Hey everyone,
It’s been a good week—a lot going on, but all good things. We dropped our oldest daughter Madison off at the University of Rhode Island for her first semester. If anyone has any tips on how to train for a marathon while half your heart is in another state, I’m all ears.
She’s doing great. Honestly, she’s handling the transition to college better than I ever did. Maddie had a major advantage, though—she didn’t have a best friend like Becky that she had to leave behind, in addition to her family. We’re incredibly lucky that she’s close by, even if she keeps reminding us that she’ll “see us in November.” So much for a lunch drop-in.
On the training front, I think I’m heading in the right direction with recovering from overtraining. My runs have been way less intense, which makes me a little nervous—like maybe I’m training for an 8-hour marathon—but I’m trying to trust the process and keep moving forward.
I come to you this week with a full heart: immense gratitude for the incredible donors I’m highlighting today—and some exciting, unbelievably generous news.
Last week, I heard from Joe Bonfiglio and his law firm, Bolden & Bonfiglio. Joe offered to match every donation up to the next $2,500. When I read his message, I lost my breath—and then cried.
Bolden & Bonfiglio is Joe’s firm based in Peabody, Massachusetts. They specialize in legal services for insurance companies and those they insure—handling everything from homeowner and commercial claims to vehicle cases. They work incredibly hard to resolve things before litigation, but when needed, they’re in courtrooms across Massachusetts and New Hampshire fighting for their clients.
Somewhere up there, Becky is shaking her head at all of this—probably equal parts disbelief and “I told you so.” Back in high school, she had a giant crush on Joe. Not just because they were close in height, but because Joe was kind, charismatic, hardworking, and thoughtful—all the things that matter. He was also a total renaissance man: played soccer, acted in drama club, and worked at Mr. G’s (Becky’s family’s pizza shop).
Let me just say this—if you want to really know someone, work a Friday night pizza rush with them. You’ll find out quickly whether they roll up their sleeves to mix a 10-gallon bucket of sauce, or linger around the drink cooler pretending to be busy. Joe bleeds sauce.
Joe is the real deal. And the world is better because he’s in it.
Joe and Nicole have an incredibly beautiful family with two awesome kids.
Next up: Julie Manninen.
Julie is my cousin, which means she’s known me my whole life. When we were kids, Julie was the wicked cool older cousin. I used to spy on her getting ready to go out with her friends—or her very cool boyfriend Erik—and cross my fingers that she’d take me for a ride in her white Oldsmobile. If I was lucky, we’d roll around the block blasting Madonna on her boombox stereo.
Julie has two amazing kids—well, adults now. Ella is thriving in Salem State’s education program, and Jack is a senior at Essex Tech, ready to light up the world (literally) with a career in electricity.
Lisa Gagnon is next.
Lisa is also my cousin and another one I’ve looked up to for as long as I can remember. She was the older cousin who practically walked on air. Lisa owns Inspire Dance and Fitness in Peabody, but long before that, I remember watching her dance when we were kids. I took classes at Dance Class—let’s just say, dancing was not my strong suit. But watching Lisa? That was the good part. Any style, any song—she just lit up. You could see how happy it made her.
Now she shares that same joy with students through Inspire, offering a full calendar of classes for kids, teens, and adults. From ballet and jazz to barre, hip hop, and acro, there’s something for everyone. Lisa’s daughter Ella just graduated from Endicott College and is already diving into a master’s program, ready to make her mark in biotech. No surprise there.
Now, let’s talk about Joan Harrington O’Hare.
Everyone’s favorite Spanish teacher—and even better, a lifelong friend.
I met Joan when she was my freshman Spanish teacher at Bishop Fenwick. High school can be awesome, but also awkward. You’re trying to figure out who you are, what fits, what doesn’t. Trying to be cool, but not too cool. Smart, but not a nerd. In Joan’s class, all that pressure dropped. You could just be, have fun, and learn something.
Joan has a freakishly good memory. She’d say things like, “Oh yeah, I had your second cousin in here two semesters ago.” One year I had her was also the year she got engaged to her husband, Tom.
Now, all these years later, she and Tom have four incredible kids—Tom, Molly, Charlie, and Caroline (who I’m convinced is headed for center court at the US Open any day now). Joan never misses a birthday or a first-day-of-school photo. She organizes both her Fenwick and St. John’s class reunions and is a full-on SuperMom. Joan, I’m so thankful for your donation—and even more thankful for your friendship.
That’s it for this week’s shoutouts. I’ll be back with more soon. We’re making amazing progress: thanks to all of you, we’re closing in on $5,100 raised toward our $14,000 goal in Becky’s memory.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Love,
Kate
Only 26 miles to go! 
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