Eight years ago I signed up for Team Lifeline with a pair of sneakers and a dream. A dream to be a part of something bigger than myself. A dream to make a difference in someone's life. A dream to leave an impact in a meaningful way. I didn't know then that I would still have the same dreams all these years later, and that I would be heading into my eighth year of living the dream.

My first encounter with Chai Lifeline’s organization was when my sister was a volunteer in high school. I remember her going to visit a camper's home, dressing up for the Chai Lifeline Purim party, and buying little prizes to give to her camper… and I thought to myself, "Wow, I want to do that when I'm older. I want to make people happy like that."

"Older" came, and the opportunity I imagined didn't. I wasn't outgoing or bubbly enough to talk to strangers, and I didn't have the time or resources to volunteer outside of school. I started to think that making a meaningful difference in a real way belonged to other people. Then I heard about Team Lifeline: a once-a-year chance to be part of this incredible organization by fundraising and running alongside people just like me, people who wanted to make an impact in whatever way they could.

I signed up for my first race in 2019. At 17 years old, I was one of the youngest runners on the team. I didn't have a single person to talk to all weekend, but by the time I crossed that finish line, I said, "Next year." And when next year came, I finished the race with the exact same sentiment: "Next year."

At the first pasta party I attended in 2019, I watched as the awards were given out. Five-year runners. Ten-year runners. $10,000 raised. $18,000 raised. My brain couldn't fathom such numbers. Ten years? $18,000? I stood there and said to myself, "I want to be a part of this great team for 10 years. I want to raise big numbers for Chai Lifeline." And here I am, in my eighth year, co-captaining the team and having raised almost $40,000 and counting. Eight years strong, eight years running, eight years with Team Lifeline, eight years making an impact.

Dreams do come true.