Finish Line Council member Ginny Graves first got involved with Girls on the Run through the Bay Area Council as a Running Buddy. When she moved to Chicago, she wanted to continue her Girls on the Run journey, and eventually joined the Girls on the Run-Chicago Associate Board in 2016, serving as its President from 2018 to 2019. She continues to support GOTRC as a member of the Finish Line Council, fundraising for GOTRC and volunteering at 5Ks. 

Why do you support GOTRC?  

I believe the mental strength and grit you build when doing physical activity carries over into all elements of life. I know that if I can finish a difficult run, I can crush any challenge I come across in my personal or professional life. I want girls to learn and feel that power at a young age. I also think it's really important for young girls to appreciate and value their uniqueness. 

We are all individual people with different superpowers and interests, but so much of society tries to force people to be the same, and this pressure is especially put on girls at a young age. The fact that GOTR teaches girls to let their uniqueness shine is so important and is a lesson they can carry with them forever.  

What is your favorite thing about Girls on the Run? 

The 5K is by far my favorite part of GOTR. Seeing girls cross the finish line and watching them realize their potential is so powerful. 

What is your superpower? 

In my professional life as a Product Manager, my superpower is making sense of data and connecting the dots between strategy and tactics. In my personal life, I love to travel, I love to plan, and I love Excel, so I am great at researching vacations and putting together amazing itineraries using Excel. My friends and family laugh at this, but seem to appreciate the output!  

What advice would you give to
your 10-year-old self? 

Just be you. 

What do you hope to see GOTRC accomplish in the next five years? 

I'd love to see some longer-term impact analysis that tries to find correlations between participation in a GOTR program and post-program participation outcomes. 

Join Ginny in running 2 our future 4 the next generation of leaders by giving today!