Transformation Girl: Beautiful Little Miracles

gothnc.org

When we attended the Girls on the Run coaches training, we were told that we would see amazing girl “transformations” - We experienced beautiful miracles.

This year, 168,000 girls in over 200 cities across North America participated in GothR. The program focuses on using fun to inspire girls to experience joy, health, and confidence through curricular experiences and running. This season, our first, as a group from Rancho Minerva Middle School in North San Diego County, we had the largest GotR group in our region. During the season, not one of our 15 girls quit-unusual-especially because our group was funded by the GotR organization, so there was little monetary risk (Girls on the Run, 2015).

Miracles include one girl who, initially, could not complete a track lap. Fast forward to season's end, she complete a 5k. Shifting her mindset, she learned that exercise pain is good, doesn’t last, and results in lasting benefits for the body, heart, mind, and soul.

Another girl was dragged to practice by Administrator Anna Lozano. Initially rebellious, over time, she began to contribute. One day, wearing jeans and high boots, she was my running partner. As we ran, we spoke about those less fortunate- those in the San Bernardino and Paris attacks - my mother's battle with cancer. Her motivation level elevated. She pushed - running most of the straights. When she showed up to the final 5k, we knew that Ms. Lozano, who dragged her to most practices and ran with her most days, was the inspiration for her being there. To our joy, fully engaged, she completed the run with pride.

Amazing was also the participation level. In all, we had a group of about 15 community members, some parents, but most staff attend practices.

At the 5k, we had more staff and family members than girls.

Another unique characteristic was Thomas Donovan. At coaches training, he was the only male. Always motivational, he inspired our girls to push physically, how to be safe, but purposeful in how they moved and engaged to gain physical strength and fitness. Tammra Taghaboni, our head coach, and the inspiration behind this entire program, was an amazing leader. Running the curricular component, she helped the girls see the heart, mind, body, soul, and brain behind the physical nature of the program, providing guidance in helping them learn tools for future success in life. She worked hard, and made a difference not only in the lives of our girls, but in the hearts of our staff members.

We are hopeful for many more amazing stories and are trying to obtain funding for the Spring season. Many additional girls are begging to join, but we simply do not have the funds to pay for the Spring season. We will stay positive and continue to push for beautiful miracles!

Reference

Girls on the Run, 2015. How girls on the run began. Girls on the Run International. Retrieved from https://www.girlsontherun.org/Who-We-Are/Our-History

Rancho Minerva Handing Out Hope

Tears flowed down her face as she walked out the doors with a cart full of boxes. But the boxes she carried were not just any box, they were blessing boxes.  This parent’s holiday season just took a turn for the better.  In fact, 15 families at Rancho Minerva just felt the result of a team of dedicated, generous, empathetic faculty and staff who pulled together to bless each family.

In early December, a team from Rancho Minerva met with a wonderful idea.  An idea to extend an offer of holiday hope to 15 selected families who were either living homeless or nearly homeless through the circumstances they had been dealt.  You would never know it by the resilient smile each student has walking around the campus, but the outlook of  yet another  holiday season with little to no food, the feeling of being cold and the feeling of disappointment which consumes their thoughts as we neared the final school days of 2015.  The offer of holiday hope literally brought tears to every family as they picked up boxes of goods, filled from our own students, staff and parents.

Students lined the sidewalks on chilly mornings the last few weeks of December collecting goods for families.  Parents chipped in and unloaded boxes of food, clothing, blankets and toiletries.  As the donations came in, the faculty and staff or RMMS stepped in to adopt each family.  15 families  represented as ornaments that  hung from a tree in the office were one by one adopted by teams of teachers and staff.  Bags of new jackets, blankets, socks began to fill our offices as the blessing boxes began to fill.  The generosity of the team at Rancho Minerva overflowed and abounded throughout the boxes and boxes filled for each family.

On the final day before holiday break, one-by-one each family came to pick up their donations.  Every exchange between the RMMS team and the family resulted in tears of joy, relief and hope.  This time of year is about giving.  This year, the team from Rancho Minerva gave our parents and students hope.  Such a wonderful memory for all.