The “Girls on the Run” team at Dr. Justina Ford Elementary School is an empowered group! Every year, they will create and execute a community impact project during their season together. This year, they decided to run a community-wide candy drive after Halloween in order to participate in a candy buy-back program courtesy of I-Orthodontics.

There was a very quick turnaround time for this project: only three days! The girls worked extremely hard to make posters, write scripts, share with classes, and lead the charge to accomplish something pretty great.

Giving Back
The buy-back program paid $1 for every pound of candy collected. Ford’s Girls on the Run earned *drumroll please* $832!

They plan to use this money to give back to the community’s families in need during the holidays to make this season brighter and more manageable (families have been identified through the school counselor’s office). 

So where does all that candy go?

The candy will go to Operation Gratitude, which delivers candy and care packages to our troops. Some of the candy will also go to local food pantries, like Judi’s House, Help and Hope Center, and Food Banks of Colorado. 

Empowered Girls
Penny Potts, fifth grade teacher and club sponsor, said, “This Girls on the Run program allows us to empower our girls and show them their strength, mentally and physically, and how they can truly make a difference in the world around them.”

Girls on the Run at Ford includes these amazing girls: Corryne C., Celene C., Helen C., Jocelyn C., Abigail C., Cora C., Audrey C., Reese E., Hadley H., Madeleine H., Scarlett H., Riley M., Mia M., Adeline M., Payton N., Audrey R., Mia R., Sydney S., Cameron S., Ellie S., Zia S., Phia S., Ellie S., Ellie V., Emersyn W., Elizabeth W., Ava W., Anna W., Lydia W., and Harper Y.

Great job, girls! Keep up the good work!