Alison is one half of an amazing sister running team, a snowboarding enthusiast, and Assistant Director at The National Bureau of Asian Research in Washington, D.C. She has been running since she graduated from college six years ago. The Boston Marathon will be her second marathon! She first learned about NECC when her sister, Julia, was a Cooperative Learning intern at
NECC. While Ali is the only non-local member of #TeamNECC, she has been spreading the word about NECC all over D.C. while she trains and fund raises.
“Because of the geographic distance, most people here – even those who work in a related field – aren’t familiar with NECC so it is important to highlight NECC as an organization as well as the children who go there to raise awareness in a new community.”
All our marathon runners are tasked with raising a significant amount of money for NECC’s Annual Fund, and it takes a village to raise this money. One of her biggest challenges this marathon training season has been asking friends and family for help in fundraising. She says, “the running is something I can do on my own, but fundraising really is a group effort! Those around me have been so supportive in helping put together events and getting the word out, but it was a hard first step to realize I can’t do it alone.”
Ali’s favorite moment while training was running with Julia in Vail, Colorado. “We knew running at an altitude was going to be a challenge, but we had a blast running as the sun came up and it snowed lightly on us.”
Ali has committed to raising $10,000 for NECC’s Annual Fund and we couldn’t be more thankful for her support! Check out her fundraising page to learn more about Ali’s story and read her updates about fundraising and training for the Boston Marathon: www.crowdrise.com/neccBoston2017/fundraiser/alisonszalwinski