‘Girls on The Run’ Gets a Leg Up at Clear Creek

A group of women from Etowah who value an active lifestyle made a generous contribution to Clear Creek Elementary’s “Girls on the Run” program Wednesday morning at the Etowah Valley Golf & Resort.

The Etowah Valley 18-Hole Women’s League raised and donated $830 to the local chapter of Girls on the Run, a national nonprofit that works to empower girls through life lessons, relationships and running.

Phyllis Jonsen, Etowah Valley member and former teacher of 32 years, substitute teaches for Henderson County Public Schools and saw Girls on the Run at work at Clear Creek.

“Teachers teach (the girls) nutrition, physical fitness and a big part of it is self esteem and camaraderie,” Jonsen said. “What really impressed me is these teachers do it on a volunteer basis after school.”

Second-grade teacher Kelly Bailey acknowledged that both she and 5th-grade teacher Holly English are busy moms and teachers, but said, “For me it’s worth it to connect with these girls outside the classroom.” She said, “It’s very refreshing, even after a long day.”

Bailey said Clear Creek’s program has 15 girls on its team each spring, and they meet twice a week for 12 weeks. The CPR-certified coaches attend Girls on the Run training, and teach lessons on social, emotional and physical issues the girls face at their age.

“I love that every time you learn a lesson, like how to be respectful and safe,” said 5th-grader Hannah LaRowe.

The girls also run.

“My first time that I did it was kind of hard,” said 5th-grader Brooklyn Posey. But after three years on the team, and running at home, Posey said running has gotten easier.

“The culmination activity is a 5K,” Bailey said, adding that part of the personal empowerment for many girls is finishing their first 3.1-mile run.

Summer Johnson, also a 5th-grader, said she enjoys running after school with her friends – and the group often runs local fundraiser 5K races together.

“One time we did the Color Run,” Johnson said.

Barbara Sjodin, 18-Hole Women’s League member, said if there had been a club like Girls on the Run for girls when she was growing up in the 1950’s, she wouldn’t have started smoking at a young age.

A former runner herself, Sjodin said she found out the hard way that smoking slowed her down, and encouraged the girls from Clear Creek to never pick up a cigarette.

Jonsen said she knew Girls on the Run coaches like Bailey and English have to pay for the girls’ curriculum out-of-pocket and thought the 18-Hole Women’s League’s donation could be used to help offset future costs.

Bailey said the donation will start a fund that will help offset the costs of Girls on the Run program registration for families who need it.

“The registration can be pretty hefty for some of our families,” even though it’s on a tiered scale based on income, she said.

The fund may also be used to buy appropriate running shoes for the team members, since new runners often don’t have the proper footwear.

“Sometimes they come out in flat shoes, and that’s not going to help them learn running habits and it’s not going to be good for their feet as they’re still growing and developing,” Bailey said.

Thank you to the ladies of the Etowah Valley 18-Hole Women’s League, and Etowah Valley Golf & Resort!

(Written by Molly McGowan Gorsuch, HCPS Public Information Officer.)

(Image: Phyllis Jonsen, left, with Clear Creek’s Girls on the Run coaches and 5th-graders.)