In May, Girls on the Run (GOTR) Lancaster continued its annual tradition of presenting the Ellen Shining Light Coach of the Year award to a coach within the program. This year, the award was given to Jessica Nealon of Landisville, who has been coaching since 2017.

Every year, students, coaches and community members nominate a coach for the award. Each nominee is then invited to a banquet at Lancaster Country Club to be honored, and the previous year's award recipient announces the new award winner. The Coach of the Year is selected from the pool of nominees by a committee within GOTR Lancaster, which seeks out the nominee who most embodies the organization's mission statement. "I was completely shocked that I had won," Nealon said.

In addition to the award, the Coach of the Year receives $500 to give to a nonprofit organization of his or her choice. As this year's recipient, Nealon chose to give the amount to Power Packs Project, an organization that provides meals and recipes for students to take home for the weekend. Nealon chose to support Power Packs Project after seeing the direct impact that it has had in the School District of Lancaster, where she teaches. Nealon is an instructional coach at Fulton Elementary School. "We have 25 families at my school that receive weekly meals and recipes from Power Packs," Nealon said. "Not only are some of the girls on my team impacted, but also a lot of students in the district."

In July, Nealon visited Power Packs' facility to present the check in person and tour the building. Last year, the organization served over 500,000 pounds of food to families throughout the county.

Nealon first decided to become involved with GOTR Lancaster as a way to encourage students outside of the classroom. She was drawn to the program's mission to promote positive body image, self-respect and confidence in young girls. As a teacher, Nealon also appreciates the lessons that are taught to girls in the program. Lessons include overcoming adversity and building healthy relationships in addition to the benefits of exercise. "These are things that people didn't talk about when I was young, but I wish they did," Nealon said.

Prior to becoming a coach, Nealon served as a running buddy for GOTR Lancaster. As a running buddy, she helped young athletes prepare for the 5K race at the end of the season. "(GOTR) teaches girls the core components of lessons that are applicable to everyone at any stage of life," said Nealon.