Community partner spotlight: Girls on the Run Treasure Valley steps up to help youth across southwest Idaho
Regence BlueShield of Idaho proudly supports the organization with both financial resources and employee volunteers
Although it may not be as well known as other youth-serving organizations in Idaho, Girls on the Run Treasure Valley has been around since 2001. Between then and now, the organization has touched and lifted the lives of more than 10,000 elementary, middle and high school-age girls. Girls on the Run Treasure Valley fills a unique role as a positive, activity-based youth development program designed to develop and enhance girls’ social, psychological and physical skills and abilities so they can successfully navigate life’s challenges and opportunities.
After suspending the 2020 spring season in March due to COVID-19 and related stay-at-home orders, Girls on the Run Treasure Valley has spent the past five months redesigning its research-backed curriculum. The ever-changing landscape of school district educational models and social distancing measures during the pandemic have impacted the organization’s ability to serve girls in its traditional way. At the same time, there has never been a more profound need for the resources, lessons, discussions and activities Girls on the Run Treasure Valley provides. In response, the organization has worked hard to adjust its approach to include both in-person and interactive online meetings or some blend of each—all while following guidelines from local health districts.
To help Girls on the Run Treasure Valley advance its mission and serve girls across six counties in southwest Idaho, Regence BlueShield of Idaho began working with the organization in summer 2019. In addition to direct financial support, Regence and its employees have volunteered as coaches, assisted in staging events, and helped build awareness and support for the group.
Recent media coverage Girls on the Run Treasure Valley has received can be viewed or listened to here:
Registration for this fall is open now at gotrtv.org (and you can also search for “Girls on the Run Treasure Valley” online). The 2020 season starts the week of Sept. 14 and runs through Nov. 14. Financial assistance is available for those families that need it during online registration.