It’s not every day that Girls on the Run is slapped with a five-figure donation from just one donor. But last week Matt Slap Subaru presented Girls on the Run with a check for $23,202, which will provide scholarships for 10 teams of girls across the state.
That means 150 girls from underserved communities will be able to participate in the program free of charge.
Matt Slap Subaru has directed proceeds from their annual Share the Love campaign to Girls on the Run for the past five years. With the campaign, Subaru dealerships across the country direct $250 from the sale of each car from Thanksgiving through January to one of four national charities the carmaker supports.
Each year Matt Slap Subaru has selected Girls on the Run Delaware as its beneficiary.
And each year Matt Slap Subaru owner Eve Slap kicks in another $50 per car.
“We get to pick a hometown charity, and it just makes a whole lot of sense for us to give to Girls on the Run” said Slap. “It’s just such a logical tie-in with a woman-owned business like ours supporting the concept of empowering women. It seemed like a no brainer to us.”
The Share the Love campaign makes a whole lot of students and their coaches happy.
Jenn Browne has coached 3rd through 5th graders at West Park Place Elementary School for the past eight years and notes that several of the students in her program are on scholarship.
“Scholarships allow us to include more girls in the program, and that makes it a stronger program,” said Browne. “We teach lessons focused on positive self-talk, handling emotions, healthy habits, gossip and gratitude. Ultimately, the girls realize they can achieve anything they set their minds to.”
Since 2015, Matt Slap Subaru has donated a total of $70,000 to Girls on the Run, making them one of Girls on the Run’s largest donors. “Five-hundred girls have probably been able to do the program because of her generosity,” said Girls on the Run Executive Director Kim Chitty in referring to contributions by Eve Slap.
At least 30-35% of the girls in the program come from families that make less than $20,000 a year. They are considered ‘full scholarship’ runners, paying anywhere from $0 to $12 to participate in the program. “So for Eve to be able to give us $20,000 a year, we have so many more girls who can participate in our program,” said Chitty.
Deb Dougherty, a delivery technology specialist with Matt Slap Subaru, appreciates her personal connection with the partnership. “I have three daughters of my own and one granddaughter of my own. And I find this program to be really empowering. They fill these young women with so much confidence for them to be able to succeed,” she said.
Those interested in supporting the dedicated coaches and the mission of Girls on the Run Delaware can coming out to their “Sip for Shoes and Scholarships” celebration at the BBC Tavern & Grill in Greenville on Wednesday, May 8th, from 6 – 9 pm.
