BY KAREN BOSSICK

It’s been 15 years since Shari Kunz invited 14 young Wood River Valley girls to run with her as part of a bigger mission called Girls on the Run.

Since, more than 2,000 local third-through eighth-grade girls have taken part in the endeavor, which strives to give girls a sense of empowerment and more through running and other activities.

This weekend Girls on the Run of the Wood River Valley will hold a free Birthday Bash from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 30, at Hop Porter Park in Hailey. There will be large group games, such as Twister, potato sack races, giant volleyball, lawn bowling, and a dunk tank. And birthday cupcakes and ice cream will be served.

At 2 p.m. the local council will welcome Girls on the Run International founder Molly Barker to the Sun Valley Wellness Festival. Girls on the Run has partnered with the festival to have Barker make a presentation titled “Change the Narrative and You’ll Change the World.”

Barker, who has been part of a group seeking ways to bridge the political divide in Congress, will speak at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Sun Valley Opera House. A meet and greet reception will be held following the talk at the Lotus Lounge on the Community School Campus. Tickets are $45, available at www.sunvalleywellness.org.

Barker, a four-time Hawaii Ironman tri-athlete, used her background in social work, counseling and teaching  to establish Girls on the Run International in 1996 in Charlotte, N.C.

What started with 13 girls has grown to encompass more than 1.2 million girls who have been part of more than 200 councils in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 Kunz, an avid runner herself, read about the program in a 2002 issue of “Runner’s World” magazine. And she couldn’t stop thinking about the feeling of empowerment that such a program could provide  young girls in the Sun Valley area.

Within two months, she had 14 girls hitting the trails under the umbrella of the St. Luke’s Women’s Health and Fitness Celebration. And, by the following year, she had established the nonprofit Girls on the Run of the Wood River Valley.

Trained volunteers work with  more than 150 third- through eighth-grade girls through its program each year. They mentor them over a 10-week program offered each fall and spring. The program concludes with a celebratory 5K event, which gives participants a tangible sense of achievement, as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals.

 “Looking into the eyes of girls with their whole lives ahead of them, and knowing you get to be a part of the wonder of their being, is something that forever stays with you,” said Kunz.