Danielle's SOAR 2020 fundraising page

Students Off and Running (SOAR) is an official featured charity of the Los Angeles Marathon and is in its 13th season of training high school students in need in the Santa Clarita Valley to complete the marathon, at no cost to them. Since its inception, every student that has started the marathon has completed it! This is my 5th season as a SOAR coach, and I am looking forward to helping another group of amazing students cross the finish line of the LA Marathon.

SOAR website: https://soar-sc.weebly.com/

Mission
Santa Clarita Track Club's Students Off And Running (SOAR) program helps youth in need living in Santa Clarita build life skills and establish healthy relationships with peers and adults through training for and completing a Marathon.

Vision
Santa Clarita Track Club's Students Off And Running (SOAR) is an after school program available to high school students enrolled in the Santa Clarita Valley. SOAR uses the vehicle of marathon training to empower students and provide them with tools for a healthy and constructive future. SOAR is offered at no cost to participants and their families.

Goals
The ultimate goal of SOAR is for students to participate in a truly life changing event: running a marathon. Beyond achieving a level of physical and emotional fitness many aspire to attain, students participating in the program's 24 week, 380 mile training season learn the value of true perseverance. While training, students gain insight into health and nutrition, and are shown alternatives to self destructive behavior. SOAR Coaches build self-esteem, reinforce resiliency, and role model the importance of setting and achieving goals through a shared marathon training experience. Participants having completed the program often translate their remarkable accomplishment into improved school performance and long term choices in favor of a healthier life style.

Objectives
SOAR establishes running groups at participating schools and implements a six month training program. Each running group operates under the guidance of volunteer adult Coaches who role model commitment and perseverance by training mile for mile with student participants in preparation for the marathon. Coaches may be teachers, school staff or community members and need not have prior running experience. Running groups maintain a 6:1 student-Coach ratio allowing for valuable one-on-one adult-student interaction. Weekly goals are set in a truly non-competitive arena, emphasizing the importance of team and 'best effort' rather than 'going for the win'. Training begins with easy mileage usually in late September, and builds gradually until participants are prepared to take on the 26.2 mile LA Marathon. During training, Coaches emphasize messages about nutrition, exercise, conditioning, injury prevention and general well-being. Coaches also use this time to mentor students and create a supportive environment where students can talk about personal, family and academic challenges and develop the confidence to apply themselves and overcome those challenges.