Dear Friends: Empowering thousands of young women with the tools they need to meet their goals and conquer life’s challenges takes a lot more than running. It takes tremendous volunteers, school administrators who understand why our programming builds better students, parents who believe in their daughters and the support of communities willing to invest in future leaders. As we look back at the past 13 years we have so much to celebrate, yet as we look ahead there is still so much to look forward to. Over the past 13 years we have grown from serving 45 girls to a record 7,287 this year. We worked with 261 schools, and hosted our largest 5k to date with just under 13,000 participants. With more than half of our programs located in low-income communities, we awarded $761,000 in scholarships and subsidies in order to offer every girl the chance to participate in our programming, regardless of financial need. The Chicagoland community has supported us with its time, treasure and wisdom and so we continue to grow quickly, but strategically. With the help of our coaches, volunteers and donors, GOTRC has changed the lives of more than 27,000 girls for the better, and forever. But the statistics alone do not tell the whole story of the Girls on the Run program in Chicago because our story is best told by how it affects each girl…one girl at a time. The story is told by watching Hannah, who grew into a leader and Kalee, who learned to be confident in herself and not give up. It’s told by seeing the glint in the eyes of every young girl when she realizes she can do ANYTHING she sets out to accomplish. One of our long term goals has always been to serve every school in Chicagoland – and that goal is finally within sight. If we continue to grow at our current rate, in just ten years we will be serving over 50,000 girls annually and our spring 5k will be bigger than the Chicago Marathon! Imagine every school in the Chicagoland area hosting a Girls on the Run program. Imagine every girl having the opportunity to learn lessons that grow her self-confidence and ability to make healthy decisions. Imagine the positive affect this will have on her life and on our future. As we come to the close of our largest season to date, and as we embark on what will be another monumental year in 2013, we want to extend our sincere thanks to you for your continued support of Girls on the Run-Chicago. On behalf of the more than 50,000 girls we will serve over the next ten years and the 27,000 lives we have already changed, thank you for your commitment to our mission, our work and most importantly, to the girls. Sincerely, Betsy Armstrong Executive Director, 2011-12 ning makes me happy and strong.