Photos courtesy of Alice Elmore.
0814 girls on the run
The spring team of VHEW’s Girls on the Run raised funds for the Ronald McDonald House with Silly Sock Day. The semester-long program closed out with the girls running a 5K.
An enthusiastic group of third-grade girls from Vestavia Hills Elementary West took part this spring in Girls on the Run, an international, nonprofit program founded in North Carolina in 1996. The program inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident, while also teaching life skills through interactive lessons and running games. VHEW is the first Vestavia school to start its own Girls on the Run team, and the spring team was the school’s second semester to participate.
Girls on the Run is focused on third through eighth grade girls. West’s fall team was under the direction of third-grade teachers Lisa Kearney and Emmy White, who volunteered their time while working alongside community volunteer Megan Johnson. The girls met twice a week for over an hour. Each meeting included a lesson, strengthening and stretching exercises, and a running workout. The lessons inspired the girls to stay true to themselves, embrace the power within them, and honor their bodies. The semester-long session culminated in a celebratory 5K run in May.
The team also coordinated a service project to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Team members invited Vestavia Hills Elementary West students to participate in Silly Sock Day in May. More than $500 was raised. For more information about Girls on the Run in the Birmingham area, go to girlsontherunbham.org
-Submitted by Alice Elmore
