A handful of third and fifth-grade girls from Loyal Heights Elementary are running laps around the playground on a chilly weekday afternoon. They are running to build healthy bodies as well as self-confidence, friendship and a sense of identity. And, also to get the wiggles out.

The girls are part of the Loyal Heights chapter of Girls on the Run Puget Sound, a nonprofit started in 2002 as part of the international Girls on the Run organization.

Girls on the Run's mission is to prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.

"It's been enlightening," said Carmen Hudson, head coach of the Loyal Heights group. "We're starting to address topics that they are going to encounter in middle school."

So far, the group has discussed issues like drugs, bullies and the pressure put on women by the media.

The Girls on the Run curriculum ties these lessons into healthy living by creating physical activities related to the message.

On Dec. 1, the topic was community service. The biweekly meeting opened with the girls standing in a tight circle facing the person in front of them. They then tried to slowly sit down on the lap behind them.

The first few tries, the girls fell over quickly. But pretty soon, they were working together and reorganizing themselves to accomplish their goal. They worked together to build a better community.

Hudson said the biggest misconception about Girls on the Run is that it is largely a running program. But, the program has girls who are good runners and girls who mostly walk. The important thing is making sure the girls are strong inside and keep the wonderful outlooks they have now, she said.

After running a few laps, the girls set about brainstorming a community service project, another part of the Girls on the Run curriculum.

Some of the ideas thrown around were making cards and singing Christmas carols for residents of retirement homes, donating stuffed animals to children who can't afford them and holding a bake sale.

Shannon Koller, a Loyal Heights assistant coach whose daughter Hannah is in the program, said it has been an amazing experience to watch the growth and development of the girls.

"It really does a great job of providing structure to help girls make healthy choices," Koller said. "They just continue to surprise me in really positive ways."

Some of the girls have simpler reasons for enjoying the program.

"It's fun," Hannah said about running. "I don't get cranky inside."

Each 10-week Girls on the Run course, which take place in the fall and spring, culminates in the girls completing a 5K run.

The Girls on the Run Puget Sound fall 5K takes place Dec. 12 at Seward Park. (It took a few moments to convince some of the girls they would not be running at "Sewage Park.")

Kerin Brasch, executive director of Girls on the Run Puget Sound, said programs like hers are becoming especially important as school programs are cut and teachers' time becomes increasingly stretched.

Girls on the Run is dependent on volunteers, Brasch said. Each meeting maintains a three-to-one ratio of girls to coaches. And, each of the approximately 350 girls who will compete in a 5K this year require a volunteer run buddy, she said.

Girls on the Run Puget Sound is looking for volunteers, as well as new schools to add to its estimated 35 this year, Brasch said.