Girls on the Run of Berks County is celebrating its 10th year of serving girls in Berks and Schuylkill counties.
Lottery registration opened Monday for the fall session, which begins Sept. 11 and ends Nov. 18 with a 5K run and celebration at Penn State Berks in Spring Township.
Girls in two age groups, third through fifth grades and sixth through eighth grades, are invited to register.
“I feel extremely lucky and blessed to be part of the team going into the 10th year,” said coach Amanda Muncy, who took over as program manager this season.
Muncy said she doesn’t intend to give up coaching, despite her new role.
“I love the connections with the girls, watching them blossom throughout the season, getting to witness their ‘ah-ha!’ moments and seeing them form bonds like no other,” she said. “I honestly believe that every girl could benefit from a program like this because of the quality of the life lessons learned in each session.”
The program is more than just a running club, she said.
The physical activities are combined with a set curriculum and used to teach girls that they possess confidence and power, said Kirsten Haas, executive director.
“When they believe in themselves, that helps them build relationships with other people, whether it’s their family, their friends, their classmates or teammates,” she said.
In addition to building confidence, girls learn decision-making and other valuable life skills, including the connection between physical and emotional health.
The girls also learn to practice kindness and embrace and celebrate their differences, while also finding strength in their connectedness, Haas said.
“That lends to building community and giving back to the community,” she said.
The program is extremely popular and spots on the various school and community teams are in high demand, prompting the switch to a lottery system of registration for fall.
“In the spring we actually had several teams that literally filled up within hours of registration opening,” Haas said. “I felt like we were selling Taylor Swift tickets.”
Registration was formerly on a first-come basis, but not all caregivers have immediate access to a computer and the internet when registration opens. That made the former process unfair, she said.
Under the new system, a software program will randomly select girls for each team.
Lottery registration will be open through Aug. 23 with team spots assigned Aug. 24. Open registration will begin Aug. 25 and go through Sept. 18 with any remaining team spots filled on a first-come basis.
School teams are only open to students at the specific school, Haas said, but community teams, such as the new one at Alvernia University, are open to any girl in the two counties served.
Because the program offers three different curricula, girls can participate more than once without repeating the same lessons, she said.
Sessions are typically held three times a week for 10 weeks, she said, but an eight-week option will be rolled out next year along with an updated curriculum.
“It is so exciting to start celebrating our 10th year with this fall season,” Haas said. “There is so much potential yet to be realized for this organization, and I cannot wait to see what our future holds.”
All program activities are adaptable for girls who require it, and financial assistance is available so participants do not miss the social, emotional and physical outcomes of the program.
For more information about Girls on the Run of Berks County, visit www.gotrberks.org.
Source: Berkshire mont