In 2001, not long after we bought our home, we learned there was a grassroots initiative to build a 20-mile trail near our suburban home. It would be called the Lawrence Hopewell Trail, and would connect these two towns. Oh, and it would be completed within four years. Two friends, Becky and Eleanor, dreamed up this initiative with enthusiasm and naivety, something brought up as we celebrated the 21st anniversary of this plan and the trail nears its completion. They recently stopped being all volunteer and found funding to hire a director.
As mentioned a few times that night, Becky and Eleanor had absolutely no knowledge of how to make this a reality. They just had passion and vision, and a lot of tenacity. They are also two of the hardest people to say no to on the planet.
Becky worked for Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), and Eleanor was at Educational Testing Services (ETS). Their companies were early supporters in every way possible. A section of Village Park, located half a mile from our house, was included in the loop. A couple of sections use roads. Their "about us" section talks about their all volunteer board, which is true. It doesn't mention it would not have happened without Becky and Eleanor.
Their sold out gala called "Our Founders, Our Friends, Our Future" celebrated their vision, which they call The LHT Way. "When people are inspired to work together on common projects, better communities result."
Hard to believe, but 25 years ago the idea of preserving farmland and turning it into something that will not generate tangible income (as say a housing development or a strip mall) was new. Formed in 1986, Rails-to-Trails was still a new idea. The East Coast Greenway was only a decade old. People were afraid of strangers walking through their backyard on tow paths. Today these ideas seem strange because it has been proven that these types of trails are assets people seek when buying a home. It is certainly something we want with our next home.
As the speeches continued, I was probably feeling overly sappy that night as I was in the middle of binge watching apple TV's pandemic hit "Ted Lasso," which centers around a coach constantly encouraging his time to work together, and watching them transform over three seasons.
The founders were celebrated. As Eleanor told me with a huge grin on her face (paraphrasing): we don't do this for the accolades, but when they come it does feel good.Don and I were pleased to reconnect in person with friends and acquaintances. We were seated at the best table in the room -- the one right in front of the podium, with Becky and her husband. Also at our table was Don's bike polo friend Wills, and the father of one of Ashley's earliest friends.
When asked what our connection is to the LHT, I answered "user." Most people there were board members and highly involved with its success, but our involvement is on the sideline. It was still an appreciated answer as without users, there would be no need for the trail.We enjoyed dressing up and celebrating. The event was what I had hoped to be able to do at The Bridge Academy -- gather together without asking for money, just celebrating all the good that has happened and continues to happen. There was a soft ask, pointing to a QR code where donations would be accepted, but no silent or live auction, no one encouraging us to purchase 50/50 tickets, or other ways to get more money out of us. We were able to relax and marvel in their success.
Later in the week we walked through Mercer Meadows, still thrilled that when AT&T sold their Pole Farm property, Becky and Eleanor and their band of volunteers were able to turn it into trails, allowing nature to stay, rather than turning it into a housing development or soccer fields.
Thank you, Becky and Eleanor.
