PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A youth development program for girls in grades 3-5, offered for the first time in Aroostook County, wraps up its initial session on Sunday, June 4 with a celebratory five-kilometer running event.
Fifteen girls from the communities of Presque Isle, Mapleton, Easton and Mars Hill have participated in the local Girls on the Run program since late March. They have met twice a week for 10 weeks at the Sargent Community Center under head coach/liaison Heidi Bartley and several adult assistant coaches.
Bartley said the mission of Girls on the Run is “to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experienced-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.”
One of the program participants, Isabel Berry, summed up the program in a few words.
“We run a lot, do activities and have a lot of fun,” Berry said.
Another, Kaeleigh Swanson, said she enjoys “working together as a team and building friendships.”
Girls on the Run started in North Carolina in 1996 and has grown to more than 250 councils across the United States.
The council in Maine was formed five years ago and began with one site in Portland. Since that time, the council has grown to serve 40 sites in the state and Presque Isle is the first north of Bangor.
The training and curriculum designed by Girls on the Run International provide a structured format with lesson topics each week, including friendships, self confidence and empathy.
“As we work through each lesson, we work on building confidence by using tools and real examples of how to handle difficult situations,” Bartley said. “At the start of the running portion of the lesson, the girls set a lap goal for the day.”
All the training culminates with Sunday’s Aroostook County Girls on the Run Celebratory 5K, which is held from 9 a.m.-noon at Mantle Lake Park. It is a billed as a non-competitive event and Bartley is encouraging family and community members to join the girls “as we all run, walk or skip our way to the finish line.”
Funds raised from the event will support the local Girls on the Run team and help expand the program to more girls throughout Aroostook County.
“I have had the pleasure of getting to know 15 young girls who have taught me what it’s like to be a coach,” said Bartley. “It has been inspiring to watch the girls push themselves, especially those who never thought they would enjoy running.
“What I hope the girls will remember now, and 20 years from now, is how they felt when they crossed the finish line of their very first 5K,” she added. “This program isn’t really about running, but it’s about getting to know yourself, finding your strengths and using them to be a stronger and healthier you. Getting the medal is a reminder of the steps it took to get there.”
For more information on the program or on this weekend’s race, call Bartley at 551-1705 or send an email to heidikbartley@gmail.com.
