Dream Big: Arnold Woman Supports Young Girls With Boston Marathon Run

Gabby Driscoll took several steps to support young girls on April 21 when she participated in the charity component of the Boston Marathon with team Dream Big! An Arnold resident and physical therapist, Driscoll raised over $10,000 of her team’s $185,000 total.

In less than five hours, she finished the 26.2-mile race, which began in the town of Hopkinton and ended in Boston’s Copley Square.

“Just like everyone says, the environment is electric,” Driscoll said. “I couldn’t believe the weather was as good as it was (sunny and breezy). I haven’t felt a sense of accomplishment like that in my life, although it was initially overshadowed by my shaky and heavy legs trying to get from the finish line to the Westin Hotel a few blocks over to meet my family.”

As the 2012 Severna Park High School graduate told the Voice in March, the idea started as a promise she made with a friend during their college days at Rutgers University.

With her marathon run, she supported Dream Big! The nonprofit empowers young girls from under-resourced communities by providing them with scholarships, mentorship and athletic opportunities.

“The weekend leading into the marathon, I learned how much of an impact running for a charity had, not just on the girls we helped, but for me to be a part of something so much bigger than running 26.2 miles,” she said. “I went to a Dream Big! brunch where three girls that have benefitted from this charity spoke about how they were fortunate to work with Dream Big! to help them get basketball scholarships. Having grown up in rough neighborhoods, seeing things a young kid shouldn’t see … and to see this same girl work with Dream Big! to get assistance to go to college showcases and become the Gatorade Player of the Year for her grade in basketball. I was touched and it really just hit home how fortunate we are.”

The Boston Marathon experience connected Driscoll with other runners and marathoners close to home in Anne Arundel County. “It’s an amazing community of very kind and selfless people,” she said of them.

“I will cherish this experience for the rest of my life,” she added.