GOTR Plans Summer Camp

Jen West, program director for Girls on the Run (GOTR), is exuberant about the programming the 2022 Camp GOTR will offer to area girls entering third, fourth, or fifth grades by fall. "It opens possibilities for new careers for girls ... where they can see past elementary school to what will be available for them (in the future)," said West.

Camp GOTR will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day from Monday, June 13, through Friday, June 17, at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Greiner Advanced Manufacturing Center, 599 Chesapeake St., Lancaster. Mornings will feature opportunities to delve into the GOTR curriculum designed to boost confidence and appreciation as campers write, create, discuss, and connect. In the afternoon, girls will participate in excursions focused on careers for women, including public safety, health and medicine, machine technology, and entertainment. Girls will meet mounted police, learn about robotic surgery and orthopedics, make a keychain in a machine shop, and visit a multiplex cinema. GOTR has partnered with Thaddeus Stevens, UPMC, and Penn Cinema to make these field trips possible.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for girls to experience GOTR curriculum while also exposing them to (future) careers they might not have considered," said Katie Sandoe, GOTR executive director. "They can see themselves in those roles and (think about) what they could potentially become."

Girls do not need to be past GOTR program participants to attend camp. All state, CDC, and program host COVID-19 guidelines in place at the time of camp will be followed. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and space is limited. There is a program fee, and financial assistance is available. For details and registration, visit http://www.gotrlancaster.org.

GOTR is a youth development program that encourages confidence, character, care, connection, competence, and contributing to community. One study found that 85% of girls in the program showed gains in those areas, along with increased long-term physical activity and critical life skills. Registration for the 2022 spring season is open, and the season will begin on Monday, March 28. The GOTR 5K presented by OAL will be held on Saturday, May 21, at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.