...that's the end of a 5k. Probably not a good sign.

I'm an aspiring runner, sort of, mostly it's a desire to stay in shape, but I've been wanting to run the Boston Marathon and I'm hoping that this can be my first step towards that goal.

My preservation story is maybe a little different than many, the building that solidified my connection to preservation is one that I’ve actually never seen in a city I’ve never been to. While at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, I served on a task force created to save Charity Hospital in New Orleans. Through this role, I learned first hand the important role that a single building can have in a community, as well as the incredible time and energy that individuals are willing to expend to save a place that matters to them.

Each building is so much more than the sum of all its parts, for many people it provides a connection to a time long past, or their hope for the future. Charity Hospital was shuttered in response to the devastation in New Orleans. But it was and remains the dreams of a few individuals behind the group “Save Charity Hospital” to maintain the hospital’s role as an anchor of the community. They have taken on the university, the state administration and many local politicians and while not in the “Success” column yet, they have made remarkable progress and the Mid-City neighborhood and New Orleans as a whole are better off because of that work. While I live in Minnesota, I still keep a framed postcard of Charity Hospital on my desk at work as a reminder of the importance of historic buildings for their communities.

I’ve committed to run the Twin Cities Marathon on behalf of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota because in my time as a volunteer and now as the Administrative Assistant for the organization I have seen first hand the impact that we have across the state. I hope you’ll support me with a donation to the organization. Thanks for your consideration.

For anyone interested:
www.mnpreservation.org
http://www.savecharityhospital.com/