LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As families are getting ready to have their children go back to school, they’re also researching options for extra-curricular activities.

One option parents at Lake Tahoe are looking into for March 2025 is Girls on the Run Sierras. 

“Girls on the Run has fun, evidence-based programs that inspire participants to recognize their inner strength, increase their level of physical activity, imagine their possibilities, and confidently stand up for themselves and others,” according to http://www.girlsontherunsierras.org.

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It also inspires girls to discover, build, and grow their self-confidence, and experience a sense of belonging and connection as a team member.

“The girls learn about confidence, making good friends, and becoming the best version of themselves,” said Kylie Daniels, marketing coordinator and events director for Girls on the Run Sierras. “…We’re really a character building program with a sprinkle of physical activity, but we’re not a running program.”

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Girls on the Run Sierras also unlocks girls power and potential by teaching essential life skills.

Girls on the Run is for 3rd through 5th graders. Heart & Sole is for 6th through 8th graders.

Volunteer coaches teach lessons that blend physical activity with life skills, including managing emotions, fostering friendships, and expressing empathy.

At the end of the 10-week session, the team does a community impact project and runs a 5K. This gives the girls a sense of accomplishment in addition to setting a confident mindset into motion, according to the website.

Since 2007, 6,139 girls have participated in Girls on the Run Sierras, which encompasses Northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe region. 

In Spring 2024, 122 girls at Creekside Charter School, Diamond Valley Elementary School, Incline Middle School (Heart & Sole program), Kings Beach Elementary School, Tahoe Lake Elementary School, Tahoe Valley Elementary School, and Truckee Elementary School participated.

“Our program is primarily focused on giving girls the tools and skills to become confident, joyful and healthy not only as children but well into adulthood with the added benefit of physical activity,” wrote Girls on the Run Sierras’ Program Manager Elysa Kleidosty in an email to the Tahoe Daily Tribune. “Girls on the Run celebrates the importance of teamwork while allowing each participant to recognize how her own individual star power can shine brightly. Through the lessons we teach, we build character and resilience in our participants to take on challenges throughout their lives with empathy, compassion and curiosity.”

In 2023, Girls on the Run Sierras hosted Spring and Fall sessions in Reno, Sparks, and Sun Valley. It only holds Spring sessions in Lake Tahoe area because of weather related issues during the Fall. 

There were 41 Girls on the Run Sierras sites that served 680 girls in 2023.

There were two weeks of camp that year.

In 2023, more than 300 people volunteered in addition to 15 camp coaches.

Girls on the Run International was founded in 1996. Since then, this nonprofit has helped more than 2 million girls across North America, according to the website.

“Children today are exposed to longstanding gender stereotypes, societal obstacles, and cultural challenges that can be detrimental to their emotional and physical health,” according to the website. “Our program helps girls recognize their potential and rise above limiting gender expectations. Girls on the Run programs … make an impact at a critical age when confidence and physical activity decline.”

Statistics from Girls on the Run Sierras show:

• 98% of Girls on the Run participants said they would tell other girls to join the program.
• 94% of parents/guardians said their daughters had a good experience.
• 96% os schools would offer the program again.

To volunteer or sign up, go to http://www.girlsontherunsierras.org.