In just a couple of weeks I will be in Boston alongside my fellow AKF Run Team members, running in the Boston Marathon. This is a dream come true. I come from four generations of runners in New Hampshire. For us, the Boston Marathon is legendary. I have wanted to run it for 17 years. It’s like the Super Bowl of running.

Then a few months ago I learned that the Aga Khan Foundation, as a Boston Marathon charity partner, was accepting applications for runners. I didn’t really know about the Foundation before that but I soon learned enough to see that it fit with my values. I applied to run and raise funds for the Foundation. I was thrilled when I got the acceptance letter.

Everyone in my family has wanted to run the Boston Marathon. Now I’m the lucky one who gets the opportunity to do it! So my training has had special meaning.

AKF Run Team Member Jessica and her grandfather race together

Helping to Build Better Futures

I have faced challenges in my own life, so I appreciate the work that the Foundation does in parts of the world to help families get on their feet. As a nurse, I’m impressed by the range of health programs that Aga Khan Foundation has – from training rural women to become midwives in the mountains of Pakistan, where they help to improve the lives and survival rates for young mothers and babies, to managing community clinics and high-quality teaching hospitalsin East Africa.

That these programs are integrated with other elements – like helping women to improve their financial literacy and grow savings to get through the shocks of life – is even more impressive. I’m proud to be running for a group that has such a long-term commitment to improving people’s lives.

Stronger Together

With my teammates, I know that running this race will help communities in Asia and Africa take control of their lives and lift themselves out of poverty.

Please visit my Crowdrise page and help us make this Boston Marathon make a difference!

By Jessica Reynolds, AKF Run Team member