Lea Rolfes, Executive Director of Girls on the Run in Atlanta, spoke at the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville on June 3.  She shared the history, goals, and achievements of this group which strives “to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.”  This program, organized in North Carolina in 1996, has over 200 locations in the country and 65 sites in Georgia.  Girls meet twice a week after school for twelve weeks, and each session ends with a 5K run.  She described the lessons in the program which cover such subjects as valuing teamwork, choosing friends, getting involved in community service projects, and relating to the world.  The program helps girls in the third through eighth-grade to develop self-esteem and confidence and provides strategies for handling obesity, pregnancy, and drug/alcohol issues.  A goal is to get girls actively exercising at an early age.  Volunteers serve as coaches and help with the organized runs.  Contributions and volunteers are welcomed at the website www.girlsontherunatlanta.org.

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