When my portfolio plummeted in March, my initial reaction was to scale back. Then I had a conversation with Walking Mountains’ Patty White. Patty opened my eyes to the uphill battle that nonprofits face in 2020. After that conversation, I decided that I will be matching my 2019 support dollar for dollar—my donations, gala ticket purchases, silent auction purchases, paddle raises, and program fees. I’m writing today to ask you to do the same.

Why do I support Walking Mountains? I’ve seen the value of outdoor education firsthand. I’ve always had a love of science and the outdoors, but I grew up in a community where that was rare, and I spent most of my childhood feeling like an alien. Luckily, my parents sent me to summer camp when I was nine years old. For the first time, I didn’t have to choose between being popular and being myself.

It fostered an appreciation for the environment and a love of science that changed the course of my life. I grew up to become a tech entrepreneur, then a venture capitalist. Since then I’ve invested in nearly 100 other tech entrepreneurs, and I like to think that I’ve changed the course of their lives as well.

I sometimes think about the Valley I want to return to when this is all over. I want to return to a place where children don’t have to choose between being popular and being themselves, to a place with enough preserved land to ensure it remains one of the most beautiful places on earth, and to a place where the next generation is inspired to change the course of thousands more lives.

I believe Walking Mountains can shape that future. I am forever grateful to Patty and the Walking Mountain staff, because now, when someone asks me what I did during this moment in history, I can say that I stepped up.

Please join me in 2020 and match every dollar you contributed to Walking Mountains in 2019.

Onward and Upward,

Elizabeth Kraus

Proud Walking Mountains Supporter