Nike x Girls Club: Run With Us!
For nearly 25 years, The Lower Eastside Girls Club has connected young women in NYC to healthy and successful futures. We’ve historically addressed institutional inequities and health disparities in our community with robust wellness programming, including a girl-run CSA and culinary training program, our annual walkathon and community health fair, and classes such as run club, nutrition, food science, gardening, dance, yoga, mediation, sexual health education, peer mentoring and more.
Girls Club: Run Club
“Running is about finding your inner strength and accomplishing something for yourself.”
Girls Club alum, Culinary Manager, and Run Club instructor, Valerie Galindo has been leading our members in running and fitness training since 2017. This summer, Valerie and our run club participants did some stretching, circuit training, and running in the East River Park.
Valerie began running in 2016 and hasn’t stopped since!
“I never thought in a million years I would be able to even run a mile” says Valerie, “But I always told myself one day I’ll be able to do it. I pushed myself every morning after dropping off my son at school.”
In 2017, Valerie ran both the NYC Half Marathon and the full NYC Marathon. For Val, running is about finding your inner strength and accomplishing something for yourself. Val’s journey with running is what inspires her to share her passion with the girls. For many of our members, who have been quarantined since March, being in Run Club is a way to build friendships, celebrate community, and inspire joy.
Center for Wellbeing & Happiness
In 2021, we will build upon our health & wellness foundation with the opening of our Center for Wellbeing and Happiness, a 5,000 sq. ft. adjacent space, where we will offer an array of free intergenerational wellness programming open to EveryBody/everyone. With the Center for Wellbeing and Happiness, we amplify our core belief that the wellbeing of the girl is intimately connected to the wellbeing of her family, her community, and her world.
Our Core Goals
Foster community-centered care which promotes healing, resilience and prevention.
Provide space, tools and resources for skills, talents and passions to flourish.
Create joy, connection, and harness the collective power of our community.
Promote self-care strategies that directly sustain, support and revitalize our community.