About

Atlanta Council History

The Atlanta Council was started in 1999 with a grant from the Atlanta Women’s Foundation. Anna Hunter, a protégé of Molly Barker, served as Executive Director through 2004 and became the first-time recipient of the Patti Foell Community Service Award for her contribution to running in Atlanta.

In 2010, Girls on the Run of Atlanta received the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award for exemplary work in the community.  The program was nominated by the Women’s Sports Foundation as a Department of Health and Human Services Exemplary Program, and recognized by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports as a Health Organization Resource.

Girls on the Run of Atlanta first offered programs in the spring of 2000 and since that time has served more than 6,000 girls with the help of community volunteers.  The GOTR-Atlanta program has seen steady growth over the past decade.  Our programs serve a diverse group of 3rd through 8th grade girls across four counties (Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett). Each season more than 200 coaches  from within these communities volunteer to lead the programs and serve as confident, physically active female role models.  In Fall 2008, the Atlanta council joined the national New Balance Girls on the Run 5K Race Series.  Hosting over 1,400 participants, the Atlanta race was one of the ten largest council races in the entire fall series.

Girls on the Run of Atlanta, Inc. is committed to helping young women fulfill their potential by decreasing the percentage of at-risk activities and empowering a generation of self-aware girls who are tomorrow’s role models for a healthy, balanced lifestyle.