Founding Stories: Stroller Warriors® Fort Hood

By Brianna H.

In 2015, I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas where a new Stroller Warriors® chapter was starting up. This was my first exposure to Stroller Warriors and I was super excited about it. I loved getting together with others to run around the beautiful rolling Kansas hills. The downside for me, was that the chapter started just a few months before we had to leave Kansas. I was going to have to leave the Stroller Warrior life I had begun to know and love. I was, as some would say, "beginning to drink the Kool-Aid!" I loved Stroller Warriors so much, I knew that I wanted to be in Stroller Warriors wherever we went.

We PCSd to Virginia for school where there was no chapter, and I was so bummed. I was going to have to survive the next 6 months all on my own. Toward the end of our short 6 months at Career Course, we found out we would be coming to Fort Hood. I was thrilled. 'The Great Place' is HUGE! Surely there was a Stroller Warriors chapter. I looked online immediately and when I didn't see it I was sure there was a mistake. Then I thought back to Kansas, and the first Stroller Warriors Coordinator I knew, Christie L. She built a chapter in Kansas because she wanted there to be one. I felt empowered. If she could do it, so could I! I was pregnant with my second child so that delayed things a little bit, but as soon as I could, in September 2017, I submitted the application to initiate a Stroller Warriors chapter at Fort Hood. It was fun and exciting to go through the process from beginning to end. There is a lot more behind the scenes work than one would imagine. I had made a few mom friends by then, and I started spreading the word.

SW Fort Hood's Inaugural Workout - May 19, 2018

Our chapter launched 19 May 2018, on an absolutely beautiful (almost)-spring day in Texas. 14 people came to the Inaugural Workout, and I was thrilled! I had done it! I had worked hard and brought Stroller Warriors to our community at Fort Hood, Texas. Everyone had a blast at the workout. I had managed everything with my 3 month-old in tow, the moms and the kids had all had fun. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. I was then, and I still am, thrilled about the possibilities that are in store for Stroller Warriors Fort Hood!

Since our first workout SW Fort Hood has initiated and added additional resources like No Run Day Fun Days (NRFDs) and Warrior Nights Out. We’ve done splash pad, bowling, vision board making, and more to bond and unite our team. We've done outreach in our community through the Fort Hood Baby Expo and have gained a lot of new members through that opportunity. We were invited back again for 2019 as well! We have positively impacted our local community through a plogging event in the early fall along one of the trails on post and later towards winter we collected 75lbs of food for the Fort Hood Food Pantry.

We hosted the chapter’s first night run and raffled off goodies from Ragnar. We have had a cookie bake-off where two members took home holiday surprises for the most-liked cookie. We have participated in SW Runopoly as a chapter and already have two members who have hit the first Runopoly milestone this year! We have more who are working hard and are on their way to meeting that first milestone! We are currently working on our first gear order, we have had 3 members complete C25K, we participated in the on-post yard sale to fundraise, and we are looking forward to volunteering with the USO here on post.

SW Fort Hood highlighted in the local newspaper!

Thank you so much for sharing your story Brianna!
We have no doubt that Stroller Warriors Fort Hood will continue to grow and have a positive influence on not only it's members but the surrounding community as well!
Keep up the great work!

If you are  a Chapter Founder and would like your story featured please email me at paige.swglobal@gmail.com! If you’re interested in founding a chapter and bringing
Stroller Warriors to your location, please follow these instructions.