Help David Merritt Preserve Boston's Esplanade

David Merritt’s Road to the 2025 Boston Marathon

I have received the honor of being selected to run the 2025 Boston Marathon through The Esplanade Association. This is a wonderful opportunity for me, and hopefully you, to support a cause that means so much to so many.

I used to run on the Esplanade almost daily while attending college and again when I began working in Boston for C&W Services 28 years ago. Running along the banks of the Charles River reminded me of watching the fireworks while listening to the Boston Pops each 4th of July. The views of Beacon Hill, the State House, the Hancock and Prudential buildings, and the Citco sign sitting over the infamous Fenway Park, always energized me. The Esplanade is Boston!

And all of the C&W Services sites see these same landmarks and views and are able to take advantage of all the city has to offer. What better way to support the many businesses CWS services as well as promote the happiness of the employees who work there?

After raising over a half million dollars over 20 years for the Edaville Rail Run, an association established for college scholarships and held in my late sister’s honor, it’s my turn to ask for support in raising money for this amazing charity.

Every mile run and each dollar raised will go towards caring for the 64 acres of park space that stretches from Hopkinton to downtown Boston. The Esplanade Association offers free community fitness classes, children’s field days and playground access. Free guided tours are offered to show how time outdoors can improve mental health, physical fitness, and overall wellbeing.

The Esplanade Association (Esplanade.org) is a community-supported nonprofit organization dedicated to serving its residences, the business community, and its millions of visitors each year and is working toward a climate plan to promote sustainability and wellness for the greater Boston area, including a comprehensive Climate Action Plan focused on resiliency, inclusion, and carbon neutrality, detailing those metrics in over 80+ park action items like…

• Organizational participation in the Green Ribbon Commission, a group of institutional and civic leaders in Boston working to develop shared strategies for preservation

• Consulting stakeholders, partners, and community members on best practices

• Developing an internal working group to help catalyze our organizational actions

• Evaluating our current commitments towards a greener future, such as the L.E.A.F (Lasting Esplanade Arbor Fund) initiative and Shoreline Restoration strategy

• Collecting and analyzing emissions data from our staff and park experts, energy consumption, and waste generation to support actions that reduce our environmental impact

Science shows us when we take care of nature, nature takes care of us.

I would greatly appreciate your donation, no matter how small, to help me succeed!

Thank you,

David Merritt