Thirteen students from Redmond grade schools will join volunteer coaches for a day of “girl power” at the New Balance Girls on the Run 5K fun run/walk, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12.

The event, at Seward Park, 5895 Lake Washington Blvd. S. in Seattle, benefits Girls on the Run of Puget Sound, a non-profit organization that operates an after-school fitness and empowerment program for pre-teen girls. Locally, the program is held at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, 16600 NE 80th St.

The goal of Girls on the Run (GOTR) is to arm girls in grades 3-5 with self-esteem and decision-making skills that will help them to triumph over common pitfalls of adolescence. Those include peer pressure, bullying, drug/tobacco use and eating disorders.

Before training for the 5K run/walk, the girls engage in a two-part curriculum that promotes both physical and mental health. The theme of Part One is “All About Me: Getting to Know Who I Am and What I Stand For.” Part Two focuses on “Building My Team: Understanding the Importance of Cooperation.”

Girls find out about GOTR from school counselors and bulletin boards, said Amber Swim, program coordinator for GOTR of Puget Sound.

Some are going through difficult personal circumstances, Swim explained. Others may be from a culture where girls and women are not respected or encouraged, said Katie McCarthy, a GOTR board member.

Marty Boggs, fitness and field coordinator for Redmond Parks and Recreation noted, “As the fitness coordinator for the Redmond Parks and Recreation Department, I am always looking for new and creative fitness programs for youth and adults. I believed the GOTR program would be a good fit with the Old Redmond Schoolhouse with our location next to the Redmond Elementary School.”

The Old Redmond Schoolhouse’s large gym and the perimeter of the historic building are well-suited to the physical exercise component of the program. On the day of the Redmond Reporter’s visit, girls and their adult running buddies warmed up in the gym and then headed outdoors for a vigorous run around the block.

“We started a GOTR program at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center on Sept. 21, 2005,” Boggs continued. “We are in the middle of our eighth program partnered with GOTR and over 120 girls have participated in the Redmond GOTR program during the last four years. Every parent, coach and GOTR participant has told me they ‘love the program!’”

For information about the New Balance Girls on the Run 5K run/walk, visit www.girlsrun.org.

For information about the program at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, visit www.redmond.gov, call (425) 556-2300 or e-mail Marty Boggs at mboggs@redmond.gov.