Running for RISE

Hello Family, Friends, and RISE Supporters!

This Saturday I am running the Brooklyn Half Marathon and I am using it as an opportunity to raise money for Brooklyn RISE. For the last four and half years I have poured myself into two of the biggest changes, challenges, and joys in my life: 1) Having children and 2) Creating and growing an elementary school. Being a mom and a school principal have brought me so much fulfillment and growth, but have also resulted in me taking less time for myself and at times losing sight of something that has always been important to me - RUNNING!

My family would tell you that my love of running began at a young age. One of the family favorite anecdotes is that when I was little I would jump out of my stroller and demand to run from place to place. As I grew up, I loved watching the role that running played in my Dad's life and I have fond memories of going to watch him run the Boston marathon multiple times. His love for running always served as an inspiration to me. In high school I began to run indoor track and further found strength in being a runner and loved seeing the way my endurance and stamina as a runner enabled me to be a better athlete in soccer and lacrosse. After college, I continued my commitment to running because it helped me feel strong and I also began to discover the ways running was supportive of my mental health. I would run races occasionally throughout the year including two half marathons and one full marathon.

I have not run a race since I was pregnant with Finn in 2018 (picture above is from that race I ran with my Dad!) and as motherhood and principalship have taken up so much of my time, I have seen the ways in which the pressure to live your life focused on the needs of others can begin to result in the sacrifice of things that are important to you and for you. This year as we joyfully welcomed my second son Egan into the world and I returned to work in January with a larger school community to serve than ever, I decided to sign up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon as a way to reclaim my identity as a runner and protect time for myself for running. We always tell our students how important it is to challenge yourself and do hard things because that is the best way to learn and grow, so it is important to me that I find ways to model those truths in my own life.

With that, I would love your support for my #RunningforRISE fundraising campaign! All funds raised in this campaign will be used for three purposes:

1) Finishing the setup of our first ever school library

2) Creating a better indoor recess space for our students

3) Providing summer programming scholarships for families in need of financial support

Thank you in advance for any donation you can make! Your support will go a long way for the Brooklyn RISE community and help motivate me to finish the race strong this Saturday!

Together we RISE,

Cary