Helping young girls build confidence and healthier habits to last a lifetime

Jan. 24, 2022

Video

Finding confidence through Girls on the Run

Video transcript

Pink signs with arrows on a sunny lawn read “Girls On The Run.” Women in leggings and running shoes walk past, following the arrows to a crowd up ahead. A blue banner appears in the bottom-left of the screen with white text:

ONSCREEN TEXT:              Albert Whitted Park
                                             St. Petersburg, Florida

A person in legwarmers and running shoes warms up with high-knees exercises, then a group of girls cross the lawn doing high kicks. Now, a girl with curly brown hair speaks from the lawn. A blue banner appears in the bottom-left of the screen with white text:

ONSCREEN TEXT:              Mia Wohlgamuth
                                             Girls on the Run participant

MIA WOHLGAMUTH: It’s a really big accomplishment, because before, I couldn't run a mile. Now I can run three miles. I’ve never been in a race before; like, any 5K race like this, that’s been organized and everything. I think it’s gonna feel amazing, and when I finish it.

A girl in shorts and runners reaches to touch her toes. A person hangs silver medals on ribbons that read “Girls on the Run.”

Now a woman with braids and a headband speaks before a banner that reads “The Finish Line.” A blue banner appears in the bottom-left of the screen with white text:

ONSCREEN TEXT:              Quenita Oats
Executive Director, Girls on the Run
                                             Greater Tampa Bay

QUENITA OATS: We work primarily with third through eighth grade girls. We teach them how to deal with stressful situations, how to ask a grown-up for help, how to be a good friend, and things like that. And we use running as the vehicle to teach them these life skills that they can use now and throughout life.

Quenita wears a mask, holding a clipboard and a walkie-talkie.

Now girls stand in a crowd near the finish line. They stretch. Then, in front of a pink rope across a stretch of pavement, the group begins to run. Adults on the sidelines cheer the runners on as a blue banner descends along the right-hand side of the screen with white text:

ONSCREEN TEXT:              Girls on the Run received
                                             a UnitedHealthcare grants
                                             to expands its youth
                                             development program.

                                            The money also
                                             supports the 5k
                                             graduation event.

Quenita speaks with a beaming smile.

QUENITA OATS: Honestly speaking, I…screamed at the top of my lungs. I was so excited to learn that we had actually been awarded the grant this year, and to know that we will be able to help so many girls.

Participants’ feet race past in colorful running shoes and socks. Now, Mia speaks in the sun:

MIA WOHLGAMUTH: Before Girls on the Run, I couldn’t really access my emotions as much. Now I can like, express my emotions more to other people.

A girl with short black hair dyed green and a swirl of face paint on her cheek speaks. A blue banner appears in the bottom-left of the screen with white text:

ONSCREEN TEXT:              Veronica Banak
                                             Girls on the Run participant

VERONICA BANAK: We support each other and when we encourage each other, I feel like the challenges just disappear.

On the racetrack, a woman in a pink and purple tutu high-fives a participant in a matching tutu. At the finish line, a group of runners approaches as adults in pink vests and caps hold medals out, dancing and cheering. Mia speaks.

MIA WOHLGAMUTH: You get to see people that you see around school and you never think that they would be your friend, but they turn out to be your friend anyway. And they start encouraging you, and it’s amazing. And then they end up being your best friend.

Quenita holds a microphone and addresses the crowd.

QUENITA OATS: Way to go in there!

Now she speaks on the lawn:

QUENITA OATS: I think today is just a celebration of all the things that our girls have accomplished throughout our ten-week program, and to be able to do that together with their parents and their families cheering them on, it’s so, so special.

An adult runs with Veronica to the finish line. Veronica dons a medal, then speaks:

VERONICA BANAK: Finishing the race is a great accomplishment. Thank you for letting me join because I feel now I’m a part of the whole community.

Now Mia and Veronica smile on a podium, wearing their medals with two adults smiling along with them. They all throw their arms in the air, clapping and cheering.

MIA WOHLGAMUTH: It’s a great experience; it’s been amazing.

The view fades to a white background with the blue UnitedHealthcare logo. The logo transforms into blue text:

ONSCREEN TEXT:              UnitedHealthcare

The view fades to black.

Mia Wohlgamuth admits before joining Girls on the Run, she struggled with her emotions and found It physically challenging to run a mile. At a time in life when confidence and determination are critical, the program helps young girls, like Mia, find their full potential.

As she faces her very first 5K race, Mia is excited to show her friends and family just how far she’s come.

“I've never been in a race before,” Mia said. “I think it's going to feel amazing when I finish.”

The joyful, fun, non-competitive 5K, is the culmination of hard work, training and accomplishment for Mia and others who completed the 10-week program at Girls on the Run Greater Tampa Bay.

The nonprofit organization received $30,000 UnitedHealthcare grants in 2020 and 2021 to expand the youth development program to five high-need sites in the area. In addition, the funding is being utilized to provide scholarships for the after-school program to help young girls lead an emotionally and physically healthy life.

Girls on the Run inspires girls to be healthy and confident using an experience-based curriculum that emphasizes the important connection between mind and body.

The program, which serves third through eighth grade girls, helps develop lifelong skills such as how to manage their mental health, support others and grow their confidence. Participants are celebrated at the completion of the program through a community service project and a 5K graduation event.

“We help our girls in the program find their voices and unleash their limitless potential,” said Quenita Oats, the executive director of Girls on the Run Greater Tampa Bay. “We teach them how to deal with stressful situations, how to ask an adult for help, how to be a good friend and we use running as the vehicle to teach them these life skills that they can use now and throughout life.”

For Mia, the program helped her find her voice — and her stride.

“Before Girls on the Run, I couldn't really express my emotions as much to other people. Now, I can,” she said. “It's a great experience. It's been amazing.”

To date, Girls on the Run has served more than 7,000 girls in the Tampa Bay area.

For more information about how to get involved or volunteer with the organization, visit the Girls on the Run Greater Tampa Bay website.

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