Girls on the Run Vermont is pleased to announce that Rachel Desautels has joined the organization as the new Northern Vermont Program Coordinator.
Girls on the Run is an international organization that helps empower girls to develop physical, emotional and social well-being, offering strategies for dealing with life-challenges in healthy, positive ways. An interactive, experience-based afterschool educational program, Girls on the Run serves girls from 3rd to 8th grade, helping foster a sense of self-esteem, character, collaboration and community involvement through a 12-week, 24-lesson curriculum offered each spring. Focusing on everything from body image, bullying and gossip to peer pressure, the media and compassion for others, the program takes place each spring, is augmented by a local community service project and culminates in wonderfully celebratory 5K run/walks held in Southern, Central and Northern Vermont in May and June.
Ms. Desautels brings to her new post over 15 years of experience in building strong professional relationships and team-oriented business procedures as a national television and radio media buyer. A longtime Girls on the Run Vermont coach and supporter, Ms. Desautels is thrilled to be joining GOTRVT, which is based in Brattleboro. She will be working from her office in Burlington, coordinating GOTRVT program coaches and sites across the northern region of the state, serving Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans and Washington counties.
Nancy Heydinger, Director of GOTRVT, is delighted to have Ms. Desautels aboard. “This is our 15th Anniversary at Girls on the Run Vermont and our staff has grown exponentially over the last twelve months, to meet the growing demand for our program,” said Heydinger. “This year the program expanded by 25%, serving more than 2,880 girls at over 140 locations across the state, so we’re excited to have Rachel taking over our very busy northern region. Her enthusiasm is wonderful and, as a Girls on the Run coach, she knows the program inside and out already. The timing is perfect, as it will help us to increase our reach to girls throughout the north and prepare for the Essex 5k which will be held on June 6th, 2015.”
The Girls on the Run Vermont program is delivered by over 700 coach team volunteers who are parents, grandparents, school staff and community members seeking to help girls make healthy choices, support each other and honor their uniqueness as they navigate through the middle school years.