WADENA — A group of about 30 young girls raced through the streets of Wadena on Wednesday, July 20, with the confidence that they could finish what they started.

Devils Lake helped bring 40 girls together for their inaugural season in the community.

“The best part of BIO Girls) is seeing the growth in the girls," Moch said. "From them walking so timidly into the first session and they’re nervous and that kind of mentality. Now, when they come, they come running in and they’re smiling from ear-to-ear, and the other girls are cheering each other on.”

Both Moch and Hanson feel like BIO Girls is a little too good to be true sometimes. Hanson said to cheer these girls on, support them and ask them about the lessons they learned about in BIO Girls.

Running a 5K is a pretty big accomplishment. It takes training and dedication.

This week, a group of young girls completed their first 5K. They spent 12 weeks preparing as part of the BIO Girls program.

BIO Girls is short for “Beautiful Inside and Out.” The group is for adolescent girls, designed to boost self-esteem and empower girls.

The group also creates new friendships and strengthens old ones.

BIO Girls is excited to announce the BIO Girls Teen Program! In this program for middle and high school girls, we will cover body image, mental health, relationships, and self-confidence. Our first four sessions will be on Body Image, to be piloted in Fargo in July 2022.

The BIO Girls are not only leading the charge for self-empowerment among girls, but they’re also leaders of service in the community.

The Women for Philanthropy Luncheon is a premier networking opportunity for female leaders and philanthropists to gather, either in-person or virtually, to embrace their passion for giving back. Every year, the UND Alumni Association & Foundation hand-selects nonprofit leaders and philanthropists to teach us tangible ways of making a difference in our community. Missy Heilman, UND '01, Founder and Executive Director of BIO Girls, will keynote the 2022 event.

BIO Girls Director of Programming and Research, Dr. Beth Salafia, Ph.D. was featured on Eating Recover Academy Ep. 21: Let’s Talk About Body Image, Barbie, And More. In this episode, Dr. Salafia covers the impact of body image on eating disorders, improving body image issues, social media, and research on the impact of Barbie.

According to research, in North Dakota, girls struggle with their mental health at nearly double the rates than boys do, and their relationship with their self-esteem is highest in third grade and plummets to a low in sixth grade. BIO Girls provides mentorship, an inclusive environment and valuable life skills to empower these young girls.

At our 2021 gala, we announced BIO Girls’ boldest goal to date: to impact 1 in 6 North Dakota girls annually by 2025. We’re wasting no time. Here are the six communities we are targeting in 2022!

RDO Caters Taters for Charity support BIO Girls was a smashing success. Thank you all!

September 30th 2021 — we are hosting our 3rd annual gala, A Million Dreams, as a celebration for the upcoming 10th year of BIO Girls programming. For an evening like this, we landed on the theme of The Greatest Showman. Follow along as we explain why.

BIO Girls Announces Self-Defense Pilot Program for 2021! This Self-Defense pilot program was designed with the Five Values of Self-Defense Training at its core: Character, Honesty, Effort, Respect, and Honor.

BIO Girls announces partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley and Jasmin Child Care and Preschool to offer programming to youth the two respective organizations serve.

September 30th 2021 — we are hosting our 3rd annual gala, A Million Dreams, as a celebration for the upcoming 10th year of BIO Girls programming. For an evening like this, we landed on the theme of The Greatest Showman. Follow along as we explain why.

“What if” is a common question we ask ourselves at BIO Girls. It’s a question that fuels our vision, our mission, our future and the impact our organization is having on adolescent girls throughout the Midwest. Follow along on this blog series that illustrates the past 9 years of BIO Girls and where we are going from here.

On May 15th, 2021, BIO Girls hosted our 2nd Annual Find Your Kind Virtual 5K & Fun Run! It was a celebration of girls finding confidence, setting big goals, and reaching them. A day of spreading kindness all across the Midwest!

Mental Wellness is one of our four pillars of curriculum at BIO Girls. As a part of Mental Health Awareness Month, BIO Girls will be engaging in coversations around mental wellness, body image and provide actionable takeaways for parents.

Bell Bank is the premiere sponsor of 2021 Find Your Kind 5K | Fun Run. Read more about why Bell Bank’s Pay It Forward Program aligns with the BIO Girls mission.

Meet the 2021-2022 BIO Girls Marketing Advisory Committee members!