Mendham Teen Leads Group of Women Into Triathlon Fundraiser for Kopila Valley

The story of Mendham native Maggie Doyne taking off for Nepal, India, and launching a school for children is that of legends in the area.

But as Doyne will attest, so much of the help she received to bring the effort to fruition came from her hometown and the surrounding area.

That help is continuing this week in the form of Tri for Kopila, where a group of 10 women from Morris County will take part in a two-day triathlon event to raise funds that will go toward student scholarships at the school, named Kopila Valley.

Organized by Mendham resident Olivia Christmann, 16, the funds will be funneled through blinknow.org. BlinkNow is used to fund the Kopila Valley’s children’s home and school. Christmann’s fundraising goal is $10,000, which would send one girl to the school on a 12-year scholarship.

The money raised will be used to support sports and empowerment programs, confidence building workshops, and the newly opened mental health and counseling center for all the students at Kopila Valley.

Christmann will be joined by Doyne, Ruth Dekker, Abigail Christmann, Zoe Gaffney, Susan Appelbaum, Julia Harrigan, Julia Molinaro, Brooke Turner, and Maya Schidel.

“Maggie has transformed the community and made a positive change in so many people’s lives,” said Olivia Christmann. “Maggie has inspired me in so many ways. She works so hard to accomplish all that she is able to do, though it can be difficult. Maggie inspires me to follow my heart despite any challenges and work hard to reach goals. We have the power together to really make a big difference.”

The CGI New Jersey State Triathlon is being held Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20. Anyone interested in donating to the group of athletes can visit the fundraising page by clicking here or making a check out to The Blinknow Foundation and sending it to The Blinknow Foundation, P.O. Box 453, Mendham, NJ 07945.