2009 was a hard year for many people. I struggled to get my life settled while in a blur of unemployment and missed out on a lot of my usual volunteer opportunities. Although I only volunteered with Girls on the Run for a brief time, I never miss a chance to spread the word about this amazing organization. Girls on the Run was started by a four-time Hawaii Ironman Triathlete, Molly Barker, to educate and empower young girls in self-respect and healthy living. Ideally, this organization hopes to prevent young girls from entering into risky behavior and works to “encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.”
I volunteered at one of the regularly scheduled Lollipop Runs in San Francisco. I met with my young running partner at about 9:15 in the morning and joined in on the group stretching. She had been training with other volunteers throughout the past couple months to get in shape for the 5k race and was excited to start running! When the gun went off we got moving. We were able to complete the whole race with only a few pauses for water and shoe tying. As we crossed the finish line, the young girl’s face lit up. She had never run this far and claimed to think she never had thought it was possible. She accomplished a goal, and realized that there was a world of possibilities in her life, that 28 minutes earlier had seemed to only hold few opportunities. I will never forget her excitement after finishing her first race.
The next Lollipop run is May 8, 2010. I will be there. Will you join me?
- Quincey
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