When people think of Girls on the Run, they often picture sneakers, smiles, and finish lines. But every season, something else happens…

Across New Hampshire, every Girls on the Run team chooses and leads a Community Impact Project. These projects are girl-led, coach-supported, and rooted in one big question: How can we help our community?

And when you multiply that by every team, every season, for 25 years?

That’s thousands of girls.
Thousands of projects.
Countless lives touched.

Let’s take a look at just some of the ways our girls have made a difference over the years.

 

Feeding Communities

Some teams tackle food insecurity head-on.

Girls have organized food drives for their schools and local pantries. Others have collected food and hygiene items for both people and pets, expanding their impact beyond just one need. Some teams help stock community fridges, ensuring families have access to essential items when they need them most.

 

Caring for Animals

Many teams choose to support local animal shelters.

The Beaver Meadow team delivered pet food, toys, and funds raised through a bake sale to the SPCA. At Peterborough Elementary School, girls fundraised $419.15 to benefit animals at their local humane society. Other teams have made homemade dog toys and treats to include with their donations.

 

Beautifying the Places We Share

Other teams focus on improving the spaces they use every day.

They’ve painted fences, cleaned up trash, planted gardens, helped janitors with school cleaning projects, and even cleaned school buses. These projects may seem small, but they make a big impact on everyone who uses those spaces.

 

Supporting First Responders

Some teams choose to give back to the people who keep their communities safe.

Girls have cleaned fire trucks, hosted bake sales to raise funds, and written heartfelt thank-you cards to local first responders, small gestures that carry big meaning.

 

Spreading Joy in Creative Ways

And sometimes, impact looks like simple, thoughtful acts of joy.

Some teams design and deliver handmade bookmarks to their local libraries — small reminders tucked inside stories that someone in their community is thinking of them.

Others paint rocks with encouraging messages and place them in community gardens, along walking trails, or throughout town, offering tiny bursts of color and positivity for someone to discover.

Girls have written heartfelt thank-you notes to teachers, janitors, school staff, hospital workers, veterinarians, and active military members. They’ve created cards and letters for children’s hospitals, sending encouragement to kids they may never meet but deeply care about.

These projects remind us that kindness matters, and that even the smallest act can brighten someone’s day.

 

The Ripple Effect of 25 Years

These projects teach communication, compromise, leadership, and empathy. Girls learn how to listen to one another, work through different ideas, and take collective action.

The impact doesn’t stop at the finish line. It spreads into schools, shelters, fire stations, neighborhoods, and homes across New Hampshire.

And perhaps most importantly, girls learn they don’t have to wait to make a difference.

They can start right now.