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