This year, I decided to do something I've wanted to do for a
long time but never had the guts to do: train for and run the NYC Marathon! I’ve
always enjoyed running, having participated in track during my high school
years and hitting up a treadmill as my workout of choice. I never did it to be
the fastest or the fittest, but because running to me is meditative. It allows
me to focus on a goal and free my mind of any stress or negative thoughts.
Running for long distances always intrigued me because of this, but I felt
intimidated to join a race and especially one as long as a marathon. I still
knew, however, that running a marathon was on my bucket list. What I didn't
know is that I would get the opportunity to run a marathon this year and that I
would be able to do it while supporting one of my favorite nonprofits in NYC!
As an avid runner and a nonprofit practitioner in the workforce
development sector, nothing feels more rewarding than supporting a
nonprofit like The HOPE Program by running the marathon as part of their
charity team. HOPE gives hundreds of New Yorkers the opportunities and services
they need to achieve economic mobility for themselves and their families. I
have worked in partnership with HOPE throughout most of my workforce
development career, and can honestly say that they truly care about bettering
the lives and economic prospects of those they serve. Knowing that I can be a
small part of helping HOPE’s program participants get the training and job
placement support they need has definitely motivated me to train as hard as I
can and to take on the challenge of running those 26.2 miles on November 7!
Please join me in championing The HOPE Program
by supporting my fundraising efforts for the TCS New York City Marathon. No
donation is too small. Thank you in advance, and wish me luck as I continue to
run towards the finish line!
