GOTR GTA Honours Rebecca Cotter With Their First-Ever Volunteer Recognition Award

At the Girls on the Run GTA Gala helt at The Local Co. this past Wednesday, June 15, I was honoured to recevied the first-ever Volunteer Recognition Award for my ongoing volunteer efforts in support of GOTR. Thank you to the entire GOTR community for their support and for allowing me the opportunity to work with such a wonderful and worthwhile cause!

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Toronto, June 15 – In collaboration with the Girls on the Run GTA Community Challenge, it also launched its first-ever Volunteer Recognition Award to honour someone who lives the lifestyle that supports these same “Acts Of Kindness.” Girls on the Run GTA is pleased to announce that Rebecca Cotter, their Volunteer Run Director, is the recipient of this year’s award.

“This is an exciting week for Girls on the Run GTA. We are thrilled that the Girls on the Run girls are showing their true attributes of being kind and generous social citizens. We are extremely proud of their enthusiasm to all of the Community Acts of Kindness challenges and we thank them for their continued personal growth this week,” said Rina De Donato, Director of Girls on the Run GTA. “As we look at the reasons behind creating our Community Challenge, it became very apparent that we wanted to acknowledge our own “Acts of Kindness” Champion. We are thrilled that Rebecca Cotter, this years’ 5 KM Event Director has been touched by Girls on the Run GTA and we are incredibly proud of her support and her work that she has done on our behalf.”

Ms Cotter, is a professional event co-ordinator and she is currently employed as the Event Coordinator for the Distillery District. . She is also a part-time instructor of Special Event Management in the School of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism at Humber College. Under her supervision at Humber College, her 40 students have organized several events including an 80’s night, a gently-used shoe drive, a silent auction, and a bingo night to support Girls on the Run GTA.

“Foremost, I am proud to connect with an organization whose only agenda is to promote and empower positive self-esteem, healthy lifestyles and positive self identities in the next generation of girls and young women. I was attracted to the model of the GOTR program, the quality of its curriculum, the dedication of its staff, volunteers and coaches, and the value of the impact the program visibly makes on the participating girls,” said Rebecca Cotter, Girls on the Run GTA Volunteer. “Volunteering with GOTR has been a very personally rewarding experience, and I would encourage individuals looking to get involved in/contribute to a worthwhile youth mentorship/leadership/athletic/character building program to consider supporting GOTR.”

The goal of the program is to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, and physical development. We encourage participants to talk with their family every day about what is going on with them. The 10-week curriculum attempts to help each girl find and stay true to her REAL self.

“Girls on the Run” is best suited for prevention purposes for girls between the ages of 8 and 14 years old. This is a time when young girls are still receptive to what adults have to say -- yet they are beginning to feel the pull of peer pressure. Studies have shown that around the time of 5th grade, girls tend to go to a place that we call “The Girl Box”. The Girl Box is a place where girls feel as if they are valued more for their appearance, who their friends are and what kind of clothes they wear – as opposed to the strength of their character,” said Rina.

The Girls on the Run program combines training to participate in a non-competitive running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts and a community service project. The teams - which consist of 8 to 15 girls - meet two times per week right after school for an hour and a half. For the past six years, Girls on the Run GTA has been providing young girls with the skills that they need to ultimately affect their self-esteem, their self-worth and their outlook on the world.

I've joined the FEO Supplier Advisory Council

As the owner of www.wateronwheels.ca I have joined the Festivals and Events Ontario Supplier Advisory Council - a group of FEO supplier members dedicated to shaping and growing the supplier presence within the FEO organization and improving the benefits offered by the organization to supplier members and general suppliers to the events industry.

There are lots of great ideas on the Council on how to diversify and improve FEO supplier awards, recognition, association value and the presence of suppliers at the FEO Convention and Tradeshow. I am hugely looking forward to being a part of this wonderful team and being able to contribute to the professional excellence of suppliers in the industry!

Girls on the Run 2011 - June 11, 2011

As the volunteer Run Director for Girls on the Run GTA, a not-for-profit organization that promotes healthy living and positive lifestyles in girls aged 8-14, I am getting SUPER excited for our annual 5K run, this Saturday at Downsview Park! With over 1200 girls enrolled in the program, under the encouragement and support of 307 wonderful coaches + approximately 650 support runners who will be running with the girls at 10AM on Saturday, this year's run is going to be the biggest and the best yet!

We're hoping for great weather - but after 12 years of running in the rain, we're prepared for anything! The logistics are in place, the route is great, and the training is almost complete. I am proud to have connected with Girls on the Run - an organization whose only agenda is to promote and empower positive self-esteem, healthy lifestyles and positive self identities in the next generation of girls and young women. I was attracted to the model of GOTR program, the quality of its curriculum, the dedication of its staff, volunteers and coaches, and the value of the impact the program visibly makes on the participating girls. As I become more involved in volunteering for the organization I drew a deeper connection from the inclusive nature of how the organization is expanding the program; increasing the number of sponsorship schools in the program to ensure access to the program is available to girls who may otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in such advantageous extracurricular programs. I believe in the lessons the program teaches and I have had the opportunity to see the benefit of the program delivered first-hand to the girls.

I would encourage individuals looking to get involved in/contribute to a worthwhile youth mentorship/leadership/athletic/character building program to consider supporting GOTR and coming out to cheer on the girls on June 11 at Downsview Park. See you there!