UPDATE: Taking on a bigger challenge after seeing how quickly just a handful of you got me to $10k. New goal: $15k!

𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥
I’m running the NYC marathon on November 5th and I need your help to reach my $10k fundraising goal in support of 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe water to people around the world. Support my campaign by:

1) 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗺𝗼 to double your impact and get your donation matched. This gets me to my $10k goal 2x as fast. @kelbysmith or https://venmo.com/u/KelbySmith

2) 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 (below!). If your employer matches charitable contributions made by its employees, I encourage you to take advantage of it! *

*When you apply for your employer match, please include the following details with your donation receipt to ensure the dollars are routed towards my campaign!

YE8F-9ZLI-P // Kelby's 2023 NYC Marathon Campaign

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Checking off a bucket list item of running a marathon + Achieving the personal goal of living in NYC + Being in *close to* peak running form = Kelby running the 2023 NYC Marathon. One of the ways to gain entry? Running with a charity. So, I applied to join the 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 team; they offered me the last spot, along with the ask of fundraising enough money to give an entire community clean water: $10k. Being that it coincides with my one year anniversary of moving to NY, I saw it as a sign and said yes. Now I'm hustlin' to raise the $$ and put in the training miles ahead of race day.

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$10k – it's a lot! Almost enough to deter me from participating. But when I learned that it represents the cost to fund a clean water project for an entire community (mine will be in Bangladesh!), it felt more attainable… and certainly gives more meaning to the time and miles I'm putting in as I train for 26.2. Plus, it makes it a lot harder to back out of this [crazy, as some have told me] commitment. Let’s just say, I’ll be hustling in more ways than one… which is likely how you’ve arrived here.

So, I’m just a girl, standing in front of her friends and family, asking them to love her by supporting her NY moment by donating to 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Race day is November 5th – look for me on TV! While I have until the end of the year to reach the fundraising goal, I’m challenging myself to hit it before race day. And, I need your help to get there! Anything you can give helps tremendously. Plus, the faster I reach that goal, the faster you’ll stop seeing it taking over your social media. Also, I’m fairly confident that your accountant would encourage you to contribute. Tax write-offs, right?

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Many of us have no idea what it's like to be thirsty. We have access to drinking water, and plenty of it. Every day, about 1,400 children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are simple solutions like drilled wells, spring protections and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

Learn more about the water crisis here: https://www.charitywater.org/global-water-crisis