As GOTR celebrates our fifth anniversary in Memphis, we reminisce on the friendships and partnerships that have made our establishment possible in this wonderful community. One of those partners we are highlighting today is Cigna.

Cigna is a health service company that offers health insurance and other benefits to group organizations, including small businesses and large corporations. Our friends at Cigna are dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles by offering integrated healthcare plans.

You might ask: how did we get so lucky to have Cigna as a friend and partner? Well, our story happens to be a case of being in the right place at the right time.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with GOTR Memphis’ former Board Chair, Paula Jacobson, one of our founders, to discuss our journey with Cigna. Paula acknowledges Cigna’s role in the establishment and launch of the GOTR Memphis program that we all know and love today. She attributes the start of our partnership to a Cigna partnership meeting she [Paula] attended nearly seven years ago. It was at this meeting that Paula first heard of Girls on the Run. After hearing Molly Barker, the founder of Girls on The Run, speak about her motivations for starting GOTR, Paula knew she wanted to establish a chapter here in Memphis.

At this time, Cigna was a national GOTR sponsor and donated $15,000 to the GOTR Memphis council, that sealed the launch of our Memphis chapter of GOTR. Jacobson’s connection to Cigna’s local Memphis chapter allowed for our continued partnership with Cigna long after their sponsorship of GOTR ended on the national level. Since then, GOTR Memphis has been an annual guarantee of the local Cigna philanthropy program.

To date, our current Director, Joanna Lipman, and our Program Assistant, Mia-Miracle, have continuously expanded Cigna’s engagement with GOTR. Cigna continues to support us in various ways, including volunteering at our 5K. This year, Cigna doubled their monetary gift, and is sponsoring both of our 5K races this year.

Thank you, Cigna, for your continued support for GOTR Memphis, our girls, and our city. The girls, the coaches, the Board Members, and the 5K volunteers all count ourselves lucky to call you a partner and a friend.