Friends and Fams:

I am raising money for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts in New York City.

As you know by now, I run marathons.

This year I was planning to run the New York City Marathon, for the fourth time, but it was cancelled. Thankfully.  It was the wrong time to run the race, and city resources had more important tasks at hand.

Now I am running the Philadelphia Marathon this coming weekend, and using my race to raise money for my New York City neighbors.  Here’s why:

I am a resident of Flood Zone A and we were affected by the storm when the Hudson River rose and rushed down our street – evacuated and displaced from our home, without electricity, hot water and heat, and thousands of dollars of loss in our flooded basement.

But frankly, relative to most other people affected by the storm, we were phenomenally lucky. We are fortunate to have a network of generous friends and family who opened their homes to Steph, the kids and me, and let us sleep on their couches, cook our food and use their showers until we could move home.

I am not running for us.

I am running for the thousands of people who lost their homes, and whose businesses were destroyed. And who today, two weeks after the storm hit, remain without electricity (the means to safely store food) and heat (it’s getting cold)… or a roof over their head. Thousands of people are still living in city shelters.

The city is doing a good job of organizing and marshalling resources, but the scale of recovery is massive, and relief support is starting to dry-up as hurricane Sandy recedes from the media and national consciousness.

This is why I am dedicating my race to hurricane Sandy relief efforts, and raising money for The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

The Mayor’s Fund is accepting donations and dispersing 100% of the monies received to relief efforts and organizations.

So, here’s the pitch:

Please donate $1 for every mile I am going to run in Philadelphia – that’s $26.20 – to support the people of Staten Island, the Rockaways, Breezy Point and Red Hook. They still need you, and your donations will have a direct and immediate impact. Your money will pay of food, blankets, water, baby supplies, winter hats, soap, and toothpaste and it will keep the shelters open and the recovery happening.

And if you can donate more.  Please do.  I am open to challenges ;-)

Thank you.

-j-

P.S.  I am able to run the Philadelphia Marathon because race organizers graciously opened an additional 3,000 spots for people who were registered to run NYC.  Each of us paid $200, half of which is being donated directly to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  I have donated here as well.

P.P.S.  Photo courtsey of New York Magazine and photographer Iwan Baan.