As the sun slowly crept past the New York City skyline, Marie Chan took in the energy of the morning. She was catching the ferry to Staten Island with runners from around the world and was becoming quite emotional as the surreal experience became all so real.

“I still remember vividly seeing the Statue of Liberty that morning and it bringing tears to my eyes,” Marie told us. “With all the mixed emotions of excitement, nervousness and feeling so privileged that Dee and I could participate in the experience.”

In 2019, Marie was a proud member of Team Komera running in the historic TCS New York City Marathon. While Komera’s mission ultimately pushed her to join our team for the race - Marie deeply cares about the importance of access to quality education and equality for women - her pathway to running was brought about for other personal reasons.

She became an avid runner later in life after having children and found it a big help in maintaining her mental health while juggling three kids. “After running many races, from 5Ks to half marathons, I felt like it was time to put all my running energy to a good cause instead of just running for myself.”

She had already contemplated whether she should run for a charity when Margaret Butler, Komera’s founder and former executive director, approached her and her friend Deirdre “Dee” Day about running for the organization. Margaret, a friend of Marie, previously lived in the same neighborhood of Boston as her and they were in an exercise and running group together. It was through Margaret that Marie heard about Komera’s work. “It seemed like a perfect fit! Both Dee and I had wanted to run a marathon together for some time, so everything fell into place, and we could not pass up the opportunity.”

A supporter of Komera, Marie told us that what she really loves about our approach is not only that we provide girls with access to a quality education, but that we also work closely with their families and communities, providing them with stability and growth in a variety of areas. As she told us herself, “Komera’s holistic approach to educating girls works!”

We were so privileged to have Marie and Dee on Team Komera in the last TCS New York City Marathon and grateful for their support for our women and girls. Not only did they impact the futures of those in the Komera Family, but they also got what Marie calls an experience of a lifetime.

“For most of the race I felt like I was in a movie, with so many iconic New York City scenes. Then on top of that, to know you are running the race, not just for yourself, but to improve the lives of the girls in Rwanda through education, that is so motivating and incredibly rewarding.”

Thank you, Marie, for supporting the lives of young women across Rwanda! The impact of your support will change the future for hundreds of women and girls to become fierce female leaders in their communities.