During a recent chat, one of our board members asked a simple question.

“What are we releasing for Women’s History Month?”

It was a good question. Many organizations create posts or campaigns to recognize the month.

But I hesitated for a moment before answering.

Because if I’m honest, I’ve always had mixed feelings about months like this.

Of course, women like Amelia Earhart deserve to be celebrated.

But Amelia Earhart deserves more than a month.

So does Rosa Parks, who showed the power of quiet courage.
So does Katherine Johnson, whose brilliance helped send humans into space (and we share the same great name).
So does Malala Yousafzai, who reminds the world that girls’ voices matter.

And maybe the most important thing about these women isn’t just what they accomplished.

It’s what they made possible for the girls who came after them.

Every time Amelia Earhart climbed into a cockpit, she expanded what girls could imagine for themselves.

That’s the real power of women’s history.

Not just remembering what women did.

But recognizing how their courage opens doors for the next generation.

Sometimes that courage looks big and bold.

But most of the time it looks quieter.

Right now, my two staff members are young moms. They are raising little ones, managing households, and somehow also helping lead a program that is changing the future for girls across our region.

They show up to plan seasons, support coaches, manage sites, and make sure hundreds of girls have a place where they feel seen, supported, and safe to be exactly who they are.  They are gathering silent auction items, reaching out to sponsors, writing newsletters, and telling the girls' story.

That kind of work may never make it into a history book, but it is exactly how history is built.

And every season, dozens of women step forward as coaches, creating the spaces where girls learn they can do hard things.

Right now, our spring season has just begun with 114 girls.

And when I look at that number, I can’t help but wonder who they will become.

Maybe one will become a scientist who changes how we understand the world.
Maybe one will lead a company or a classroom.
Maybe one will stand up for someone who needs courage in a hard moment.

Or maybe they will simply grow into women who know their worth and help others see theirs.

Somewhere in those 114 girls might be the next Amelia Earhart.

And I often find myself quietly grateful that I get to play even a small role in helping them discover what they’re capable of becoming.

That kind of quiet confidence has a way of changing the world too.

Around here, the joyful chaos of the season is already in full swing.

Shoes are going out to girls who need them.
Program shirts are arriving, which the girls are always excited about.
The spring 5K is somehow already on the horizon.

At the same time, we are preparing for the Sneaker Soirée, writing grants, drafting next year’s budget, ordering fall materials months before anyone else is thinking about fall, and planning a summer camp partnership — along with hundreds of tiny details the outside world may never see or fully appreciate.

Like the fact that my kitchen counter currently looks like a craft store exploded because I’ve been testing glitter heart bottles for the new lessons in our upcoming curriculum.

This fall, we will launch a brand-new curriculum called Hello, Bold Heart.

Its goal is simple and powerful: helping girls understand themselves, explore their emotions, and discover what Girls on the Run calls Heart Power— the confidence to share what’s in your heart and speak up.

In other words, the kind of lessons many adults are still learning.

We also just finished a board retreat with a group of leaders who are energized and ready to help move this mission forward.

And behind the scenes we launched something new called Team Adelaide, an effort to make sure our coaches know they are supported, valued, and never doing this work alone.

Because the coaches matter deeply.

They are the adults who create the spaces where girls learn to believe in themselves.

Some days this work feels big.

Most days it just feels like a very busy Tuesday.

But when I stop and think about it, I realize something.

Women’s history is not only written by the famous women whose stories we read about in books.

It is also written by women doing meaningful work in their communities every single day.

Women raising children.

Women mentoring girls.

Women building organizations that make the future a little brighter.

Women creating spaces where the next generation learns to believe in themselves.

And sometimes, it is written by two young moms helping make sure a group of girls has a place where they belong.

Maybe that is the real point of Women’s History Month.

Not just to look backward at the women who shaped the past.

But to notice the women who are shaping the future right now.

Every single day.

And if you are one of those women doing the quiet work, helping shape the next generation… thank YOU.