The mission of Girls on the Run resonates with me that much more now that I have children of my own. I want to inspire, motivate, and encourage them so they know anything is possible. Tell us about some of your favorite stories from GOTRC: There are so many wonderful stories of growth and wisdom from my years as a volunteer: I remember a very quiet girl who didn’t like running, who slowly transformed over the course of the season into a girl who was speaking up with answers to questions and running more laps than she ever believed possible, all with new friends by her side! I also remember a girl who did not come from an athletic background . She really enjoyed the lessons, and surprised herself by completing the 5k, crying tears of joy while exclaiming that she can’t wait to do it all over again! Do you have a favorite lesson? My favorite lesson is the one in which we ask the girls to draw an outline of their body and write down what they like about themselves inside the outline. Some of my favorite GOTRC memories are seeing this lesson in action! I’ve seen so many great thoughts…creative, dreamer, artistic, comic, confident, and loyal. These young girls came up with such awesome descriptions of the things they liked about themselves. My answers wouldn’t have been that creative! Our discussion of emotional health is another favorite lesson. I like the way it describes emotions as comfortable and uncomfortable, instead of “good” or “bad”. The lesson reminds the girls that it’s okay to have uncomfortable emotions. All too often girls receive the message that they shouldn’t experience negative emotions. It’s good for them to hear and know that it’s okay to feel this way and there are helpful, constructive ways to work through it. This is such an important tool for all of us to have as we go through life. hard and never give up.