The BIO Girls Story

What started as a desire to give back to her community through mentorship, positive messaging and non-competitive physical activity has blossomed into something not even Missy Heilman could’ve dreamt of today.

As a mother of two girls at the time (three, now), Missy became sensitive to the messages her girls were receiving from every angle.

Knowing how impactful her mentors were at a young age, she wanted to give back in that same way.

The rest is history! BIO Girls was born in 2013 in Fargo, North Dakota.

Missy became fearless in the pursuit to be a resource in equipping girls to successfully navigate their adolescent years. Determined to make sure every girl feels Beautiful Inside & Out - a feeling every girl deserves to have.

With the support of a few friends, her local church, and her family, the first BIO Girls program came to life.

Here we are over a decade later with over 100 program locations.

What started as a passion project for Missy Heilman, has since blossomed into a program that has taken the Midwest by storm reaching over 3,000 girls each year.

Take a stroll with us down memory lane:

2013

Pictured: BIO Girls - Fargo, ND - Olivet

The original BIO Girls program at their season finale: The Fargo Marathon 5K.

  • 1 Location

  • 40 Participants

  • 10 Volunteers

2014

Pictured: BIO Girls - Fergus Falls, MN

Our first site expansion was to Fergus Falls, Minnesota!

  • 2 Locations

  • 80 Participants

  • 20 Volunteers

2015

Pictured: BIO Girls - Fargo, ND - Olivet

  • 2 Locations

  • 80 Participants

  • 20 Volunteers

2016

Pictured: BIO Girls - Fargo, ND - Olivet

  • 5 Locations

  • 200 Participants

  • 60 Volunteers

2017

Pictured: BIO Girls - Casselton, ND

The year we went double-digits on our program locations!!

  • 11 Locations

  • 440 Participants

  • 132 Volunteers

2018

Pictured: BIO Girls - Fargo, ND - Hope Lutheran Church

The year the BIO Girls team grew. In 2018, there were 2 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees.

  • 19 Locations

  • 760 Participants

  • 228 Volunteers

2019

Pictured: BIO Girls - Thompson, ND

The year we exceeded 1,000 participants!

  • 32 Locations

  • 1,280 Participants

  • 384 Volunteers

2020

Pictured: BIO Girls - Fargo, ND - Move Chiropractic

A year of pivoting. BIO Girls programming forged on virtually during the pandemic, and held our first Find Your Kind 5K, virtually.

  • 48 Locations

  • 1,477 Participants

  • 576 Volunteers

2021

Pictured: BIO Girls - Abercrombie, ND

The year we set our bold goal to reach 1 in 6 North Dakota girls by 2025.

  • 45 Locations

  • 1,657 Participants

  • 630 Volunteers

2022

Pictured: BIO Girls - Perham, MN - St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

The year that we exceeded 2,000 participants! Also the year we hosted our first ever in-person Find Your Kind 5K in Fargo.

  • 75 Locations

  • 2,263 Participants

  • 875 Volunteers

2023

Pictured: BIO Girls - Bismarck, ND - House of Prayer

The year that we exceeded 1,000 volunteers!

  • 91 Locations

  • 2,718 Participants

  • 1,041 Volunteers

Want to be a part of the BIO Girls story?

Here are three ways you can get involved:

  • Volunteer: Each program requires a volunteer Site Director and multiple volunteer Mentors.

  • Register a Participant: Find a program location near you!

  • Sponsor a BIO Girl: Join our community of monthly givers that support girls participating in our program on financial aid for as little as $12/month.

Interested in getting involved? We encourage you to take the first step! Join one of our upcoming Virtual Lunch & Learns: In these brief webinar calls, we cover more about the BIO Girls mission, ways to volunteer, and more! It’s a live call with one of our teammates and a great way to get all your questions answered. See you there!

2024

Pictured: BIO Girls - Appleton, WI

The year that we exceeded 100 locations!

  • 105 Locations

  • 3,000 Participants

  • 1,200 Volunteers