Girls on the Run South Central Wisconsin is on a mission to recruit 500 coaches by July 31, 2024. GOTR coaches are trained volunteers who lead a team of participants through a season of powerful and fun lessons. Today, meet Coach Shelley, a retired elementary school teacher from Elvehjem Elementary School who has been sharing her Star Power with local girls youth as a GOTR coach for 20 seasons and counting!

Greetings! I appreciate the chance to share my coaching story with you today. I came to running late in life - at the age of 48. My very first 5K event was the Girls on the Run Fall 5K in 2011 - as a participant, not as a coach or running buddy. When another teacher at my school (Elvehjem) brought the Girls on the Run program to our school, I was excited to join the coaching team! I entered into coaching knowing very little about the program, but from the beginning I was hooked and have remained a coach for 20 seasons and counting.

I love sharing my enthusiasm for running with our teams and seeing so many of the participants grow in their running abilities and see themselves as runners. But even more rewarding is watching their confidence increase as they realize and celebrate their inner beauty and star power, along with seeing them learn and build on the numerous tools introduced and practiced in the program. Watching the team cheer for and encourage each other at the practice 5K is absolutely heartwarming, and seeing the look of accomplishment on each participant's face as they cross the finish line at the culminating 5K event fills me with joy and pride. Spending time with our teams over the last 10 years and witnessing their growth and enthusiasm has made my star power shine brighter with every season I coach.

Please join us in thanking Shelley for sharing her heart with us all these years and for the incredible difference she has made in the lives of local young people. Like Shelley, you can create a transformational experience for yourself and a local child by becoming a coach today! Learn more or sign up here.