Girls on the Run
Dear Editor: The Pathways Coalition would like to thank everyone who made the 16th season of Girls on the Run a success this fall! Thirty-four third- through fifth-grade girls spent 10 weeks building confidence and self-esteem while forming new friendships and training for a “Winter Wonderland” themed 5K.
We could not have had such a successful 5K without the support of GOTR families, friends, and community members who came to set up, run with participants, and cheerlead along the course. Thank you to everyone who helped to make our 5K successful and fun!
Girls on the Run in Sitka is coordinated by partners of the Pathways to a Safer Sitka Coalition, with different partner agencies contributing coaches to serve as role models, planning and facilitating aspects of the program, and helping to make the 5K possible. Those of us at Sitkans Against Family Violence are grateful to our wonderful coaches, including community volunteers and coaches from Keet Gooshi Heen, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka Counseling, and Youth Advocates of Sitka. We are also thankful for Keet Gooshi Heen for providing program support and practice space, Sitka Counseling for 5K support, and Sitka Tribe of Alaska for helping us to teach Lingít language by providing voice recordings.
Girls on the Run also receives support from local and statewide businesses and organizations that make this season possible. We would like to thank the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Harrigan Centennial Hall, KCAW, KIFW, Russell’s, Sea Mart, Sitka National Historical Park, and the Sitka Sentinel.
We are grateful to offer this program on Lingít Aaní, and we are grateful to the Lingít people for stewarding this land since time immemorial.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to and participated in this season! We are excited to offer Boys Run I toowú klatseen this upcoming spring and Girls on the Run in Fall 2025. If you are interested in participating, coaching, or volunteering in either program, please reach out to schools@safv.org or 907 747-3493. We would love to have you join us in this important work! Gunalchéesh,
Claire Weber
Girls on the Run Coordinator Sitkans Against Family Violence
Gaza Deaths
Dear Editor: There are no words to describe the horrors of the past year during which the Israeli military has killed over 44,900 people in Gaza, including more than 20,000 children.
On Friday, the United Nations Gaza humanitarian daily update reported: “Last night, 30 people were killed in this area in strikes. We’ve seen absolutely horrific images from the scene. There are parents looking for their children. Children covered in dust and blood, looking for their parents. Multiple injuries on top of the casualties reported and people still buried under the rubble.”
Israel’s retaliatory violence to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack has now expanded to a regional war. Israeli air strikes on Lebanon have killed over 3,000 civilians, including entire families.
There is no moral or legal justification for the targeting of civilians or the holding of civilian hostages. That was true when Hamas militants killed and kidnapped Israeli civilians. It is true as ongoing attacks by the Israeli military in Gaza and Lebanon continue to devastate children and families.
Under international law, direct attacks on civilians or civilian objects, indiscriminate attacks that kill or injure civilians, and disproportionate attacks that cause excessive incidental civilian loss are war crimes.
The United States is complicit in this war and the atrocities against civilians, providing billions of dollars annually in military aid to Israel and sending additional weapons without congressional approval.
Fortunately, unconditional support for Israel’s indiscriminate military campaign by members of Congress is gradually eroding. More than 90 members of Congress have joined in calling for a ceasefire. The shift is due in part to continuing grassroots pressure.
In Sitka, Christmas Eve marks a year of weekly Voices for Peace vigils. We gather every Saturday, noon-1 p.m., at the roundabout. Jews and non-Jews alike, we understand that violence only produces more violence. We understand that this is no time to be discouraged; we must continue to stand up for what is right.
We welcome others to join us in calling for an arms embargo to Israel, immediate end to the genocide, a lasting ceasefire, and an end to Israeli occupation and oppression of Palestinians and Lebanon.
Cindy Litman, Sitka
