From episode: Christine Benedict: Fueling Resilience and Compassion in Young Girls
so for those of you listening, we are recording just a few weeks before their spring, or I guess it's summer, 5K. But by the time you hear this, it will have been done. So for this 5K, are all 1 ,100 of these girls meeting in one spot for this 5K? They are. They are. We call it just an epic celebration of girl power. So all these teams that have been operating kind of as if they're the only ones doing Girls on the Run, I love seeing the thrill of their faces when they realize their little team of 15, they're not the only ones experiencing this program, and then their eyes get really wide, thinking like, we're all going to be together. And so it's a pretty wild morning. We are grateful that most of the kids come to the event with a running buddy, somebody who has offered to be an encourager on the course, could be a parent, could be a sibling, could be a neighbor, family member, friend. So they've got somebody who is willing to go the kids pace, we call it their happy pace, and within all paces are encouraged. And so we will have a busy course between our incredible volunteer coaches that are out there, plus all the kids, plus their running buddies, plus we have community runners. All Girls on the Run 5Ks are open to the public and also are a major fundraiser for us. And so folks who maybe want to be reminded why they love running, I always recommend Girls on the Run 5K because that joy of crossing the finish line, that sort of unbridled sheer pride in what you've accomplished, I feel like sometimes is lost at the big events full of adults. For sure. But seeing those kids, you can't help but be excited. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, that must just be incredible for the kids, but also for the volunteers that have helped them get that far. Exactly. Exactly. I those think smiles make it all worthwhile, but the running pieces, so we're a confidence building program that is using running to teach these life skills. And I usually say I've been around the program a long time. It feels to me like if I were to do percentage breakdown, about 40 % of the kids love the running and really aren't as excited about the discussions and the emotions and what they might call the touchy -feely part, and you've got about 40 % that love the discussion and the touchy -feely part, and the running, they might be moving along a little more slowly, but there's about 20 % that can't get enough of any of it. They love it all. They want the running, they want the discussion, they can't move on, they get so excited about what they're doing. But there's a little something for everyone,
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