Friends and 5Ks

Inspiring girls to recognize their inner strengths is something that Girls on the Run prides themselves on. They love to celebrate what makes each girl one of a kind. Girls on the Run is a 10 week program for 3rd-8th graders aimed to establish a lifetime commitment to health and fitness. Through this program, girls complete service projects to positively impact their communities and also prepare for a celebratory 5k event.

In Lincoln, there are 6 Girls on the Run chapters. From March to May, girls will meet after school to play games, improve their endurance, and make friends all while training for their 5K event at the end of the year. This fun run takes place at the end of April and is a great way for each Girls on the Run participant to showcase their hard work that season.

Lincoln TeamMates thought it would be fun to make shoe charms for the girls to wear to encourage their training. Mentors and mentees designed nearly 450 charms for Girls on the Run. Each match colored a shrinky dink circle the size of a coaster, then TeamMates staff melted the charms to be the size of a quarter. After adding the safety clips, girls were invited to clip the charms onto their shoes.

TeamMates staff, Audrey Watson and Stacey Blizek, had the pleasure of dropping the charms off at the Holmes Girls on the Run club. There were lots of squeals and giggling as girls picked out which charms they want. Many girls asked if they could have more than two to put on their other pairs of shoes.

Mentors and mentees that made these charms want to wish Girls on the Run participants good luck on their 5K. We hope the charms make each girl smile when they cross that finish line.