Running down a DREAM
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
The DREAM Program, Inc.In my final year as DREAM's Board Chair, I'm running my craziest fundraiser yet - 26.2 miles
$1,690
raised by 34 people
$2,000 goal
Simply, thank you.
It's been a couple weeks since the marathon and I wanted to reach out to say simply, thank you. We raised $1,700 for youth in low-income housing. And you better believe we're striding headlong toward putting it to good use. For one, we're deepening and expanding our existing post-secondary readiness programming over the next 3 years, to make sure that successful transition into college, vocational school, or a career is within reach for all of our graduating DREAMers. So thank you, so much.
Oh, and the marathon - that was a romp. For three and a half hours I thought about you all, the support I've received both through my campaign here and from friends, family, and colleagues who knew I was pushing myself beyond what I knew was possible. And I have to say I felt such tremendous gratitude for all of it, I was inspired to write this numerological analysis of the experience:
- inches of rain: 2.3
- mph of wind: 16
- curious questions from a clueless cabbie in the car to the corrals: 11
- wet runners: 32,661
- times my mind told me to stop: 4
- times my body told me to stop: 243
- miles at which I randomly cried a little: 14, 21, 25
- irreplaceable in-person supporter-partner-fiances: 1
- finish time: 3:33:58
- finish place: 1,909
- pizza slices consumed afterward: weirdly only 2
- marathons I'm going to run ever again in my life: 0
- ...times I've said that before: 2
I felt so good, like anything was possible
Hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes
Tom Petty - "Running Down A Dream"
I'm rubbing my eyes just thinking about how far back to start this story. In 2009 I took a summer job building trails at Camp DREAM with a few of my friends. The Camp, the kids, the staff, the whole energy around this organization...it kind of got into my blood. After college I worked in DREAM's office, helping build a pole barn at the Camp and an environmental education curriculum.
A couple years later, I became a Board member and soon after took on more responsibility as the Secretary of the National Board. Along the way I have looked up to and learned from some incredible leaders - Mike Loner, Kristin Burdge, Sarah Caliendo, just to name a few. For the past 2+ years I have had the honor to serve as the Chair of DREAM's Board, and it has been a journey full of adversity, many successes, and the most wonderful people.
Now, in my final year in that role, my hope is to go out with a bang, with my most audacious fundraiser yet. In the past, I've run half marathons, biked dozens of miles, and generally asked you to take notice of and support this powerful little organization. This time, I'm doubling my commitment, from 13.1 miles to 26.2 - and doubling my goal, from $1,000 to $2,000.
I hope you'll consider dropping a fiver or a tenner - it doesn't have to be much, really - to help me get there.
In my time with DREAM, we've grown from an impactful little local non-profit (with a Board of 5 people) to having a major presence in Boston and Philadelphia, triple the staff, five times the Board members, a hot-off-the-presses new strategic plan that has us growing the scale, scope, and quality of our programming over the next five years...and still one incredible story to tell.
Twenty years ago, a small group of college students who wanted to be more connected to the communities around them started hanging out with kids living in subsidized housing in White River Junction, Vermont. They developed both mentoring relationships and fun activities to do together, brought the kids to their college campus, and planned trips together.
That little group became a student club, which became a non-profit, which acquired a 52-acre summer camp and handed out thousands of bright yellow DREAM shirts on dozens of college campuses and low-income housing communities, expanding across Vermont and then to Boston and Philadelphia.
A year ago, we hired one of those founding students - Mike Foote - as our CEO, and in the past 12 months we have assembled an audacious plan to grow into a national-scale youth empowerment organization that aims to close the opportunity gap for children in low-income housing, with more programs, more mentors, higher-quality programming, and improved support and compensation for the staff who do all the organizing behind the scenes.
Perhaps most importantly, we are going to reach more kids in more low-income housing communities, offering the activities, community, mentorship, fun, and social capital that can help our kids have more opportunity, more of the time.
It's a big goal, but with your help we can get there. Help us run down a dream (and help me finish this full marathon - I'll need your encouragement!) Thank you for your support, it means so much to me and to the many hundreds of kids who cherish what DREAM brings to their lives.
Learn more at http://www.dreamprogram.org/