When Tina Jones first took the job as executive director of Girls on the Run of Southeastern Wisconsin, she was ready to charge ahead, but she soon realized she need to take a page from the training the program’s participants do to complete a 5K.
“I wanted to get to the finish line, but we need to back up and we needed to go one mile at a time,” she said. “It’s all about having patience and resilience and endurance and all of those pieces to help you get to the finish line.
Tina Jones and Lyrique Jackson, a sixth-grader at Rufus King Middle School and Girls on the Run ambassador, joined Beth Ridley of The Brimful Life on the latest episode of the BizTimes MKE Podcast.
Girls on the Run is a national organization that seeks to “inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.” The southeastern Wisconsin chapter is open to girls in third through eighth grade and serves around 2,200 students per year.
Jones said the curriculum helps girls believe in themselves, work with teammates, learn lessons about body image and how to deal with bullying.
“I’m so passionate about what this program teaches,” she said. “It’s what I want my own kids to know and I want all kids to know.”
Jackson said the program has helped her deal with her tendency to get angry quickly.
“It’s not over things that don’t matter, it’s things that I’m passionate about,” she said. “Girls on the Run has taught me to take a step back and breathe and look at the entire picture before just getting mad at the person and see where they’re coming from.”
