It’s fall, the school year is kicking into high gear, and Girls On The Run is well into the start of its fall season. This year, according to GOTR program director Jacquie Kippen, more than 900 girls are registered at Y branches and local schools.
That’s one of the biggest classes since the program began. Girls and their coaches are training for the fall season 5K, which will be at Kensington Metropark in November.
And now, Jacquie says she’s working on bringing a program to Metro Detroit that will allow people who might not have a girl in the program or who can’t make the commitment to coaching to help Girls On The Run. The program is called Sole Mates, and it allows women and men who would like to help make the program more available to all girls, regardless of cost.
It works like this: A Sole Mate chooses an endurance event to train for — anything from a 10K to a marathon, or a multi-sport event like a bike race or triathlon. They then ask their friends to donate funds for Girls on the Run in support of their training; for example, a dollar a mile or a specific amount from each donor. The minimum amount they must raise is $200. The money goes to scholarship funds to keep the program affordable for every girl who wants to join.
“It could be just like Girls On The Run,” Jacquie says. “Why not make it memorable?”
Internationally, 1,193 SoleMates participated in over 250 events, ran 14,898 miles in the United States, Canada, France and China, and raised over $650,000 for Girls on the Run councils.
She’s looking for people to be the inaugural Sole Mates team for the spring season, Jacquie says. A few volunteers run with the Chicago version of Sole Mates and arrange to have the money sent to the Girls on The Run of Greater Detroit, and there has been some interest for the local crew already, she says.
Does being a Sole Mate sound like it would be as much fun as Girls on the Run? Email Jacquie at jkippen@ymcadetroit.org to find out more.