Our Story: Rooted in the Tri-State Region
I’ve never run a half marathon. So, naturally, I signed up for the New York City Marathon.
When I started my base training for the NYCM, the sheer distance felt like a massive hurdle. But as I laced up my sneakers and started mapping out my runs, I realized something: the 26.2 miles on race day are just the punctuation mark. The real story is the adventure had along the way.
It made me look at my training routes with fresh eyes. I started asking myself where these long runs would take me. Familiar roads I’ve cycled? Hidden trails I’ve hiked? Segments I’ve never chased?
Nearly every single one of those training miles is taking place right here in the tri-county region of Rockland, Orange, and Bergen County. These three counties are distinctly places I have called home for three decades. They shaped who I am, and they are the places I want to protect as the years go on.
That is why I am launching The Valley Project.
The Mission: Preservation Through Movement
Having lived here for thirty years, I’ve seen our communities change rapidly. In my daily life as a real estate agent in both New York and New Jersey, I see firsthand the intense pressure of growth and development. I love seeing our communities thrive, but I know more than ever that true community value isn’t just measured in square footage—it’s measured in open space.
We need places to breathe, to run, to cycle, to hike, and to connect outside. My mission with The Valley Project is to ensure we preserve, protect, and grow the green recreation spaces that give our region its identity.
The Double-Impact Pledge
I am running the NYC Marathon on behalf of an incredible organization: Girls on the Run Hudson Valley. I have a fundraising goal of $5,000 to support them. If we want to secure the future of our communities, we need to invest in the young girls who will lead them tomorrow, and the distinct towns we are lucky to call home today.
But I wanted to take this a step further.
I am pledging to match every single dollar raised for my Girls on the Run fundraiser and donate those matching funds directly to open space and trail projects—both new and ongoing—across Rockland, Orange, and Bergen counties.
Your donation does double the duty: it builds up the next generation of strong, confident girls, and it literally protects the ground beneath their feet.
The distance ahead of me is long, but the cause is closer to home than ever. Let’s keep our valley wild, green, and moving forward.