Chamber grant supports Girls on the Run 5K, youth program in Jasper

The Dubois County Chamber of Commerce’s $500 nonprofit grant will help pay for the details that make Girls on the Run’s Jasper celebration feel complete: finish-line enhancements, event signage, sponsor recognition and other touches that greet girls and families at the end of the course.

The grant arrived just as Girls on the Run of Southwest Indiana prepared for its annual celebratory 5K at Jasper Middle School on April 25 at 9 a.m. Registration was listed at $25 between Feb. 1 and April 10, and local coverage said more than 530 local girls were being celebrated in the 2026 spring event. For the chamber, the money was aimed at an event that is both highly visible and tied directly to youth programming in Dubois County.

Girls on the Run works with elementary and middle school girls across Dubois, Spencer and Vanderburgh counties, using running as a framework for confidence, leadership, healthy decision-making, social-emotional learning and physical wellness. The organization says more than 2.25 million lives have been transformed in North America since 1996, and it has served more than 2,000 girls in Southwest Indiana since 2014.

In Dubois County, the program held its first season in 2015 and has served 190 girls. That local footprint gives the chamber grant practical reach beyond a single morning at Jasper Middle School. The funds support a program that is already embedded in county schools and introduces girls to a structured model of teamwork, goal-setting and community support.

The chamber expanded its quarterly grant program in March 2026, adding a $1,000 award for a chamber-member business and a $500 award for a nonprofit organization serving Dubois County residents. Chamber officials said the money can be used for equipment purchases, facility improvements, marketing initiatives, program expansion or other investments that strengthen local organizations.

That makes the Girls on the Run award more than a ceremonial check. It is a small but targeted investment in a program that reaches local girls, involves local schools and sends families to a public event in Jasper where the community can see the result. In a county where school partnerships and youth wellness often depend on modest private support, the grant gives a well-established program a visible boost at the exact point where participants cross the finish line.