Dear Friends, and Fans:

 On August 12, I will be among the approximately 10,000 runners who will take on the 7-mile course along Cape Cod in the 2012 New Balance Falmouth Road Race.  I am training hard to prepare myself for the challenge, but to be successful I will need some help from friends like you.

 I will be running the race on behalf of Walker, an organization that is very near to my heart.  Walker provides special education and mental health services to children and teens and their families who face challenges that most of us will never have to imagine. Children and teens at Walker typically suffer from serious emotional and behavioral problems, acute learning disabilities, and mental illness.  They often arrive at Walker in crisis, frightened, and lonely. Their families are exhausted from a past filled with pain and despair.

Walker’s innovative care and flexible individualized programs build on evidence-based practices and extend specialized therapeutic environments beyond the classrooms and into family homes, public schools, and community settings.  Walker restores their hope and works to make children and families stronger, more resilient, and prepared to successfully face challenges for the rest of their lives.

My goal is to raise more than $1,000 for Walker.  There are two ways to make a donation: online by going to roadrace webpage www.firstgiving/GavinVsmith, or you can mail your donation directly to Walker at the address listed below.

By making a donation, you will be offering me an inspirational reminder, as I push myself along the course, that this challenge pales in comparison to those faced by the children and families served by Walker year after year. In this difficult economic climate, they need our help now more than ever.

As I push myself to go the extra mile for Walker, it’s encouraging to know that I have the support of friends like you every step of the way. Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely Gavin

 

 

P.S.  Donation checks can be mailed directly to:  Walker, 1968 Central Avenue, Needham, MA 02492, Attention: Falmouth Road Race; or you can make a secure donation at my online fundraising webpage:  www.firstgiving.com/name.