Kids Run RVA
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Kids Run RVA Rebrands to Kids On The Move
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Springing Forward with Kids Run RVA
Wednesday, May 10th
This blog is by our Kids Run RVA intern, Bridget Stacy This spring has brought lots of energy to Kids Run RVA! Across central Virginia, approximately 60 run and fitness clubs throughout elementary, middle, and high schools have been getting our youth active in a big way! Shout out to the coaches that have motivated…
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The Kids Run RVA Comeback
Thursday, July 28th
By: Jacki Quinlan, Director of Youth Programs Despite school systems still working through a variety of Covid-related challenges, Kids Run RVA made a comeback this past school year and it’s a story worth sharing. As schools returned to serving most of their students in-person,…
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Kids Run RVA Keeps Kids Moving, No Matter What
Thursday, August 19th
By: Jacki Quinlan, Director of Youth Programs After a full school year of all virtual programming, concluding with the 13-week Super Fit Challenge that ended on May 30th, Kids Run RVA was finally able to get back to in-person programming this summer! Through an expanded…
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Get Super Fit With Kids Run RVA!
Wednesday, March 31st
This spring, kids from all over the Richmond region (and beyond!) are getting their workout on with Kids Run RVA through the first-ever Super Fit Challenge! Over 400 kids are registered and have received their #SuperFit activity logs. Each week, they are challenged to do…
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Kids Challenge: Virtual Edition Provides Participants Opportunities to Get Active and Interact with Kids from Across RVA
Wednesday, November 18th
It’s hard to believe the first-ever Kids Challenge: Virtual Edition is coming to an end. The seven weeks flew by but during that time friendships were made, exercise was top of mind, coaches coached, and kids did what they do best: acted like kids! While we may not prefer being virtual, it certainly has its…
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Kids Challenge: Virtual Edition Update Part 1
Thursday, October 15th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager The Kids Challenge: Virtual Edition is off to a great start, thanks to the generous support of Cigna and the efforts of our Kids Run RVA Coaches. After launching on Monday, October 5th, we are now a few weeks into this seven-week challenge with over 400 participants signed up…
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Sports Backers, Kids Run RVA to Launch 'Kids Challenge: Virtual Edition' on Oct. 5
Monday, September 14th
Registration now open for virtual fitness challenge for kids age 4-17 RICHMOND, VA – Sports Backers and Kids Run RVA today announced that the new ‘Kids Challenge: Virtual Edition’ will launch on October 5, with registration now open at www.sportsbackers.org. The program will encourage Richmond-area kids and their families to keep moving on their own…
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Kids Run RVA: Building Memories and Muscles Through Virtual Programming
Monday, August 10th
By: Jacki Quinlan, Director of Community Outreach In March, when schools and the rest of the world as we knew it shut down, kids all around the Richmond region found themselves stuck at home trying to continue their school curriculum from their laptops and tablets. Sports teams came to an abrupt end, run clubs weren’t…
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Kids Run RVA: Creating Change for RVA Youth Through Active Living Equity
Wednesday, July 15th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager The fight for equity in America for Black people and people of color is an ongoing battle. Here in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, there are daily reminders about the struggle for equal rights, with references to the Confederate legacy…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Staying Active and Adapting to the 'New Normal' with Coach Nate Galloway
Tuesday, April 7th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager Since the 'new normal' imposed by Coronavirus/COVID-19 has been in place, Kids Run RVA has been working hard to provide content to help families and kids stay active. We have created a YouTube playlist and are constantly sharing our workout and activity videos via Facebook and Twitter. At the…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Coach Abby Harsh
Thursday, March 19th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager Abby Harsh is the new run club head coach at Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School (AJCES) but she is not new to Kids Run RVA, having previously worked with the run club at Albert Hill Middle School. Her reason for volunteering at Albert Hill was “because I…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: NextUp Coach Gene Parris
Wednesday, February 19th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager Gene Parris has been teaching in Richmond Public Schools system for 15 years (seven at Albert Hill Middle and the last eight at Henderson Middle). He was accustomed to the lack of after-school programs at…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Changjwok Deng's Journey to Coach and Mentor
Friday, January 17th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager Kids Run RVA Coaches come from all walks of life. They may differ in age, race, and nationality, but all are drawn to Kids Run RVA by a desire to help others through active living. Everyone has a story, but none are quite like Changjwok Deng's journey.…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Teresa Kessler, Kids Run RVA Volunteer of the Year
Wednesday, December 18th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager I had the opportunity to sit down with the Kids Run RVA (KRRVA) Volunteer of the Year Teresa Kessler! She is a Physical Education (PE) teacher and has been Head Coach at Lakeside Elementary in Henrico County for the past four…
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Great Coaches Support Great Kids
Tuesday, December 3rd
Written by: Coach Jenika dela Cruz This past fall season was my first as a volunteer Kids Run RVA run club coach at John B. Cary (Cougars on the Run). I knew the importance of teaching kids healthy habits early on in their lives, and I wanted to become a part of that effort. But…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Meet Craig Dupont, Veteran Kids Run RVA Coach
Tuesday, November 19th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager Before the end of the fall running season, veteran Kids Run RVA coach Craig Dupont sat down with us to discuss his time at Overby-Sheppard Elementary School. He is a fifth-year Head Coach and credits returning students for the success of the program. “We seem to grow…
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Kids Run RVA Showed Up and Showed Out at the kaléo Marathon Jr.
Thursday, October 31st
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager On a perfect fall day on Saturday, October 26th, 1,070 young runners filled Byrd Park to participate in the kaléo Marathon Jr. The youth running event for kids ages 4-14 featured three distances: half mile (for ages 7 and under),…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Meet New Coach Erika Elford
Thursday, October 10th
By: Chaz Coleman, Kids Run RVA Program Manager This month, we had the opportunity to chat with a new Kids Run RVA coach, Erika Elford. Erika is the P.E. teacher at Elizabeth B. Redd Elementary in Richmond, which she joined at the start of this school year after teaching at John Marshall High School. She…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Meet Coach Katie Daniel
Friday, September 27th
This month we sat down with Katie McTavish Daniel, who was recently promoted to Program Manager at Greater Richmond Fit4Kids. In this new role, Katie now leads the Wellness Integration and Learning Garden programs throughout the Greater Richmond region. Katie got her start as a PE teacher but after switching career paths to do wellness…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Get to Know PB&J (AKA Faith & Jacki)
Friday, August 23rd
By: Jacki Quinlan, Director of Community Outreach With the beginning of the school year right around the corner and the kickoff of Kids Run RVA run clubs looming, it’s almost time for the dynamic duo, aka Jacki Quinlan and Faith Hecth, to rock the famous PB&J costumes at the kaléo Marathon Jr. on October 26.…
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Kids Run RVA Profiles: Meet Coach Kirk
Tuesday, July 16th
By: Jacki Quinlan, Director of Community Outreach and Kids Run RVA Enthusiast Kids Run RVA run clubs happen across the region during the school year (click here to check out a map of our clubs!) but this summer some of the Kids Run RVA coaches have…
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Kids Run RVA Brings Childhood Friends Back Together as Run Club Coaches
Thursday, January 10th
By: Pete Woody As coaches for Sports Backers’ Kids Run RVA youth running program, LaShawn Moore and Kisha Holloway get excited for the opportunity to greet their run club members at the finish line of races and share their excitement at completing a goal. But that excitement was nothing compared to the feeling the two…
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Meet Alan Delbridge - Kids Run RVA Head Coach
Thursday, October 11th
By: Jacki Quinlan, Director of Community Outreach for Sports Backers On the 1st of October, I sat down with Alan Delbridge to learn more about him and his new part-time role at Sports Backers. Read on to get to know the first-ever Head Coach of Kids Run RVA, which aims to provide support throughout the…
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Kids Run This Town Up, Down, and All Around
Monday, July 9th
By: Faith Hecht, Youth Programs Manager Another school year has come and gone, and the kids have been moving! Thanks to the coaching efforts of dozens of volunteers who provide guidance and training opportunities at schools and community locations, kids around the region achieved their running goals through Kids Run RVA during the 2017-18 school…
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No Stopping Us Now: Kids In RVA Are On The Move!
Friday, March 16th
Written by: Destini Orr, Kids Run RVA Intern It’s that awesome time of the year again: Kids Run RVA and the Kids Challenge have kicked off for the spring season! Both programs have one common goal: KEEP CHILDREN MOVING! The Sports Backers' Kids Challenge began on February 5th. The Kids Challenge is a FREE incremental…
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Kids Run RVA - Reflecting on 2017 and Looking Ahead to 2018
Thursday, January 11th
Man what a year Kids Run RVA had! In 2017, we supported 70 run clubs that got kids moving across the region, from Amelia to Henrico, Hanover to Petersburg, and everywhere in between! As we reflect back on the year, there were so many special moments and countless people who made each of those moments…
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Kids Run RVA run clubs are ready for Whole Foods Market Marathon Jr.
Thursday, October 26th
By: Alexis Davis On Saturday, October 28, kids from all over the Richmond region will participate in the Whole Foods Market Marathon Jr. This annual youth running event is part of the Nov. 11 Anthem Richmond Marathon, held two weeks earlier in Byrd Park. Kids Run RVA, a program of Sports Backers that serves as the…
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Run Clubs in Full Swing as Kids Run RVA Gears Up for Whole Foods Market Marathon Jr.
Monday, October 2nd
By: Faith Hecth, Kids Run RVA Youth Programs Coordinator Long, lazy summer days have given way to crisper evenings and falling leaves—always a sure sign that autumn is here. What else lets you know? Area kids have returned to school, and just like that, they are lacing up their shoes for fall run clubs. Did…
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Kids Get Moving Thanks To Kids Run RVA Coaches
Friday, August 18th
By: Faith Hecht, Youth Programs Coordinator It’s 7:20am on a crisp and sunny morning in late October 2016 when I pull up to the back parking lot at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. As I arrive, I notice a handful of cars and a few munchkins in school uniform gathering near the softball field.…
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Kids Run RVA Is On The Move
Thursday, July 6th
With 69 Kids Run RVA clubs meeting (and running) throughout the region, there are plenty of activities to spotlight and ways to get involved moving forward. Check out these highlights and upcoming events, and get in touch if you’re interested in serving as a coach or volunteer! Whole Foods Marathon Jr. The Whole Foods Marathon…
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Through the Eyes of a Kids Run RVA Coach
Tuesday, August 16th
Written by Kids Run RVA Coach Ali Molitor I didn’t always enjoy running. In fact, in elementary school, I was usually the last one to finish the mile run when it came time for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. It wasn’t until high school when I began to enjoy running and college when I ran…
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Global Running Day for Kids Run RVA!
Tuesday, May 24th
On June 1st, otherwise known as Global Running Day, people from all over the world will put on their running shoes and hit the pavement, trail, or treadmill to support running as a way to enjoy an active lifestyle. There are 146 countries that are participating this year, and of course the United States is…
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Things to Consider Before Running in RVA
Tuesday, March 8th
When I’m getting ready to go on a run or head out for a race, I undoubtedly have a few things I need to think about before I can get a successful run in. Most runners do. For instance, we have to consider the weather and if we are wearing the right layers to accommodate…
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Volunteer for Ragnar Trail Richmond, Be A Kids Run RVA Hero!
Friday, March 4th
By: Meghan Gaffney This April, over 260 teams of 8 runners each will gather at Pocahontas State Park for the inaugural Ragnar Trail Richmond, an overnight trail relay race run on some of Virginia’s finest single track on April 29th and 30th. The event is a partnership between Ragnar and Sports Backers, and will feature…
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Kids in RVA Need YOU
Thursday, December 17th
Ever thought about how you can make an impact on the lives of kids and young people in the Richmond region? Do you have a passion for active living or are you looking for the next thing to do in the world of running? Perhaps you are looking for a New Year's resolution that you know…
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Call Federal Marathon Junior - Making Running Fun For All
Monday, November 16th
By: Kaitlin Baker From the moment Kickeroo kicked off the race to the end of the festival, there was a sense of excitement and fun in the air. On October 24th, over 900 kids participated in either the half mile or the 1 mile run at the Call Federal Marathon Jr., an event which was…
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Kids Run RVA Run Clubs – How Do You Plug In?
Thursday, August 27th
If you are reading this blog or are subscribed to our blogs (Not subscribed yet? Click here!) then you likely already know a little something about the importance of being active. And thanks to Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, there has been an increased focus on the need for kids to get at least 60 minutes…