Doreen Peters, of Great Falls, will receive the Crystal Coach Award from Girls on the Run. Photo contributed
Doreen Peters will receive the Crystal Coach Award on Saturday, Nov. 21 in a pre-race ceremony that kicks off the Girls on the Run 5K, presented by Innovation Health in Woodbridge.
Peters is one of the organization’s longest-serving volunteers, having mentored more than 300 girls over 20 seasons as a Girls on the Run coach -- first at Floris Elementary School in Herndon, and this season at Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary in Herndon.
Other Crystal Coach award recipients include: Aliceson Johnson Wirth of Kent Gardens ES in McLean, Carla Maughlin of Lemon Road ES in Falls Church, Carla Prokop of Rolling Valley ES in West Springfield, Rena Rose of Centre Ridge ES in Centreville, Gwendolynn Gall of Navy ES in Fairfax, and Cori Lonnett of Westbriar ES in Vienna. Together, the women have coached a combined 94 seasons and have mentored more than 1,400 girls.
Crystal Coaches are a group of thirteen Northern Virginia women who are committed to making a difference in the lives of girls. Each woman has served as a volunteer coach for 10 or more seasons with Girls on the Run -- an after-school that equips girls with lifelong skills that will help them develop into strong, healthy, confident young women. The 10-week season culminates in a celebratory 5k run with more than 5,000 girls, parents, teachers and community members completing a 3.1mile run.
Peters said that “Seeing girls conquer their personal anxieties/fears (often associated with speaking up in the group or doing the 5K) and seeing their confidence grow,” inspired her. And the Girls on the Run program gives girls the “confidence to go out and do good things that may be outside their current comfort zone.”
For more information about Girls on the Run visit http://gotrnova.org/.