History of Girls on the Run
Molly Barker established Girls on the Run in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1996. A four-time Hawaii Ironman tri-athlete, Molly holds a Masters in Social Work from the Unviersity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A former high school teacher and track coach, Molly has also wored as a counselor addressing the needs of women with eating disorders, alcohol and substance addictions and depression.
The Girls on the Run curricula, the heart of the program, provides pre-adolescent girls with the necessary tools to embrace their individual strengths as they enter middle and high school. Written by Molly and Dori Luke, L.C.S.W., it is based upon reaserch in teh field of adolescent issues. The earliest version of the 24 lesson curriculum was piloted in 1996 with the help of 13 brave girls. Twenty-six girls came the enxt season, then 75. In 2000, Girls on the Run International, a 501(c)(3) organization was born.
Today, there are Girls on the Run programs in over 150 cities across North America, with tens of thousands of girls and women participating. In 2008, Girls on the Run hosted 100 end-of-season 5k events across the United States and Canada.
The true success of the program is told in the words of its past and present participants. "I used to be shy, but now I'm not anymore." "I know that whatever I set my mind to do, I can do." "Girls on the Run helps me feel awesome about myself!" That is success.