CFO selects incubator recipient

Community Foundation of the Ozarks has chosen nonprofit organization Girls on the Run of Southwest Missouri as the inaugural recipient of its incubation program.

Dubbed the Glenstone Square Big Idea Program, the initiative gives the nonprofit a $4,000 grant and covers a one-year lease for office space - including utilities and some furniture - at the Glenstone Square shopping center. The gift is valued at $20,000, according to a news release.

"We desperately needed a place to utilize volunteers and grow Girls on the Run in Springfield. The central location is ideal,” said Trish Hopkins, council director for Girls on the Run of Southwest Missouri, in the release.

The program would allow Girls on the Run to help inspire health and confidence among girls by addressing issues such as childhood obesity, body image and bullying. The nonprofit currently serves 1,459 girls at 15 Greene County schools, including six in low-income neighborhoods. It soon plans to expand into Christian County.

Girls on the Run officials plan to use the Glenstone Square space as a headquarters and the cash portion to fund activities at schools, including after-school lessons, games and exercise programs and a 5-kilometer run at the end of the semester, the release said.

Girls on the Run of Southwest Missouri was formed last year, according to its secretary of state filing.