Finding Our Stride

Free after-school running program for Upper Valley youth boosting fitness, self-esteem and resilience.

08/25/2026

With back to school preparations in the air, we’re getting excited for the upcoming Fall season! If you’re still looking for an accessible after school program for your kid, Finding Our Stride is ready for your runner! They’ll create memories, spark new friendships, and challenge themselves in a supportive environment, right after school with many coaches already trusted adult mentors from their school. Free for families!

We believe in the power of fitness to empower youth, regardless of background or experience level. Our programs prioritize accessibility, inclusivity, and individual growth, providing a welcoming space for children to explore the joy of movement and develop lifelong habits of physical activity.

Check out the link in our bio for how to get involved this fall! 🏃‍♀️

08/22/2026

Tee up! ⛳️Table and tent at the ready as more than 60 golfers lined up to hit the green yesterday at the annual Fujifilm Dimatix Golf Charity Event. This event raises money for awesome local nonprofits like FOS! Finding Our Stride is one of four organizations that will recieve the funds raised - alongside Make-A-Wish New Hampshire, Dartmouth Health Children's, and Mascoma Valley Regional School District. We’re so grateful to have partners like FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. and everyone who attended. You are part of our mission to provide free after school youth wellness programs at more than 25 schools across the Upper Valley! 💙🏃‍♀️

08/18/2026

Bring on the new school year! We believe in the power of fitness to empower youth, regardless of their background or experience level. Our programs prioritize accessibility, inclusivity, and individual growth, providing a welcoming space for children to explore the joy of movement and develop lifelong habits of physical activity, social-emotional learning, and community engagement. If you’ve been looking for a fun and holistic after school program for your kid, check us out!

- 80% of coaches are trusted educators
-Grounded in positive psychology’s research on character and relationships
-Practice time provides increased connection that builds student confidence and resilience in and out of the classroom
-Each season, teams and runners contribute meaningfully to their communities - This helps youth to foster self-esteem and resilience; build a sense of purpose and belonging; and develop a sense of agency and pride. Since 2016, FOS teams have raised more than $350,000 for Upper Valley non-profits!
-Free for families!

Follow along for more ways to become part of the team this Fall!

08/11/2026

You might have seen her running with her striders in seasons’ past - please join us in giving a warm welcome to former FOS coach, now Program Director and Head Coach, Amelia Donahey!

Amelia brings more than 15 years of experience as a teacher, school leader and outdoor educator and has focused her career on helping young people build confidence and connection through meaningful experiences. As a longtime runner (and former Finding Our Stride coach) Amelia has seen firsthand how challenge, teamwork, and shared goals build joy and belonging for kids, and she looks forward to supporting the coaches, schools, families, and partners who make that possible.

When she’s not working, Amelia can usually be found outdoors—running, skiing, swimming, biking, and gardening with her husband, James. She loves spending time with friends and family, especially her two young nephews, and is a firm believer in the power of movement, adventure, and community.

We’re so excited to have your leadership, Amelia, and can’t wait to see what the future seasons have in store!

08/08/2026

We hope you’ll join us in benefitting Finding Our Stride and other local organizations lifting up our communities at this fun event! 🏌️‍♂️💙

08/03/2026

Sending a massive thank you and happy trails to Becky Zumbach as she wraps up her time as our Program Director and Head Coach! Throughout her past 3 seasons at FOS, Becky has been on the ground with our coaches and at team practices. Her years of experience and passion for staying active and getting outdoors shines through in everything she does, and we are ever grateful for the way her spirit motivates coaches and students alike. Regardless of the sport or age group, she prioritizes teamwork and a growth-oriented mindset.

We are so grateful for everything you’ve given to this community, Becky. Your impact will stick with us in the coming seasons.

Wishing you the absolute best in your next chapter, and we’ll catch you on the trails! 🌲

07/28/2026

It’s here! In March, we launched our Impact Report celebrating 15 years of Finding Our Stride. Today, it’s available in print! The report highlights the research that informs our program design and the outcomes that reflect its impact.

To celebrate, we’re diving into one of our favorite parts of the impact report and a prominent value for our program: The 5C’s.

The 5 C’s of Positive Youth Development are a widely accepted framework for understanding how young people grow into capable, compassionate adults. Developed by Richard Lerner and grounded in decades of developmental science, the model shows that when youth build these five strengths, a sixth C naturally follows: Contribution. At Finding Our Stride, we intentionally design our program to develop all six, demonstrating a holistic youth development program.

In partnership with school leaders and with the support of The Positivity Project, we integrate research-based social-emotional learning into our practice plans. Together we’ve designed a program that builds fitness, strengthens social-emotional health, and cultivates connection to community. These remain our guiding pillars.

Finding Our Stride has grown significantly over the last 15 years. None of this happens without the support of individual donors, corporate sponsors, and private foundations. If you share our belief that investing in the well-being of children today strengthens our communities for decades to come, we invite you to pick up a copy and join us. Together, we can help shape the next 15 years.

Thanks for celebrating with us! 🏃

07/22/2026

This is us before the season…and this us after the season! Runners are getting stronger each season and the proof is in the pudding! We compared all 24 teams’ average number of laps at the beginning of this season to the end of the spring season and….(with the exception of 2 extremes) these striders increased their performance by more than 16%! That may not seem like a lot, but to us, this is where growth starts, in the incremental changes that compound day after day at practice. Kids are not just feeling stronger, they ARE stronger. And that comes from daily motivation, team support, positive affirmations, and practice, practice, practice. 💪

This is just one facet of the well rounded development and community care that FOS kids experience. It’s still cool to see the stats behind the laps!

Happy Summer!

07/15/2026

Exciting news from our local Burlington Target! Through the Target Circle Guest-Directed Giving Program, more than 900 guests (that’s you!) cast their votes in favor of FOS, resulting in a grant of more than $800 to support Finding Our Stride! Thank you Target, Inpact, and voters for supporting our mission! You are proof that FOS is much more than just a few laps after class. It’s community care, love for a challenge, growth and play, health and happiness. We are so thankful for the recognition and funds that allow us to continue to bring free programming to Upper Valley youth.

07/07/2026

Each spring, the kids at FOS do something unique. First, each team meets as a group and talks about the things they’d like to change in the world. Then they choose a local non-profit organization to raise funds for or contribute goods to. Whether it’s running laps for a cause, building donation boxes, or personally delivering food to pantries, every runner has the chance to make a difference in their own community. So what were the teams up to this year? Check out a few of our schools’ fun events and community engagement projects!

Community engagement helps youth to foster self-esteem and resilience, build a sense of purpose and belonging, and develop a sense of agency and pride. Since 2016, community engagement initiatives have raised more than $350,000 for Upper Valley non-profits. Recognizing the profound impact of social ties on children’s development, Finding Our Stride facilitates opportunities for each team and runner to contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Canaan Elementary School hosted their “Fun, Fitness, and Fundraising” event to support CES PTA! More than 100 students gathered for some fun-in-the-sun activities and games. Together, they raised more than $360 which FOS will match. Way to go!

Westshire FOS and After The Bell joined forces and enjoyed their yearly slip and slide. What a great opportunity for building friendships and expanding their community. Making memories and having fun too!

After a school-wide event involving cereal box dominoes and a fun run, The White River School BATS personally delivered cereal box donations to the local food pantry White River Jct. United Methodist Church. A yearly occasion!

Hartland Elementary School put their creativity to work and crafted signs and donation boxes to collect supplies for the Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society.

As Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D., a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia says, "Developing close ties to family and community creates a solid sense of security that helps lead to strong values and prevents alternative destructive paths to love and attention...Children need to realize that the world is a better place because they are in it."

We are so proud of everything these kids accomplished this past season to uplift their peers, communities, and champion their own positive development. 💙

Address

102 Pine St
White River Junction, VT
05001

Website

https://www.findingourstride.org/registration-practice-schedule

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