Girls on the Run program has successful start w

Pictured front: Josie Phillipson; second row: Braelyn Thompson, Kenley Ayers, Emmy Lenz, Charlee Husom; third row: Coach Ann Alleman, Audrey Ward, Iris Williamson, Kinsley Larson, Lydia Alleman, Natalie Currie, Ilysia Zizis, Korrah Kammes; back row: Coach Kira Thompson, Coach Becky Tank, Coach Michele Stieve, and Coach Brooke Daven. Not Pictured: Sasmitha Vinod.

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The Girls on the Run Program came to the Dodgeville School District this fall and formed a team  of 13 girls in the 3rd thru 5th grades at the Dodgeville Elementary School.

The program was led by Ann Alleman. The coaching team volunteers also included Kira Thompson, Becky Tank,  Michele Stieve and Brooke Daven. The Iowa County teams are all strongly supported  with training and daily lesson plans provided by Hillary Davis and Christine Benedict from Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin located in Madison. 

The Girls on the Run program reaches girls at a critical stage, strengthening their confidence at a time when society begins to tell them they can’t. The program highlights the critical connection between physical and emotional well-being. The girls learned different skills like being a good teammate, celebrating differences, exploring emotions, being bold, showing empathy, taking action, and doing small acts of kindness to make this world a better place to live.

The team participated in a community impact project where the group decided to do an act of kindness for the people of Upland Hills Health Hospital. They worked together to create goody baskets for the sick and injured, as well as plates of cookies to thank staff for their good work.

The fall final celebration was a 5K at your happy pace, including jump around with Bucky Badger, which was held at Waunakee last month. This is where the 1,060 Girls on the Run team members from 72 different sites in South Central Wisconsin, along with their buddy to make a total of 2,400 participants that day.

Girls on the Run has been active in South Central Wisconsin for 20 years and has worked with 25,000 participants from 25 schools. In the 20 years of the program, no girl has ever been turned away because of cost. They have given away over $1 million in programming and feel like we are just getting started. On average, 96% of the coaches felt they formed positive relationships with girls on their team. 

Interested in starting a team in the spring of 2026?  Now is a good time to start, and it is not as difficult as you think. Registration opens Friday, February 27. The spring 5K celebration will be in Verona on Saturday, May 30. You do not need to run to participate. Would you like to make a donation because it might be your daughter or granddaughter who will gain confidence and leadership skills? It could be a neighbor or an employee’s family member. Program information can be found with a search of Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin or girlsontherunscwi.org.