Girls on the Run of Montgomery County

Girls on the Run of Montgomery County (moco), md is a positive youth development program which inspires preteen Girls to develop self-respect and a healthy lifestyle through an interactive after-school curriculum and running program. Over a period of 10 weeks, Girls in the 3rd through 8th grade participate in an out of school time program. the Girls on the Run lessons encourage positive emotional, social, mental and physical development. Physical activity is woven into our program to inspire an appreciation of fitness and to build habits that lead to a lifetime of health. At the end of each three month session, the Girls participate in a Girls on the Run 5k event. This celebratory, non-competitive event is the culminating experience of the curriculum. Completing the 5k gives thegirls a tangible understanding of the confidence that comes through accomplishment as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. This past year, Girls on the Run served approximately 3,000 Girls at over 100 sites throughout Montgomery County. We provided approximately $165,000 in financial aid for both our program and 5k. This year, Girls on the Run of moco demonstrated significant recovery from the pandemic's impact on operations, serving 72% of pre-covid participant levels. In-person programming at typical locations and our centralized celebratory 5k event resumed after pivoting to socially distanced implementation at alternative locations due to the closures of schools for covid-19.