Many in our community know Girls on the Run Greater Charlotte for the joyful 5K finish lines, the dedicated volunteer coaches, and the thousands of girls impacted season after season.

But what many may not know is this:

Girls on the Run started right here in Charlotte in 1996 with just 13 girls at Charlotte Country Day School.

Just 13 girls lacing up their sneakers, stepping into a brand-new afterschool program, and unknowingly becoming the first participants in what would grow into something far beyond one school or one city.

Founder Molly Barker created Girls on the Run with a bold vision: to give girls a place to build confidence, strengthen emotional well-being, and discover that they are capable of hard things.

And that vision took off.

Over the years, what began on one Charlotte campus expanded into a national movement. By 2015, Girls on the Run councils were active in all 50 states, and by 2020, the organization had served more than 2 million girls nationwide. Today, during its 30th anniversary year, Girls on the Run has reached more than 2.7 million girls across the country.

Yet even with that incredible growth, the heartbeat of the program has remained the same: helping girls realize they are stronger than they know.

This history felt especially meaningful as we reflected during our 3rd Annual Sneaker Soirée, held on March 7 at The Terrace at Cedar Hill — an evening in our 30th anniversary year where past and present came together in one room.

That night, we had the honor of welcoming founder Molly Barker, along with Adelaide Belk Martin, one of the original 13 girls from that very first Girls on the Run team in Charlotte.

To stand in a room with both the woman who first imagined this movement and one of the girls who lived its very first steps was a powerful reminder that every lesson taught, every finish line crossed, and every girl empowered over the last 30 years traces back to those 13 girls here in Charlotte.

13 girls.
One bold idea.
A movement that changed millions of lives.