Girls With Sole: lacing up for a lifetime of achievement

Sep 12, 2012
Marisa Machak • Lifestyle

Many girls who experience abuse lack the support and resources to start again and rebuild their lives. These girls often become at-risk for entering juvenile detention homes, foster care and much worse. After her own childhood abuse, Liz Ferro used sports and fitness as her way of healing. She recognized the need for a healthy way to give girls the self-confidence and self-esteem that they have lost to trauma. Thus, Girls With Sole was launched in 2009 to provide girls ages nine to eighteen with free fitness and wellness programs to empower their minds, bodies and souls.

“Girls With Sole developed organically from my own personal experiences and the need I saw for fitness and wellness programs for our girls,” said Ferro, founder and executive director of Girls With Sole. “Because we show the girls that we believe in them, they begin to believe in themselves. They find strength, emotionally and physically, in GWS programming. Through GWS programming, they become empowered, learn that nothing is impossible and that it’s never too late to make the choice to ‘lace up for a lifetime of achievement.’”

With a few volunteers, Ferro conducts her programs on-site at schools and residential communities in the Midwest and Cleveland, Ohio where the non-profit is based. A few times during the year, Ferro brings all of these girls together to run in 5K races which enable them to set a goal and reach it as they cross the finish line. Girls With Sole sponsors each girl from the program in the race.

Through fundraising and supportive corporate sponsors, the charity has reached over 400 girls by supplying free running shoes, sports bras, fitness journals and water bottles. Girls also receive nutrition education and partake in free fitness programs focused on running, yoga, dance and team sports to help rebuild their self-esteem.

Girls With Sole was selected as a Regional Winner for the Midwest in the Fourth Annual CLASSY Awards under the Best New Charity category for its philanthropic work, fundraising and tender loving care for these girls. The awards will be celebrated at philanthropy’s biggest night, the CLASSY Awards’ red carpet ceremony on Saturday, September 22, in San Diego, Calif.

To learn more about Girls With Sole, visit www.GirlsWithSole.org.