilotta, program director, at 828-713-3132 or Stephanie [email protected].
Girls on the Run of Western North Carolina is a council of GOTR International. Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. Our Presenting Sponsors are Park Ridge Health and Asheville Outlets. GOTR is offered every fall and spring in 14 counties across WNC. For more information, call 828-713-4290 or visit gotrwnc.org.