WILTON – It was a great feeling to return to in-person Fit Girls this fall. Entering our 10th season, we continue to promote the mission of inspiring a healthy and active lifestyle for young girls.
The girls each received the book “Ways to Make Sunshine” which supplied our curriculum with great fun for all outdoor activity at each of the three elementary schools. The girls stretched their minds as well as their bodies at school and at home. One highlight was the girls were able to keep track of their steps and collectively they ran over 499,000 steps (which would equal the distance from Farmington, Maine to Rhode Island). This fun challenge was possible thanks to the generosity of our friends’ making contributions in our Annual Appeal.
Thanks to grants and individual gifts we receive, there was no cost for the girls to participate. Many of our girls would not be able to take part otherwise. For this we are incredibly grateful to our donors who have helped give these girls this opportunity. We also have been able to supply some of our girls with running shoes which are essential to their success and these girls and families were very appreciative.
As we move forward, we sent a questionnaire to our families and received great responses. We asked if their girls would continue with our program if we offered it in the spring. The response was “yes” from every girl. We plan to offer a spring session beginning in April and information will be posted on our website and registration will be online for fourth- and fifth-grade girls.
In addition, we could not provide this program without amazing coaches including Ali Paradis, Nancy Ellis, Tina Davis, and Stephanie French. These educators in RSU 9 give so much of their time and Fit Girls appreciates it.
Here is something one of our girls wrote at the end of our fall program. “Fit Girls was so much fun. It was fun to be together and be outdoors and anything is possible if you try your best.”
It is a sincere privilege to give girls in western Maine the opportunity which we offer through Fit Girls. We urge you to visit our website to see our program information.
– Submitted by Deb Aseltine
