I have been helping the Taos Community Foundation raise funds for community health in Taos and Western Colfax Counties for the past 5 years. I want people to know that the funds raised by participants in this event go straight back into the community via grants that support organizations that make a huge difference in quality of life in our area. This event is about people helping people, because that's what community means. When some have more than others, giving back can mean everything to the person on the other end of the gift. The struggling family that needed transitional housing and got that support, or needed help getting transportation to a cancer treatment, or was given a safe place to gather themselves during a time of emotional turmoil. These are the stories our donations can impact, and we can make happy endings, success stories, out of what might otherwise end up in news headlines as tragedies. Maybe you'll never get to know exactly who your small gift for this event helps, but you'll know you made a difference, and that when coupled with the gifts of hundreds of annual donors, it's a big difference, for real people, friends and neighbors in our community.

Before I began supporting Ridge-A-Thon, I had never hiked the ridge terrain, I was afraid it would be too hard, but once you put on your sense of mission, pride makes it hard to back down, and before I knew it, I had hiked from the top of lift 2 out to Kachina Peak. The wind, the air, the beauty of the views, and the lives we impact, made it well worth the trip. And now, well, you can't really stop me. I'll hike any old day, and as long as my legs can carry me, I will hike on. 

Thank you for your support.

Cat Legere