The Girls Gotta Run Foundation, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization that raised money for Ethiopian girl atheletes, has two exhibitions opening in early October, one in Philadelphia and one in Washington, DC (see details below). Since some people may not be familiar with Girls Gotta Run and it's mission through art, I interviewed Patricia Ortman, the Founder and Executive Director, to share more about this special organization.
Dr. Patricia E. Ortman is a retired Associate Professor of Psychology and Human Development. In mid-2006, Dr. Ortman, inspired by an article in the Washington Post (by East African correspondent Emily Wax) about girls in Ethiopia, co-founded and now directs, the volunteer Girls Gotta Run Foundation, Inc.
What is Girls Gotta Run and how did it get started?
The Girls Gotta Run Foundation (GGRF) is an all volunteer organization founded in 2006 to raise money to provide support for impoverished Ethiopian girls who are training to be runners. Training to be athletes allows them to stay in school, avoid early marriage, and gain personal independence. Besides athletic shoes, GGRF provides money for training clothes, extra food ("calorie money"), coach subsidies, and other training-related expenses.
We were inspired by the spirit and determination of the girls in the December 29, 2005 Washington Post article written by Emily Wax entitled "Facing Servitude, Ethiopian Girls Run for a Better Life." In the article, Wax relates not only to the tremendous challenges and difficult problems faced by Ethiopian girls, but also how female Ethiopian athletes, especially runners, are serving as role models and inspiration for them. By providing support for these aspiring athletes, Girls Gotta Run gives Ethiopian girls the chance to improve not only their lives but also their families and communities.
Why was visual art chosen as a major means for raising funds?
Art was originally chosen as a fundraising strategy because after retiring from academe, I had focused more and more on painting and was developing a business doing commissioned work, including and mainly, portraits and murals. Along the way I had been asked to donate paintings to fundraisers for organizations and causes I believed in and I liked doing that. So it seemed a natural thing to get artists together to create and sell work to raise money for "the girls." As well as raising funds, our exhibits also raised awareness about the girls and their challenges as well as their burning desire to "make it" as professional runners.
What are some success stories as a result of the organization's fundraising efforts?
While GGRF started in mid-2006 and we began fundraising, the more difficult challenge was setting up viable programs in Ethiopia through which to help the girls. So it took another full year to begin to get
established there. But by December 2007, we had succeeded in getting our first program set up. Working with The Tesfa Foundation, we supported the start up of Team Tesfa, which included four girls, three of whom had been homeless. Within a couple of months, in early 2008, we also were able to initiate and fund a new program in the Simien Mountains: 10 girls, chosen from among literally thousands, who decided to call themselves the Simien Girl Runners. While monitoring and working out glitches in the functioning of those first two programs, in early 2009 we added Team Naftech (7 girls) and then the first three female runners in a new program called Running Across Borders.
Setting up and continuing to operate a program or a team in Ethiopia involves an enormous amount of time and effort on the parts of a large number of people, all volunteers, so having set up four within a year and a half is a considerable accomplishment. And as of this Fall, Team Tesfa has 20 girls, RAB has five, and one of the girls from the Simien Girl Runners has become so accomplished so quickly she trained this summer with one of the professional Ethiopian teams. GGRF insists that in order to obtain and maintain GGRF funding, the girls must stay in school until graduation from high school. We consider it an accomplishment that the promise of help to train to run convinced several girls to return to and stay in school as well as study hard. In the long run, if we are able, we would like to support the young women who want to get alternate professional training, such as nursing or teaching, if a career as a runner begins to appear unlikely.
What are some upcoming events and how can people learn more about GCRF?
Fundraising events coming up in the immediate future are two art exhibits and receptions, one in Philadelphia sponsored by the Women's Caucus for Art; and one here in DC at the Friendship Heights Village Center.
Additionally, a marathoner, Erica Nemmers, is running the Chicago Marathon on October 11 as a pledged run for the girls; and, until the end of October, Barefoot Books of Reston is donating the proceeds of ALL online sales to GGRF. To learn more about any or all of these events, click here Additionally, GGRF can be supported through simple donations via Paypal To learn more, go to the Girls Gotta Run website (http://www.girlsgottarun.org) or email the Executive Director, Pat Ortman, at pat@girlsgottarun.org.
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