JJTrail – End of 2019 Report

Here are some JJTrail highlights from 2019:

– We are just $400 shy of our $4,000 Fall Finish Fundraising drive goal! Help us reach the end before 2019 closes by clicking the link and sending a donation!

– We held the 2nd annual successful JJ 5k Trail Race April 7, 2019.

We also started the 4k Jay Walk event and the 200m Kids Jay Dash event to broaden the appeal of the race day.

– We enlisted over 30 local sponsors to help underwrite the race event day in 2019.

– All work on the JJTrail has been done by volunteers.

– All funding came from donations.

– We Started — and Finished — SEVEN new boardwalks on the trail. (see project page for details and project overview page for all projects)

– We Created an additional 1/2 mile of trail adding to the 2.5 miles already created.

– We Widened all existing trails to be consistently at least 6 feet wide or wider.

– Started Third major bridge project “the Championship Bridge” Current status: in progress with foundations and main span in place. Decking and ramps remain. Around 50% complete as of Dec 2019.

– One final boardwalk “The Final Link” remains to be built — it will connect the trails to the JJ Contest Track & Field.

2020 Plans:

– FINISH the JJTrail PROJECT! Including:

– Finish the Championship Bridge (aka Bridge #3).
– Finish the Final Link boardwalk.
– Hold a successful 3rd Annual Race — date is Sunday, April 19, 2020.
– HOLD GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION EVENT Saturday evening April 18.

We are looking for sponsors and organization help for the race event the GRAND OPENING event the evening before the races.

Click here for information about all JJTrail Race Committee and Trail Work volunteer opportunities.

Or email jjtrailrace@gmail.com with questions.

↓ More information & detail below ↓

TEAMWORK — Bringing the big beams down to the site of Bridge #3 in August 2019.

Dear JJTrail Volunteers, Donors, Sponsors, & Runners,

We have had a busy 2019! Thank you for your help!

Some 2019 highlights include:

Over 75 different volunteers spent over 100 unique work days totaling thousands of hours working on the trail, boardwalk, and bridge construction during 2019.
Volunteers completed seven new boardwalks with combined length of 329 linear feet in the spring, summer, and fall. (That’s a lot of wood and decking!)
Volunteers have laid the foundations and main beams for the third bridge, a.k.a. “The Championship Bridge” — construction will continue through this winter until complete.
Student and Parent Race committee members enlisted 32 local sponsors to underwrite the April 2019 JJTrail Race event and raise money for the John Jay Boosters Club to support athletics in the K-L School District.
Trail volunteers created the new Final Link Trail which connects the Championship Bridge to the John Jay Contest Track & Field.
Trail volunteers widened and improved the existing 3 miles of trails to a minimum 6-foot width allowing for emergency utility vehicle access and compatibility with the NYSPHAA cross country meet standards.

We have big plans for 2020 on the JJTrail:

We are gearing up for our 3rd annual JJTrail Races on Sunday April 19, 2020.
We want to hold a GRAND OPENING ceremony event for the JJTrail the evening before the race event on Saturday, April 18, 2020.
We plan to finish the Championship Bridge (aka Bridge #3) during Winter 2020.
We plan to finish the Final Link boardwalk during Winter 2020.
With the completion of the John Jay Community Trail — including all boardwalks, bridges, and trails — we will support the John Jay High School Cross Country Team in their efforts to hold the first official home meet in the Fall 2020 season.

We hope you can join us in 2020 in one or more of these ways:

As an Event Sponsor – Premier, Special, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Sponsorships available!
As a Race Committee Member (help us plan the event!)
As a Volunteer (help build the final bridge and boardwalk!)
As a Donor (nothing happens without your donations!)
Register as a 5k Runner (Registration Open)
Register as a 4k Jay Walker (Registration Open)
Register as a 200m Kids Jay Dasher (Registration Open)

Thank you for your time & generosity – we are nearly at our 2019 Fall Finish Fundraising goal. Check here to see how close we are.

Spread the word about volunteering, sponsorship, and donation opportunities. Get ready for 2020!

Thanks again & see you on the trails!

-Rob Cummings, JJTrail Race director and JJTrail volunteer coordinator

PS:

Check http://instagram.com/jjtrail for the most recent up to date photos and video clips on the trail building effort. Visit the main trail building photo & video archive page here. Explore the https://jjtrail.org main site for JJTrail history, maps, details, and photos.

“How can I help?”

Email us at jjtrailrace@gmail.com to get on the “short email list” of JJTRAIL volunteers. We send more frequent updates to that list for volunteering dates and times. Those emails are a lot shorter than this one 😉

“How do I donate?”

You can donate via our JJTrail donation link.

FYI:

The JJTRAIL project is led by community volunteers and includes members of the John Jay Cross Country Team, the John Jay Track & Field Team, KLSD student volunteers of all ages, KLSD teachers & staff, John Jay Coaches, and senior class interns. We could not have progressed as far as we have gotten without the fantastic support of the John Jay Boosters Club, the John Jay Athletic Department, KLSD Operations & Maintenance, the Town of Lewisboro, the Lewisboro Trails Committee, and the Katonah-Lewisboro School District Administration.

Donors:

A big THANK YOU to our generous community donors! Donors are recognized on the website here and will also be recognized at the trail official opening and on the trails.

Date of the “official opening” will be the day before the 3rd Annual John Jay Community Trail Races (Saturday, April 18, 2020) — and you will certainly hear about it from us in the upcoming weeks!

Our goal is to finish work on the JJTrail project in the winter of 2019-20. We are close to our Fall Finish Fundraiser goal of $4,000. We project this amount will allow us to complete the trails, bridges, boardwalks, trail markings, and signage. Any donations you can make are appreciated — and every amount gets us closer to our goal.

The John Jay Boosters Club is a 501(c)3 organization and gifts are generally tax deductible. Matching gifts are also welcome. Let us know if you need help getting a matching gift processed.

DONATE HERE (you don’t need to register for the race to donate now)

SPONSORS:

Check out our wonderful and generous SPONSORS here. Our sponsors help underwrite the costs of the race event weekend and we couldn’t put it on without them!

If you are interested in becoming — or returning as — a sponsor for the 3rd Annual JJTrail Race on Sunday, April 19, 2020, please let us know at jjtrailrace@gmail.com. We will be having our largest event to date in 2020.