As Girls on the Run LA grew from a handful of sites to a countywide organization, it faced a persistent challenge: how do you scale something while staying true to its mission and values? The answer came from the staff, board members, and volunteers who carried those values forward — and refused to compromise on them.

In early 2007, Girls on the Run of Los Angeles County gathered its community to ask a hard question: was this worth continuing? At the end of the conversation, someone placed a flip chart at the front of the room. One by one, people walked up and wrote their names down. Twenty years later, we're still building what that room started.

Confidence grows when girls know they have people cheering them on. 

At Girls on the Run Los Angeles, confidence is built one step at a time. For student Shirley Crocker , the Girls on the Run program has become far more than an afterschool activity. It’s a space where she feels encouraged, connected, and empowered to believe in herself.

On race day, Madelyn Chan doesn’t just see runners crossing the finish line, she sees confidence in motion.

In 2016, Denise Zaragora was a third-grade participant in Girls on the Run LA. At the end of her season, she attended the GOTRLA 5K not knowing exactly what to expect. 

Catherine “Coach Cat” Bradshaw’s dedication as a volunteer was recently recognized by the Carl & Roberta Deutsch Foundation with a HALO Award, honoring her outstanding commitment to the girls she serves. In addition to celebrating Cat’s impact, the HALO Award also includes capacity-building funding for Girls on the Run of Los Angeles County. These funds will help strengthen our volunteer management efforts, supporting the recruitment, training, and retention of the incredible coaches who make this program possible. When Coach Cat was nominated for the Halo Award, her reaction was simple: gratitude. But for the girls and coaches whose lives she’s touched through Girls on the Run, her impact runs far deeper. For Coach Cat, this work is personal.

Participating in sports can do wonders to a girl’s confidence, social life and health. Like anything else, some girls will be more skilled than others, but that does not mean that everyone should not give sports a try.