Twice a week on the Reading Hospital campus, joyful chants echoed through the air: “Girls on the Run is so much fun!” The excitement came from the hospital’s very first Girls on the Run Berks team, launched by four dedicated nurses who served as coaches.
Motivated by a shared desire to give back to their community, these nurses volunteered their time and energy to inspire and empower young girls — proving that compassion and leadership extend far beyond the hospital's walls.
The coaches, Jessica Borthwick, DNP, RN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN, CHFN, Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences; Robin Minchhoff, MSN, RN, CCRN, CPAN, PACU nurse; Amanda McNicholas, DNP, MBA, CRNP, Tower Health vice president and chief advanced practice provider officer; and Amanda Miller, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, senior director of critical care, dedicated two afternoons a week to the six program participants.
The mission of Girls on the Run (GOTR) is near and dear to the heart of McNicholas. Prior to becoming a coach, she volunteered at the organization's 5K for several seasons and saw the impact the program could have.
“As the mother of a now-adult daughter, I was overwhelmed by the positivity at the event,” she said. “The excitement is palpable and contagious.”
Girls on the Run supports fun, evidence-based programs that inspire participants to recognize their inner strengths, increase their level of physical activity, imagine their possibilities, and confidently stand up for themselves and others. Since 2013, over 6000 girls in over 80 schools and community sites across Berks & Schuylkill counties have participated in the Girls on the Run Berks program.
For McNicholas and her fellow coaches, the Girls on the Run program is about so much more than running. They’ve found that they also take away skills from the lessons and utilize them in daily life as well. McNicholas shared that she gained just as much from the participants. The one thing that has stayed with her is that “the power of words is real.” She had the opportunity to see how the girls used positive words to encourage each other while running and completing weekly activities. Now she is working to incorporate that into her daily interactions with her colleagues.
Throughout the season, the coaches watched the girls become more confident, both in sharing their introspective answers and their physical capabilities.
Kendall Dietrich, the daughter of Reading Hospital employee Stacey Dietrich, participated in Girls on the Run for the first time. When the season began, she didn’t know any of the other girls, but by the end, she had made a great new friend. Kendall was especially excited about the 5K. For her, it wasn’t about finishing at a certain time, but about finding her “happy pace”—running at her own speed and challenging herself to finish what she started.
McNicholas said the program was an incredible opportunity, and seeing the smiling faces of the girls at the end of her workday was incredibly rewarding.
“By volunteering as coaches for Girls on the Run Berks, our team members are shaping the next generation of female leaders,” said Dr. Charles F. Barbera, Reading Hospital president and CEO. “Their commitment is a powerful example of how they make a lasting impact in the community.”