Girls on the Run Celebrates 25 Years of Empowering Girls

March 11, 2021

The national nonprofit has served more than 2 million girls in 50 States and Washington D.C.

Charlotte, N.C. – March 11, 2021 – National non-profit Girls on the Run celebrates 25 years of service as a leader in positive youth development programming. The organization will celebrate the anniversary on Thursday, March 25, 2021, at 7 p.m. EST with a virtual keynote address from Hoda Kotb. Interested parties may register online to attend the event here.

Girls on the Run supports the physical and emotional health of third- through eighth-grade girls and since its inception, more than 2 million girls in 50 states and Washington, D.C. have participated. According to an independent youth development study,  girls’ self confidence begins to drop by age nine, physical activity levels start to decline by age 10, and half of 10- to 13-year-old girls experience bullying and exclusion. Girls on the Run  counters these developmental hurdles through its life skills curriculum that is delivered by trained coaches.

“If you are a girl that is bad at making friends, nobody listens or understands how you’re feeling, and you sit alone every day, that was me,” said Colleen, age nine. “Then I joined Girls on the Run. It changed my life. I have people who understand me. I used to yell out when I got angry, now I can hold in my temper. I love my life because of Girls on the Run.”

Girls on the Run provides age-specific programming for third- to fifth-grade girls and sixth- to eighth-grade girls culminating in a 5k at the end of the season. Before the pandemic, more than 600,000 participants and spectators attend one of the more than 330 5k events each year making the Girls on the Run 5k the largest 5k series by number of events in the world.

“We envision a world where all girls can tap into and activate their limitless potential to boldly pursue their dreams,” said Girls on the Run CEO Elizabeth Kunz. “It has been an honor to serve our nation’s girls during such a critical time in their development and we look forward to expanding our outreach to positively impact even more girls over the next 25 years.”

The organization is committed to gender equity and welcomes any child who identifies as a girl or gender-expansive to participate in its programming.. Parents interested in enrolling their child in Girls on the Run can visit www.girlsontherun.org to find their local council.

About Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization with local councils in all 50 states. Founded in 1996 with 13 girls, Girls on the Run has now served over 2 million girls. Over the course of the program, girls in 3rd-8th grade develop essential social, emotional and physical skills to successfully navigate life experiences. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K event. With the largest 5K series by number of events in the world, Girls on the Run hosts more than 330 5Ks per year. Girls on the Run is included as a top research-based program in a Social-Emotional Learning Guide developed by researchers at Harvard University and has been recognized by the National Afterschool Association (NAA) as one of the most influential after-school programs. Girls on the Run is offered in more than 13,000 across the US. Visit www.girlsontherun.org to learn how to get involved in your community.

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