As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the communities of SW Beaverton, Walker Orthodontics proudly partners with an amazing Girls on the Run team at Nancy Ryles Elementary. Through scholarships, subsidized registration fees and the purchase of shoes, we get to foster a community of strong, smart and courageous girls.

Last week, we had the opportunity to join the Nancy Ryles’ Girls on the Run team during one of their practices. We shut down the office for the afternoon and took a trip out to the school to share a lesson on what it means to be a good friend. We sat in a circle sharing the characteristics we look for when choosing friends, and discussing what it means for a friend to have HEART: Helps, Encourages, Acceptance, Really listens, and Treats you with kindness. We compiled all of our thoughts onto a poster board, each writing in our contributions with colored markers, and hung it up outside the school.

The activity brought the girls closer, and reminded us that we all have the power to be a great friend, and to pick friends who lift us up with kindness and acceptance. We concluded the lesson with a HEART relay exercise, where we got to put the acronym to use and get our blood pumping on the track.

I was so taken aback by how strong and perceptive these girls were during our lesson together. As the future of our community, these girls stand strong together and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of their journey. Go get ‘em girls!

To learn more, visit the Girls on the Run website.