Nadine Spirito is an animated young girl who successfully finished 3rd Grade and participated in the 2025 Girls on the Run season. Nadine is also one of two per 100,000 newborns each year affected by Leber's Congenital Amaurosis, a rare degenerative eye disease. Her decision to participate in the program started in 2nd Grade when a flyer was sent home from school. Nadine was immediately interested. In spite of her limitations with vision, Nadine's mother, Brooklyn Spirito, said she was on board with advocating for her daughter to try the program.

"I knew that low vision (blind) people were running and felt like (Girls on the Run) was something she could do," Brooklyn said.

Brooklyn recalls being impressed right away by the entire experience: "The GOTR coaches were figuring out how to include Nadine, but there was no hesitation on how to make it work." Nadine's coaches met with Brooklyn to ask what her daughter would need. Questions like, "How would she feel running alone?" "How much functional vision does she have?" and "What should we be aware of?" were raised. And Nadine was included in the conversations, Brooklyn said, and being asked what would make her feel comfortable?

“I really appreciated how she was included in conversations that allowed her to advocate for herself,” Brooklyn said.

Brooklyn shared that the whole process felt seamless and left her feeling at ease. As a parent of a child with special needs, she often has to figure out the logistics for inclusion in activities. Brooklyn said she felt like Girls on the Run took the opposite approach compared to other programs by taking the reins to make sure it would work.

"They just kind of did it and that was really nice as a parent who typically has to fight for everything," Brooklyn shared, adding that the program team even reached out during the season to see that everything was going well.

Nadine looked forward to every practice, and was always excited about Girls on the Run: "She met friends, she bonded with the coaches, she loved it," Brooklyn said. "There was not one complaint ... and Nadine does not hold back complaints!"

The program gave Nadine independence and that's important for kids with special needs, Brooklyn explained. Her daughter didn't feel any different from the other GOTR participants, she wasn't limited, and she 100 percent loved that the coaches asked her if she wanted to run with them.

"That gave her that self control and independence to make those decisions and it was just wonderful to see her grow in that way," Brooklyn said. "I love how (Girls on the Run) uses running as a way to bring everyone together but then (the program) also focuses on the individual."

^{Above: Nadine, with her family, at the 2025 Elkhart 5K Celebration.}

On the day of the 5K Celebration, Girls on the Run had coordinated for the provision of a running partner with a running tether (a device made up of a short piece of fabric with two hoops at each end, used to connect a visually impaired person with a sighted guide runner) so that Nadine and her running partner could safely traverse the 5K course.

"That was amazing -- Nadine was really thankful for that, and I was really thankful for that," Brooklyn said. What was really amazing, Brooklyn added, was the large crowd that showed up for Nadine on 5K day -- teachers, family, friends -- garnished with cheer signs and excitement.

"It made her feel so special and you could tell at the end that she felt so loved," Brooklyn recalled. "It was more than just a 5K; it was about her doing something that everybody else could do."