Sprinting toward growth

Girls on the Run chapter eyed for Jefferson City area

The words "girl empowerment" will take on a whole new meaning as a group works to establish a chapter of Girls on the Run in Jefferson City.

Girls on the Run is a national nonprofit that inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a creative curriculum involving a little running.

Empowering young women, building confidence and self-esteem are just a few of the words Cheryl Unterschutz uses to describe the purpose of the program. She is council director of the Heart of Missouri Girls on the Run chapter in Columbia. Girls on the Run is a 10-week, curriculum-based program that takes place during the fall and spring and ends with a 5K race.

Unterschutz remembers a fifth-grade girl who went from being shy, inactive and having low self esteem to becoming a team leader.

"By the end of the program the young lady had developed good relationships with her teammates and had determined that her goal was to cross the finish line at the culminating 5K race," Unterschutz said. "This is exactly what this program is about, developing relationships and uplifting girls within a safe-knit community."

Parents like Emily Wright hope to see a chapter started at St. Martins Catholic school this spring.

"This is an opportunity for young girls in third and fourth grade to build a close-knit group and learn to become confident in themselves," Wright said. "This program intentionally helps girls to build up confidence, have a positive self-image, encourages healthy habits and helps develops relationships that you may not be able to have in other groups."

Wright is on the board of the Girls on the Run chapter in Columbia. She said she initially got involved because the essential theme of the program is girl empowerment.

"I felt I wanted to help girls really see their true potential and embrace their awesomeness," she said. "Personally, I wish there was something like this for me when I was growing up."

Stephanie Thomeczek, manager of community development at Aetna Better Health of Missouri, is a volunteer and a partner of the Girls on the Run chapters throughout Mid-Missouri. She supports the ideals of the organization and wants to emphasize the organization is not just about running.

"From a mother's perspective, young girls are always battling self-esteem issues and it is important to help them build up their self worth," Thomeczek said. "They need to learn that character isn't something you build, it's something you have."

Currently, girls who are in third through fifth grade are eligible to enroll. Eventually, the program hopes to expand to include middle school and high school teams. To establish a local chapter in Jefferson City, the program requires a team of at least eight girls to sign up, along with several volunteer coaches and team leaders.

Unterschutz and Thomeczek are encouraging students, parents and local community partners to take advantage of this opportunity.

"This program not only emphasizes the importance of physical fitness, but helps girls learn to identify their strengths and how to support one another," Unterschutz said. "Here, the girls will develop a sense of leadership skills by becoming mentors and seeing other young girls as positive role models."

For more information, call Cheryl at 573-246-0884 or email her at [email protected].