Girls On The Run

Part of our excursion to Michigan included some volunteer work at the Girls On The Run end of the season celebratory 5K run. My dear friend has been coaching a team of amazing girls and this event was the culmination of all their training! My husband was enlisted to help check in the volunteer runners who ran along with the girls to keep them encouraged and moving. I provided photography services for the day. I love this pic at the starting line - only grade school girls would have the bead-embellished socks for the event!

It wasn't always easy but all the girls finished and got to feel that wonderful sense of accomplishment. I loved seeing the girls encourage one another when they were struggling, running hand in hand, arms wrapped around one another's shoulders urging each other on. The look of joy on their faces as they rounded the track and picked up another popsicle stick to indicate one more lap down.

Rounding the track one last time to pick up their medal when they finished elicited the most joyful smiles and laughs (and a few celebratory dances and poses along the way)! One particularly inspirational part of the day was seeing the father of one of the girls running the race as well. At the ceremonial lunch following the run, we all came to find out that this father is battling cancer. The girls surrounded him and cheered him on with one of the Girls On The Run cheers.

Another fun aspect of the our trip was searching out lots more letters for collection! We found letters around the Soo, Mackinac Island, on the ferry, lots of places!