Girls on the Run International Awarded Campbell Soup Foundation COVID-19 Recovery Grant

Charlotte, North Carolina, March 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Girls on the Run International has been awarded a grant from the Campbell Soup Foundation for $150,000 as part of the company's ongoing support for COVID-19 recovery and relief within Campbell hometowns. 

Supporting the Campbell Soup Foundation's focus on encouraging healthy living, Girls on the Run inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running. As an organization, it envisions a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential. For 25 years, Girls on the Run has positively impacted the health and well-being of more than 2 million adolescent girls in the United States. The program's intentional curriculum places an emphasis on developing competence, confidence, connection, character, caring and contribution in young girls through lessons that incorporate running and other physical activities. The life skills curriculum is delivered by trained and caring coaches in a safe and inclusive environment. It is the combination of the research-based curriculum, trained coaches and a commitment to serve all girls that sets Girls on the Run apart from other out-of-school-time programs. 

Girls on the Run is the first physical activity program to be selected by the Campbell Soup Foundation for a National Partner grant. The grant, provided for strategic COVID-19 support, will help Girls on the Run continue to impact the lives of girls across the country and within the Campbell communities of Bloomfield, CT; Camden and East Brunswick, NJ; Denver, PA; Charlotte, NC; Napoleon, OH; and Tualatin, OR. Funds will be used to sustain general operations at the national and council level to ensure that adolescent girls across the country and within Campbell communities continue to have opportunities to safely participate in Girls on the Run programming. Additionally, grant dollars will provide financial support for participants who could not otherwise afford the program and will allow the organization to continue to develop new delivery models, such as a newly modified Girls on the Run activity kit that allows girls to complete the program from home on their own time. 

"At Girls on the Run, we provide girls access to a safe and supportive environment where they can build meaningful connections, learn critical life skills, and engage in healthy behaviors," says Liz Wian, vice president of partnerships and development at Girls on the Run International. "We are immensely grateful for this National Partner grant from the Campbell Soup Foundation, which will help move this vision forward by helping us to continue to provide opportunities for girls to participate in our life-changing program through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond." 

Overall, the Campbell Soup Foundation recently granted a total of $415,000 to three organizations as part of its strategic COVID-19 support: Active Schools, Girls on the Run International, and National Farm to School Network. These grants were made to national and regional partners with the scale to make a large impact on relief efforts across Campbell communities. In total, the foundation announced $1 million in COVID-19 relief grants, bringing its overall contributions to over $8 million in food and financial support to organizations in Campbell hometowns. 

About Girls on the Run International 

Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based positive youth development program that is designed to enhance girls' social, emotional, and physical skills and behaviors to successfully navigate life experiences. The program's evidence-based curriculum places an emphasis on developing competence, confidence, connection, character, caring and contribution in young girls through lessons that incorporate running and other physical activities. An independent study found that 97% of participants learned critical life skills including managing emotions, resolving conflict, helping others or making intentional decisions at Girls on the Run that they continue to use at home, at school and with their friends. Girls on the Run International, a nonprofit organization with councils in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, has served more than 2 million girls since its inception in 1996. 

About the Campbell Soup Foundation and the Campbell Soup Company 

Founded in 1953, the Campbell Soup Foundation provides financial support to local organizations that inspire positive change in communities throughout the U.S. While the Foundation places an emphasis on Camden, N.J., the site of Campbell's World Headquarters and birthplace of its namesake soup business, its funding also supports other Campbell communities nationally. The Foundation is employee-run, governed by a Board of Trustees and advised by an Executive Committee. 

Campbell CPB is driven and inspired by our Purpose, "Real food that matters for life's moments." For generations, people have trusted Campbell to provide authentic, flavorful and affordable snacks, soups and simple meals, and beverages. Founded in 1869, Campbell has a heritage of giving back and acting as a good steward of the planet's natural resources. The company is a member of the Standard and Poor's 500 and the FTSE4Good Index. For more information, visit www.campbellsoupcompany.com or follow company news on Twitter via @CampbellSoupCo. 

Theresa Miller
Girls On the Run International
7049108980
tmiller@girlsontherun.org