Girls on the Run® is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.

This fall, over a period of 10 weeks, St. Joseph’s 4^th and ^5th grade girls participated in an after-school program like no other.

Designed to allow every girl to recognize her inner strength, the Girls on the Run curriculum inspired our girls to define their lives on their own terms. Throughout the season, the girls made new friends, built their confidence and celebrated all that makes them unique.

The lessons were categorized into three sections:

1. Understanding ourselves
2. Valuing relationships and teamwork
3. Understanding how we connect to and shape the world at large.

St. Joseph’s girls learned about empathy, positive self-talk and motivation, and worked hard to incorporate these values into their daily life.

Physical activity is also woven into the program to inspire and motivate, encourage lifelong health and fitness and build confidence through accomplishment.

At the end of our season, we loaded a bus and joined approximately 900 other Girls on the Run participants from all over the state to run a 5k in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The 5k run gave St. Joseph’s students a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving all of their life’s goals.

The result? Making the seemingly impossible, possible, and teaching girls that they can.

Pilamaya — thank you — for making these programs possible! Every opportunity makes a difference in the lives of the Lakota (Sioux) children in our care.