Girl Scouts of WNY are hosting its first ever Running of the Greens Walk/Run in Le Roy to raise funds for the Junior Troop's trip tp Washington, D.C. this spring.
The girls are planning on joining around 200,000 other scouts and families at the nation's Capitol in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts on June 9.
It's not every day you can celebrate this 100th birthday and for these fourth grade Wolcott Street students, this trip is once in a lifetime.
In March of1 912, with one woman's vision and just a handful of girls, the first ever Girl Scout meeting was held in Savannah, Georgia. Today with millions of members worldwide, the organization aims to empower and strengthen young girls.
In LeRoy, race organizers, Melissa Cone and Kate Flint are empowering and improving the lives of their Girl Scout troop by inspiring them to action. The 5K race integrates perfectly with the "getting fit" theme they are currently teaching the girls.
Instead of doing the usual fundraisers, they had a vision of activating the community in an unusual way.
"We wanted to do something out of the ordinary, create a family event, and get the community active," Flint said.
As these young girls awareness increases of living healthy, so is their excitement for the walk/run.The 9 and 10-year-olds will be there early race day to set-up and will also be seen running and walking the course with the other racers.
"You will be able to identify the girls by the Girl Scout sash they will be wearing that day," Flint said.
Even though this 5K is to raise funds for the upcoming trip to D.C., it is also meant to raise awareness of the benefits of getting up and getting moving. The race parallels the organization's earliest goals in 1912 of getting people outdoors doing something together.
Organizers hope to see the community take a step towards fitness and join these Girl Scouts at the finish line.
Both walkers, runners and people of all ages and fitness abilities are welcome. Music entertainment, post-race refreshments, and prizes for top finishers are included in the event.
The race begins at 9 a.m., Sunday, March 11.
The start and finish lines are at the Summit Street tennis courts.
The pre-registration fee of $20 includes a long-sleeve race shirt. Deadline is March 1. Fee increases to $25 after March 1.
Forms and more details can be found at www.gswny.weebly.com.
Contact Melissa Cone at 507-5437 or Kate Flint at 813-9557 with any questions or to sponser the event.
