FORT WAYNE, Ind. — With spring season just weeks away, Girls on the Run Northeast Indiana has put out an urgent call: they need more volunteer coaches or hundreds of local girls could miss out.
The popular program that combines running with life-skills lessons for 3rd-8th graders starts March 9, but right now there aren’t enough adults to lead the teams.
“We are at real risk of turning girls away if we don’t get more coaches,” said Executive Director Sarah Delgadillo. The program has grown every year since coming to northeast Indiana in 2008, and this season they expect to serve more than 800 girls across Allen, Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, Noble, Wells, and Whitley counties.
Why the Sudden Coach Shortage Hits Hard
Girls on the Run is not just a running club. Twice a week for eight weeks, small teams of 8-15 girls meet with their coaches to talk about friendship, body image, standing up to bullying, and setting goals. Everything ends with a celebratory 5K that many participants finish as their first-ever race.
Each team needs at least one head coach and one assistant coach. Every adult must be 18 or older, pass a background check, and commit to the full season. That’s it. You do not need to be a runner. You do not need teaching experience.
Yet the volunteer pool has not kept pace with demand.
Delgadillo says the pandemic changed everything. Many longtime coaches stepped away in 2020-2021 and never returned. At the same time, more families than ever are signing their daughters up because they see how much girls need safe, positive spaces right now.
“Girls are facing more anxiety, more screen time, and less confidence than before the pandemic,” Delgadillo told 21Alive. “Our program is proven to help. Studies show 97% of participants say they learn they can do hard things. We just need the adults to make it happen.”
What Actually Happens When You Coach
Coaches receive free training in February, plus a full curriculum, lesson plans, snacks for the girls, and everything else needed. Practices are 60-90 minutes, twice a week, at school sites or parks.
Most teams meet right after school, making it easy for working parents or teachers to help.
Many coaches are moms, dads, aunts, teachers, or college students. Some are former participants who come back in high school or college as junior coaches.
One current coach, Fort Wayne teacher Emily Roth, said she signed up thinking she would “help out for one season.” She is now starting her fifth year.
“I thought I was teaching them how to set goals,” Roth said. “Turns out they were teaching me how brave kids can be when someone just believes in them.”
Real Impact, Backed by Numbers
Independent research on Girls on the Run shows participants:
- 97% feel more confident about themselves
- 96% learn to stand up for themselves and others
- 85% say they are better at handling emotions
In northeast Indiana alone, more than 10,000 girls have completed the program since 2008. This spring’s celebratory 5K is scheduled for May 16 at Purdue Fort Wayne.
How You Can Help Right Now
The deadline to sign up as a head or assistant coach is February 23.
Anyone interested can email Sarah Delgadillo directly at sarah.delgadillo@girlsontherun.org or fill out the short volunteer form on the council website.
Even if you can only help one afternoon a week as an assistant or substitute, every single adult makes a difference.
Eight hundred girls are waiting to hear that someone in their community cares enough to show up for them. If that someone is you, sign up today.
What do you think, northeast Indiana? Will you step up and coach this spring? Drop your thoughts in the comments and tag a friend who would be an amazing coach.
