Girls On The Run is an organization dedicated to using athletics to improve elementary-school aged girls' athletic abilities along with their self-confidence.  From the GOTR website, the organization's objective is to "provide a safe environment where girls can express themselves, build confidence, and learn from each other. We believe it is critical to reach girls at an early age in order to teach them these important life lessons and to prevent at-risk behavior such as eating disorders, substance abuse, depression, obesity, and adolescent pregnancies."

GOTR runs after-school programs twice a week in various towns and cities, led by dedicated athletes.  A number of GOTR's instructors also run for "Team Tiara", a fund-raising branch of the organization that uses mentors' love for running in marathons and triathlons as a way to finance the after school programs.  It's great to see mentors 'putting their money where their mouth is', so to speak, participating in the same activities that they're trying to get kids excited about.

Running is a great sport to get kids involved in because anybody can do it, and all you need is a pair of sneakers.  You don't need any special facilities either, so nobody is excluded.  If you want to run, you can run-- it doesn't matter if you don't have a lot of money, or if you can't get a ride to the field, or if you don't have a team to play with.  Girls on the Run organizes programs all around the U.S. and Canada, so check out their listings and see if it's something you'd like to get involved in-- if you're too old to enroll, you might be able to help out as a volunteer.  You could kickstart someone's lifetime of physical fitness and self-confidence.