Girls on the Run of Charlotte is accepting applications for new advisory board members. 

All Advisory Board Members must agree to the following standards:
1)  Support the mission and vision of Girls on the Run 

2)  Commit to service on the Girls on the Run of Charlotte Board for a 2-year term

3)  Meetings:  Attend 70% of all meetings, Prepare for and participate in meetings, maintain confidentiality of the board’s deliberations, serve on at least one board committee

4)  Financial Development/Fundraising:  Give an annual gift according to personal means, assist in implementing fundraising strategies through personal influence with others, actively participate in financial development to ensure fundraising goals are met by the end of the fiscal year (June 30).  

5)  Know and support the organization’s purpose, goals, policies, objectives and programs. 

Meeting Details:
Girls on the Run of Charlotte hosts Advisory Board Meetings bi-monthly on the second Tuesday of the month.  Meetings take place in February, April, June, August, October and December annually.  Please note that special purpose meetings may take place during off months.   

Interested applicants please submit a copy of your resume and a letter stating why you would like to serve on the Girls on the Run of Charlotte board to Jessica Otto, Council Director at jotto@girlsontherun.org.  All applications must be submitted for review by June 7, 2013.  The Girls on the Run board will review applications during our June meeting and reply back to all applicants.

Questions:  Please feel free to contact Jessica Otto at jotto@girlsontherun.org with any questions.

Congratulations to all of our 5k participants that came out on Saturday, May 4th for the Girls on the Run 5k!

Saturday, May 4th @ 9am at The Park at Huntersville

Online Registration has closed.

Please register at Omega Sports on Park Road May 2 and 3 from 10am-7pm, or on race day!

NOTE: Girls on the Run program participants are already registered for the 5K by GOTR.

Click here for our 5k Event Guide

Click here to visit our 5k website.

This is a non-competitive, non-timed event. Please join us in supporting our girls!

Event is held rain or shine!

My name is Janelle Patterson and I’m a teacher in my 8th year at Royal Oaks Elementary.  I love to run!  I am passionate about working with young children and creating a safe environment for them to learn. I am married to Brian and have a dog named Maddie!

I learned about Girls on the Run when I traveled to Denmark last summer with the Center of International Understanding. While I was there I met a girl named Amanda.  Amanda is from the Asheville area and also loved to run. We were talking about running together while in Europe when she mentioned Girls on the Run! I have participated in many running programs at school, but this one I had never heard of.  I asked lots of questions and she had all the answers. That day, while in Denmark, I googled Girls on the Run, and I made a  decision right then that having this program at my school was a must!

I become a Girls on the Run Coach because I love running and I love children. Working with girls to promote self worth is something I think is extremely important! I wanted to be the one that helped start this program that is amazing and life changing for so many adults and young girls.

This is my first season coaching Girls on the Run and I will continue coaching after this year! I can already see the girls forming relationships and encouraging each other. It so rewarding for me as a coach!  My favorite memory so far if watching the girls work as a team without frustration or fighting. These girls want to be a part of this and it is so great to watch!

I am looking forward to watching my 15 girls cross that 5k finish line on May 4th! I’m sure I’ll cry. What an awesome goal to reach!

My name is Karen Bryan.  I have been married for 27 years to Blair Bryan, the absolute love of my life! We have 4 children. Austin, 25 married to Kendyl.
Elizabeth, 23, engaged to be married to Jon. Alexandra, a junior in college, and Coleton, a junior in high school.  My family moved here in 1996 from Southern California and I started reading about Girls on the Run.  I instantly thought the program sounded fascinating.  I was a recreational runner  and thought maybe coaching Girls on the Run would be a great way to work with kids, and to talk about how awesome running is. I  became a coach at Providence Spring Elementary and am currently coaching my 14th season.

I can’t even imagine NOT coaching! The curriculum, the girls I get to work with, my assistant coach…… It is just such a pleasure!  This program is absolutely
amazing and I can watch how it affects the girls.  They grow, learn, and gain confidence.  Girls on the Run truly makes a difference in the lives of these wonderful girls.

My favorite memory?? There are so many!!!  One sweet memory is the lesson where we run the practice 5k.  Everyone had finished except for one girl who was struggling a bit. All of a sudden (with no prompting from me) one of the girls got up  and said, “I’m going to run with her, encourage her and help her
finish.” Slowly one by one all 14 other girls surrounded her, ran with her, and cheered her on until she finished.  It still brings tears to my eyes.

To all current, new and future coaches, HAVE FUN!  I promise you will LOVE working with these amazing girls. They want to learn, they want to run, they want to have important conversations with you. YOU will be blessed as much or MORE than the girls.

What I love about each season, is getting to know new girls, and learning all I can about how wonderful they are. Together we will learn to encourage, respect, be kind, and be healthy. The best part is that I know by the end of the season we will love each other.

Join us on:

May 4th @ 9am at The Park at Huntersville

Register online at http://gotrcharlotte5k.racesonline.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=site.display&page_id=5752

NOTE: Girls on the Run program participants are already registered for the 5K by GOTR.

Click here for our 5k Event Guide

This is a non-competitive, non-timed event. Please join us in supporting our girls!

My name is Jennifer and I’m Cuban-american. I’m also an IB senior at East Mecklenburg High School.  I have a passion for animals of all kinds and spending time with the people closest to me.  I learned about Girls on the Run through my elementary school about 8 years ago when I was in fifth grade and I fell in love.  I have been in love with the program and what it did for me ever since, so it only felt natural to want to coach at the school I attended.  Participating in Girls on the Run was a fantastic experience and I wanted to play a part in it.

I have two favorite moments from the Girls on the Run season so far: One of those moments was when my team’s girls were so excited that I was a student at that school, and the second had to be when I received my first hug from one of the lovely ladies I help coach. I was so worried that they wouldn’t warm up to me and that just melted my heart.  I definitely would recommend everyone to volunteer to coach, but only if they truly understand the message and what this means to others.

My first season as a coach is going just as well as my first season as a Girl on the Run went. Every day has been amazing and has motivated me to do even more with my time.  This experience is so intimate and I genuinely care for this program. Not saying that I didn’t care for any of the walks I’ve participated
in to help the fight against cancer, or another health issue, but this is something that helped me grow into a confident young woman, and that is precious
to me.

In three words, I would describe this volunteer coaching experience as: incredible, unforgettable, and inspiring.

My name is Alex Bunting and I have been a Girls on the Run coach for over 10 years.   I have coached Girls on Track at the Harris YMCA, Girls on the Run at Park Road Montessori, and Girls on the Run at Community Charter School.

I first learned about Girls on the Run while on a run!  I saw a yard sign with the logo and wondered what the group was about.   I thought it might be a women’s running group, and was excited to possibly find other women to run with.  What I learned was that it was an opportunity to share my love of running while interacting and mentoring young girls.  I was a teacher at the time and thought it would be a fun way to spend my afternoons.

I still remember my coaches’ training all these years after!  I remember meeting Molly Barker for the first time, and hearing her heartwarming story.  Her passion for girls to feel strong, beautiful, and confident in who they are as unique individuals was so motivating!  By the end of our day, women were crying as they shared about their own insecurities growing up, and many of us realized just how much the media and peer pressure really do affect how girls see themselves.  I knew I was in the right place, and was more motivated than ever to share the message of Girls on the Run!

One of my favorite lessons is about the media.  The girls love going through magazine ads and talking about them critically.  They always come back the next session with a story about other advertisements they have seen, and the false message they give.  I think it gives them a way to properly filter what they see everyday in the media, and a healthy perspective of the messages they send.  I also love the lesson on dealing with conflict and sticking up for yourself.  Giving the girls practical tools they can use in communicating how they feel and what they need is invaluable!

My only advice to other coaches is to not worry so much if the girls walk more and run less!  Don’t let it take away from the fun of Girls on the Run.  As long as they continue to move, it is ok!  If you know a girl is capable of more, run with her and help her set a personal goal, or encourage her to run with another girl who has the same pace.  She might make a new friend!

I’m Carrie Hanson and I’m coaching my fourth season of GOTR at Olde Providence Elementary.  I originally heard about Girls on the Run through the Ramblin Rose Triathlon.  I didn’t actually start running until I was in my late thirties and going through a divorce.  Running helped me stay centered and served as a great stress reliever at the time when I needed it most.  I never thought I could be a great runner, in fact, when I started running I could barely make it to the end of the street without feeling like I was going to die.  I slowly built up mile by mile and within a year, I was running up to 15 miles at a time and doing pretty well in local races.  My daughter Kylie began to ask if she could run with me, probably as a way to spend more time with me, and maybe to do something where she knew her little sister couldn’t tag along!  She actually became quite fond of running and noticed her soccer game improving as a result of it as well.

When Kylie was entering third grade, I decided GOTR was something that we could do together, so I signed up to coach.  We always try to model healthy behaviors for our kids at home, so I figured this would be perfect.  Coaching GOTR has been such a positive experience, I can’t imagine not coaching!  Whenever I run into one of my girls, whether in the grocery store, on the soccer field, or while volunteering at the school, I am always greeted with big hugs and smiles.  I feel some kind of a bond with each and every one of the girls who have participated on our teams, they are all special to me in different ways.  It surprises me every time when the ones whom I think are not as engaged come up to me and tell me how they had an opportunity to apply a lesson in real life, or tell me about a race they signed up for or ran in with their families.

My favorite GOTR lesson is the Practice 5k.  At our school we always make a huge deal about it and invite all of the staff to join us running and the parents to help at the water stations and give out lap counters.  It is so fun to see the teachers out there running.  Last season, one of the teachers forgot their running gear, but completed the 5k in her “fancy clothes” and boots because she told her students she’d be there.  We have such tremendous support from our
school, especially our principal.  She runs the 5k with the girls every season, helps us come up with ideas for our “unity item” to set us apart at the race, and even joins us for sundaes at our end of the season celebration.  This season, I’m set on getting Mr. Watts – our school custodian out there with us too!

Don’t tell anyone this, but I’m a little bit of a softie.  You can pretty much count on the fact that I’m going to cry at the actual 5k race. It’s standard and I warn the girls ahead of time,  “It’s not that Coach Carrie is sad, it’s just that my positive cord is overflowing with sparkles and I am so filled with joy over what you’ve accomplished this season” I tell them.  It is truly an emotional experience for me to see it all come together, and if Molly is speaking, let the waterworks begin!

This fall, I was most proud and inspired by the parents and running buddies.  The girls are always awesome, but we had a group of parents and teachers who were self-proclaimed “not runners”.  Listening to how they were doing “Couch to 5k” programs and secretly training to be able to keep up with the girls was fun, funny, and made me realize that GOTR doesn’t just benefit the girls, it benefits the whole community!

This spring, I am most looking forward to working with a new group of girls and a few fabulous coaches, one who “learned to run” as a result of her
daughter’s participation last season.  It has been a blast getting to know many of the new coaches during the training sessions and my best advice to them is to not stress out if things don’t go exactly as planned.  These girls are very forgiving and appreciative of everything you do.  Enjoy each and every minute of it, and celebrate the little things. . .the season goes by way too fast!

My name is Ahrissa Jones and I am originally from Erie, PA.  I went to college at Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach, SC where I received my degree in Elementary Education.  Throughout my college career I was involved in a mentor program, and I really gained a love for helping kids build their self confidence by helping them reaching their full potential academically, and in their personal lives.

When I moved to Charlotte after graduation, I immediately started interviewing for elementary teaching positions. During one of my interviews, one of the teachers on the interview committee was telling me about all of the extracurricular activities that the school offered.  She mentioned the GOTR program, and immediately it caught my interest.  When I got home I looked online to find out more information and was so impressed by the message it sends to young girls!  After learning about the program, I faithfully asked all the schools I was interviewing with if they offered the program, and if they needed volunteers.

I was very blessed to get a job at JH Gunn right out of college, and even more blessed to become an assistant coach during my first year of teaching there.  Since then I have been blessed to take over the Head Coach position for our school, and I am currently coaching my 4th season.  Although I am very busy with my teaching career and a second job, I can’t imagine not making the time to continue being apart of the GOTR program.  The girls energy truly motivates me to be the best I can be, as a coach, teacher, friend, and overall person.  Many of the lessons we teach can be valuable for “kids” of all ages.  GOTR teaches young women to be physically and emotionally healthy.  I wish that when I was their age I had a group that motivated me to live healthy and equipped me with strategies to deal with problems all girls run into socially and emotionally. These lessons are going to be timeless for these girls.

During all four seasons I have coached, I have seen the difference the program has made in the lives of my students who may have previously had a hard time socially or emotionally, and it is truly inspiring to be a part of this process.  GOTR has helped several of my girls to build their confidence and has let the sparkling personalities that is hidden in each and every one of them shine. I love teaching young girls who are constantly bombarded with the pressure to look and act a certain way according to society, what really important is the person you are, on the inside.  If you are beautiful in the inside, you will not be able to help but to ooze beauty on the outside.

I am looking forward, as I do each season, to the 5K.  It’s an experience that the girls get so excited about. They so proudly display their medals the Monday after the 5K at school and you can tell each of them has little more pep in their step because they have reached their goal.  They reached the goal with the help of 14 new friends, and the countless strategies from our lessons to help them grow into  beautiful young woman that shine from the inside.

My best advice to coaches is to be passionate about what you are teaching the girls, be excited, and practice what you preach. When the girls see their coaches and mentors living the message of GOTR they are motivated and excited to do the same thing. I would encourage anyone who is looking to make a difference in the community or in the lives of young girls, to volunteer for this program.  It has been a blessing for me and the young ladies at my school!