Girls on the Run hopes to expand on mission

65 percent of girls on scholarship

SAN ANTONIO – The Big Give SA officially kicks off on Tuesday, giving people the chance to give back to those organizations that are near and dear to them.

One of those organizations participating is Girls on the Run of Bexar County.

Their mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident, using running as a tool.

"I'm glad to run with my friends," said Ariel Vela, Girls on the Run participant. "And, we work as a team with Girls on the Run."

The girls are also training to participate in, for many of them, their very first 5K.

"I am very excited to have Girls on the Run here at our school at Cable," said Rosie Siller, Cable Elementary principal. "Because, not only do I have the opportunity to run with the girls on Thursday’s, but also to see their self-esteem increase."

Most of the funding for Girls on the Run comes from scholarships, which goes to materials they use at practice, shirts race entries and shoes.

65 percent of the girls participating in Girls on the Run are on scholarship.

"We are serving 150 girls this season, 98 of them get full or partial scholarships," said Minka Misangyi, executive director of Girls on the Run. "So, without fundraising, without the extra money that we raise to be able to offer that scholarship, we wouldn't be able to have a team, like this school (Cable Elementary)."

The group is now hoping the Big Give will "help them" help more girls.

"We set a goal of $10, 000," said Misangyi. "It's two 5Ks a year and we thought it would be really great if we could meet that goal."

All that money will go towards scholarships. Vela said she appreciates the help.

"I am very glad," said Vela. "Because, I like running and it helps me run faster."

"It's fun," said Ciara Rodriguez-Rice, Girls on the Run participant. "You get to hang out with your friends and do fun activities."

The end of the season 5K is coming up on May 15 at MLK Park.


About the Author:

Stephanie Serna is a weekday anchor on Good Morning San Antonio and GMSA at 9 a.m. She joined the KSAT 12 News team in November 2009 as a general assignments reporter.