We are so proud of the 28 different community service projects our teams planned and implemented at the end of the Fall 2013 season! This is an integral part of the GOTR curriculum, helping our participants recognize the importance of giving back and showing them how good it feels! Here are some examples of the many wonderful projects that impacted not only the local community but also people across the globe.

Three teams partnered with our sponsor Econ Wealth Management to help the business collect Christmas toys for needy children at The Silence of Mary Home, a shelter for the chronically poor in Harrisburg (https://www.thesilenceofmary.org/). This is an annual project for Econ Wealth Management staff and clients, and they collected more toys than ever this year with the help of GOTR:

• East Hanover Elementary and Linglestown Elementary - collected dozens of toys from students, faculty, and staff members
• Mountain View Elementary - held a charity run to purchase additional toys for The Silence of Mary Home. The girls raised $142.50 by running laps during their workout.

Three of our teams cheered up sick children at Penn State Hershey Medical Center with handmade crafts:

• Hershey Elementary B (Tues/Thurs) made headbands and cards.
• Northside Elementary (Mechanicsburg) made Rainbow Loom bracelets, cards, and pictures.
• Tri-Community Elementary made Christmas decorations and cards.

Crossroads Middle School packed craft kits for Caitlin’s Smiles, an organization that helps children facing serious illnesses by providing them with fun and creative art experiences.

Fishing Creek Elementary collected needed items for Molly’s Place Animal Rescue. The girls also assembled goodie bags to be sent home with the pet’s new family when adopted.

Hershey Elementary A (Mon/Wed) held a bake sale to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, an organization dedicated to eradicating childhood cancer. The girls were inspired by a classmate who was diagnosed with cancer at three years old and beat the illness. The team raised $295.06.

Hershey Middle School designed cards with encouraging words and images. The cards were given to soldiers currently serving and to cancer patients at Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Iron Forge Educational Center continued growing their pen-pal relationship with students in Sendai, Japan by sending cards and holiday care packages. This region of Japan was devastated by the powerful Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

New Cumberland Middle School participated in a charity walk to benefit breast cancer research. They also make thank you cards for our council.

Below: Children in Sendai, Japan, a region demolished by the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami, will have a happier holiday thanks to a Christmas care package from our Iron Forge team!

The morning of Sunday, October 20th, an interview with CAGOTR staff will be featured on 8 regional radio stations including BOB 94.9 and KISS 99.3 at 7:30 a.m. and The Ticket 1460 AM at 8:30 a.m. Click here to listen to the podcast! THANk YOU to Sylvia Maus and Clear Channel Communications for this opportunity to bring awareness to our cause!!!

The Fall 2013 season is our biggest yet, with teams at 27 local partner schools! To register your daughter or loved one, please visit https://capareagirlsontherun.org/fall2013reg/. Teams of 15 girls will be formed on a first come, first served basis. Register early to reserve your a spot for your special girl!

How about “Shin Splints”?

Sure most of us have heard about shin splints, and many of us have experienced them. But what are they and what can you do about them if you’re unfortunate enough to get them?

Shin splints occur when the muscles on the front of your lower leg pull on the covering of the bone and inflame it. They often occur after a change in activity or training (such as the beginning of the season or a change in terrain).

Often times, the pain of shin splints is self-limited. Meaning, it hurts to run so you don’t, the inflammation subsides, so start running again. But what if the pain doesn’t go away on it’s own?

The best way to treat shin splints is by the “ladder approach”. Start with a reasonable defined period of time that you don’t run (usually 2 weeks is good). Then start very slowly getting back to fast walking or running at a very slow pace and low distance. If you have no pain with that, then move a rung up the ladder and add a little more distance or intensity. Keep moving up the ladder as long as there is no pain. At any point you start experiencing pain again, move down the rungs of the ladder to the point you have no pain and start your way back up again.

Unfortunately, there is no way to completely prevent shin splints, but with a simple approach you can get through them and back to running pain free.

Brett A. Himmelwright, D.O.
Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania
(717) 761-5530

Check out our list of participating schools for the Fall 2013 season! Don’t see your school below? Start a team in Spring 2014 - visit our Team Registration Page for more details!

• Broad Street Elementary
• Crossroads Middle
• East Hanover Elementary
• Eisenhower Elementary
• Elmwood Elementary
• Fishing Creek Elementary
• Hershey Elementary
• Hershey Middle
• Highland Elementary
• Hillside Elementary
• Holy Name of Jesus - Elementary
• Holy Name of Jesus - Middle
• Iron Forge Educational Center
• Lawnton Elementary
• Linglestown Elementary
• Linglestown Middle
• Mechanicsburg Middle
• Milton Hershey School
• Mountain View Elementary
• New Cumberland Middle
• Newport Middle
• Northside Elementary
• PA Cyber Charter - Elementary
• Paxtang Elementary
• Silver Spring Elementary
• Tri-Community Elementary
• Upper Allen Elementary

https://blog.pennlive.com/running/2013/07/capital_area_girls_on_the_run.html

We are accepting applications for a part-time Program Coordinator through July 13, 2013. Click here to read the job description and download the application.

On May 18, 2013 at Milton Hershey School, 950 runners celebrated the end of the Spring 2013 GOTR season, which included over 350 girls at 21 local partner schools! We would like to congratulate these girls for completing the 5K and program this spring! Click here to read more about our inspiring 5K!

Some examples of community service projects completed this spring:

• West Hanover Elementary held a bake sale. Girls provided the baked goods and staffed the table. Students and teachers from the school visited during recess and chose from a variety of homemade treats. All proceeds were donated to the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association.
• North Side Elementary (Central Dauphin, Tuesday-Thursday) helped with POWER PACK. This is a Central Dauphin project that provides needy families in the district with bags containing food and household items. The girls helped stuff bags.
• Iron Forge Educational Center sent pumpkin seeds and hand decorated pots to kids in Sendai, Japan. Pumpkins are a crop that can be grown; many crops cannot grow due to contaminated soil. This friendship originated in Fall 2012, when the Iron Forge GOTR team sent holiday care packages to cheer up kids who are still suffering from the effects of the giant earthquake/tsunami in 2011. Along with pen pal letters written by fourth graders at Iron Forge, the GOTR care packages made a huge impact - making it on the cable news in Sendai! Check out an article about this story in the Sentinel: https://cumberlink.com/news/local/iron-forge-students-featured-in-japanese-news-broadcast/article_7d24e3c8-bcf2-11e2-83be-0019bb2963f4.html?print=true&cid=print
• At Rossmoyne Elementary, the girls helped mulch the flower beds surrounding the school. This daunting task is normally assigned to one female custodian who struggles every year to get it completed by herself. The girls learned about the importance of helping others while beautifying the school property.
• Melrose Elementary held a bake sale benefitting Capital Area Girls on the Run. Says head coach Chanda Reichelderfer, “These girls are so happy to have been given this opportunity. They wanted to give back to the organization. We as coaches are very proud!!!”
• Northside (Mechanicsburg) collected books for their Home Library Program which gives books to families who cannot afford them, families who don’t speak English, and students who struggle with reading. The girls designed a flyer and gathered books from family and friends.
• Thomas Holtzman Elementary collected items for the Humane Society including dog and cat food, treats, toys, blankets, towels, and paper towels.

Thank you to Dr. Michael Fernandez for a very helpful article called “Heat Illness in Young Athletes.” With warmer weather right around the corner and a 78 degree day predicted for our 5K on May 18th, this information is very timely and relevant. Please click below to read:

Heat Illness in Young Athletes

Dr. Michael Fernandez
Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania
(717) 761-5530