Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Inc (Hopkinton Garden Club)

Hi, I’m Ryan Katz !

I will be running the Boston Marathon on behalf of Hopkinton Garden Club (HGC). I’m an avid runner, who has had the goal to run Boston for many years. This fall I felt a powerful call telling me that 2025 was to be the year. My best friend of over 30 years, David Adlestein (who ran the Boston Marathon for HGC in 2023) connected me with HGC.

My wife and I moved from Massachusetts to Long Island to be closer to family. I teach STEM at the Harbor Country Day School, with part of my job focused on an annual community project dedicated to environmental awareness. This has included building birdhouses, community art libraries, and a pollinator garden on campus. I also teach life science units focused on the role of plants in improving ecosystems through biodiversity. In the classroom we have 4th graders who grew avocado plants in their 1st-grade year which are STILL growing at their homes! My 5th grader's final project is an extension of a unit on “The Green Belt Movement.” This month-long project facilitates biodiversity by designing gardens that utilize native plants, support local wildlife, are accessible to everyone and are holistically and visually engaging.

Outside my school community, frequenting botanical gardens and learning how to improve my own landscape has become a fantastic way for my family to bond. My in-laws and wife are constantly gardening and spending time outdoors together. We will often travel around Long Island experiencing all the different native gardens that are open to the public. I consider myself a lifelong learner of the natural world and want to be the best role model possible for my students. 

I’m excited to share updates along the way, from my physical training progress to the educational initiatives and projects my students are working on, and I’m deeply grateful for your support on this journey!

Hopkinton Garden Club, an affiliate of The Garden Federation of Massachusetts, and a 501c3 non-profit organization, is the perfect match, with their mission to promote the teaching and advancement of gardening, horticulture, and floral design; to financially support and encourage participation in the town's beautification; to provide annual scholarships to students entering college to study related subjects and to foster sustainable gardening and conservation efforts. All these initiatives are directly correlated to the work I do with my students. It could not be any more seamless to weave the Hopkinton Garden Club into my life, to support their community, while bringing more opportunities to my students. 

Please contribute to my GoFundMe fundraiser and also share it with family and friends!

You can also learn more about Hopkinton Garden Club projects and activities at their website www.hopkintongardenclub.org

*Cover photo taken at Kensington Palace Gardens

The Hopkinton Garden Club, founded in 1924, is a 501c3 non-profit (all donations are tax-deductible, as allowed by law), affiliate of The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts. Their mission is to promote the teaching and advancement of gardening, horticulture and floral design. We encourage community spirit through town beautification, participation in town events, and co-sponsorship of programs with other town organizations. www.HopkintonGardenClub.org

 

This will be the third Boston Marathon I am running. This year is special though, in that I am running in honor of my dad, Ronald Cormier, who passed away of a very rare bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma cancer). I am also honoring my mom, Barbara Cormier, who passionately worked in the garden alongside my dad each season. They had many vegetables and beautiful flowers that bloomed every year and still do to this day. I would also be remiss if I did not mention my various relatives who stand behind this cause. Among them, to mention a few, are my dad's loving sister, Norma Mundie, who loves flowers.

 

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to my mother and me.

 

To learn more about the amazing benefits this non-profit organization brings to the Metrowest communities, please visit their website: https://www.hopkintongardenclub.org/

 

Many thanks, Di Summer