As an extension of the Spirit of Women program at Pocono Medical Center, Spirit Girls is designed to encourage healthy lifestyles and promote self-esteem among eighth-grade girls living in Monroe County. It is a school year of fun, new friendships, learning, activities, service and self expression.

Spirit Girls teaches age-appropriate topics presented by physicians and clinical personnel. A fun activity will be done each month related to the health platform.Participants will also work on a community outreach project, as well as learning a dance to have the opportunity to perform together at the Annual Spirit of Women Day of Dance event held every February.The Spirit Girls program will be held the first Saturday of the month from 1-2:30 p.m. from October through May. After successfully completing the program, the Spirit Girls will be celebrated with an end-of-the-year reception.The first session will be Saturday, Oct. 6. The theme is "Pink is In." They will be talking about breast cancer prevention/awareness and the girls will be making pink ribbon bracelets.To learn more, visit the website at PoconoMedicalCenter.org/SpiritGirls.