Vermont Business Magazine Girls on the Run Vermont (GOTRVT), a statewide nonprofit organization for girls in 3rd-8th grade, has wrapped up its 25th anniversary season that served 1,683 girls across the state.
Twenty-five years ago, 15 girls at Vernon Elementary School enrolled in the Girls on the Run program.
Twenty-five seasons and 39,000 girls later, Girls on the Run Vermont is thriving and celebrating its 25th anniversary. Program participants, alumnae, coaches, parents, board members and supporters attended two statewide 5K events in June to enjoy the non-competitive, community-based events on June 1st at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, Vermont, presented by M&T Bank, and on June 7th at the Dana L. Thompson Memorial Park in Manchester, presented by Killington/PICO.
The statewide partner for both events, including in-season support, is longtime sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. BCBS of VT has been a champion of GOTRVT for twenty years.
Proceeds from the 5K events benefit Girls on the Run Vermont’s Every Girl Fund. This fund helps to ensure that every girl in Vermont can participate in the program through automatic subsidies and additional financial assistance to those participants who need it the most. This year’s 5K events brought together a combined 4,000 attendees including program participants, their family and friends, running buddies, and community members.
One participant at each 5K event was honored and presented with the GOTRVT Rick Hashagen Alumni Scholarship Award in the amount of $2,500. Cordelia King from Fairfax was recognized in Essex and Alexandra Gregory of Dummerston was recognized in Manchester. Both of these young women submitted an application outlining the impact that GOTRVT has had on their lives, and they demonstrated how they live by the organization’s core values in their everyday lives. These scholarships, supported by M&T Bank, are renewable for up to three more years and up to $10,000 in total to support their educational path post high school.
As a statewide non-profit, Girls on the Run Vermont relies on its generous sponsors to help make its program possible throughout the state. Girls on the Run Vermont’s sponsor partners, in addition to the Presenting and Statewide sponsors mentioned above, this 25th anniversary season was supported by:
Hydration sponsors: Chira Orthodontics in Essex and Casella Reels in Manchester.
Cheer Sponsors: Sprucewood Dental and Casella in Essex and VELCO in Manchester.
Village Sponsors: VC3, Green Mountain Athletic Association, Momentum Physical Therapy, The Vermont Agency, Trust Company of Vermont, kw Vermont, Sheehey, Furlong, and Behm P.C. in Essex and Trust Company of Vermont, rk Miles, The Porch, Rutland Regional Medical Center, VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region in Manchester.
Sparkle and In-Kind Sponsors: 1 800 GOT JUNK, Cabot Creamery, Champlain Valley Exposition, Concept2, Danform Shoes, DR Power, Kinney Pike, Local Muscle, Minuteman Press, New England Federal Credit Union, Paul Frank & Collins, Peregrine Design Build, Star 92.9, Westminster Foods LLC in Essex and 802 Credit Union, Against the Grain, Cabot Creamery, Hubbardton Forge, New Chapter, Manchester Fire Dept, Manchester Recreation Dept, Manchester Police Dept, Northshire Rescue Squad, Town of Manchester and Westminster Foods LLC in Manchester.
GOTRVT will celebrate their 25th anniversary next on Saturday, October 19th at Burlington Beer Co with its annual fundraiser, the Sneaker Soiree. Tickets go on sale in August.
About Girls on the Run Vermont
To learn more, visit https://www.gotrvt.org/ or email [email protected].
About Girls on the Run Vermont
Girls on the Run Vermont is an independent and 501 (c)(3) recognized council of Girls on the Run International (GOTRI), which has a network of 175 councils across the United States. Since 1999, Girls on the Run Vermont has empowered approximately 38,000 Vermont girls grades 3-8 to develop physical, emotional, and social well-being through a 10 week after school program held at over 110 sites statewide. Its mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a research-based curriculum that addresses developmentally appropriate life skills and creatively integrates running, stretching, and strengthening exercises. Find out more at gotrvt.org.
Source: WILLISTON, Vermont (June 21, 2024) - Girls on the Run Vermont
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