Girls on the Run 5K

media release: Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, will host the 16th Annual Girls on the Run Fall 5K presented by SSM Health on Saturday, November 9, at the Waunakee Village Center. Girls on the Run is a positive youth development program designed to teach critical life skills and inspire 3-8th grade girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident through running. During the program, girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections, and encourage community service while they prepare for an end-of-season celebratory 5K run.

The 5K run is the culminating experience for Girls on the Run’s largest-ever fall season. Over 275 remarkable volunteer coaches are supporting over 1,000 girls at 70 sites throughout South Central Wisconsin. Programming is taking place at schools and sites in Beloit, Cambria-Friesland, Deerfield, Deforest, Edgerton, Janesville, Madison, McFarland, Middleton, Milton, Mineral Point, Monona, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Richland Center, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, Verona, and Waunakee.

Participation in the 5K event is open to the public and all proceeds from the event benefit Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin and their mission to help girls activate their limitless potential and boldly pursue their dreams. The Girls on the Run 5K presented by SSM Health is a family-friendly event. Online registration is open through November 5. The registration fee includes an event T-shirt, free photos, and a finisher medal.

Christine Benedict, Executive Director for Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin shares, “We are so excited to be back in Waunakee for the 16^th fall Girls on the Run 5K. No matter their pace, crossing the finish line is a powerful accomplishment that helps participants understand the joys of working hard to achieve a goal. Our participants have been learning about their ‘I CAN’ power this season – it will be so much fun to see it in action at the 5K.”

The event begins at 9:00am on Saturday, November 9 at the Waunakee Village Center. Event day registration ($45) is available. For more information about the event, registration, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.girlsontherunscwi.org/5K.

About Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin:

Girls on the Run SCWI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering positive youth development programming in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Richland, Rock, and Sauk Counties. Girls on the Run SCWI is an independent council of Girls on the Run International, which includes more than 200 councils in the U.S. and Canada. Girls on the Run inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. Trained volunteer coaches lead small teams through the research-based lessons which include dynamic discussions, activities and running games. Girls in 3rd-8th grade develop essential skills to help them prepare for adolescence and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. The program culminates with the girls creating and executing a community impact project and completing a celebratory 5K event. Since 2005, over 22,000 girls at over 150 program sites throughout South Central WI have benefited from Girls on the Run.

For more information about Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin, visit: www.girlsontherunscwi.org/

About SSM Health in Wisconsin 

SSM Health (www.ssmhealth.com/about) is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through a robust and fully integrated health care delivery system. The organization’s more than 40,000 employees and physicians are committed to providing exceptional health care services and revealing God’s healing presence to everyone they serve.

In Wisconsin, SSM Health employs approximately 14,500 people, serving the south-central part of the state through a community-based network of leading physicians/providers, and inpatient and outpatient care facilities. The organization provides high-quality coordinated care across seven hospitals, ten post-acute care facilities, and more than 85 physician offices and other outpatient care sites. SSM Health also serves nearly 398,000 lives through Dean Health Plan, making it one of the largest and most diversified HMOs in the Midwest.