For three decades, Moira Noonan-Kerry has found motivation in running. “It really helps to get me focused. It really balances me,” she said. “Running is a positive thing for getting my day started. And I love being outside.”
Her love of running started when she was on the cross country and track and field teams at Palmer High School. Since then, she’s done hundreds of road races, including one Boston Marathon in the late 90s.
Sunday, she’ll cross another off her list when she completes her eighth Falmouth Road Race. “It’s my seventh running with a nonprofit organization and many years ago, I ran it for the first time when I was 20,” she said.
This year, she’s running for the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, a cause she and her husband Scott are familiar with. The pair are loyal donors and regular attendees at our annual Prelude to Summer Gala in June and Deck the Walls event in December.
“I’ve been familiar with the Arts Foundation for two decades or more,” she said. It’s a relationship that dates back to when Moira worked at Community Development Partnership which partnered with the Arts Foundation on joint initiatives to support artists.
“Since then, my husband and I have gotten involved as donors,” she said. “I think the work the Arts Foundation has done and is continuing to do is so important on the Cape, both in supporting artists and making the arts accessible to more people. It’s something we’re so supportive of, so supporting them by running the road race seemed like a perfect fit.”
While the race helps feed her passion for running, it also checks off another box — her desire to give back to a community she has lived in for over 22 years. “I came here as a kid and spent a lot of time with extended cousins. I worked summer jobs. The Cape has been a big part of my life for a long time,” she said.
She listed several elements of the Cape – nature, its artistic vibrancy, and the sense of community – that she loves. It’s also where significant moments in her life have occurred. “My son was born here, and I met my husband here,” she said.
And so, she expresses her gratitude for all the Cape has given her by running the Falmouth Road Race in support of nonprofits like the Arts Foundation. Giving back is something that was ingrained in her life at a young age.
“Starting in middle school and high school, I was always volunteering with different organizations which has continued over time. I think it’s really a part of who I am,” she said. “I’ve been blessed to be in a strong family where I have good health and amazing friends and a career I really like. When you’re given so much, for me, it is essential to give back.”
To support Moira, visit her fundraising page here. You can donate to the Arts Foundation Road Race team here.
A special thanks to our Falmouth Road Race Sponsors William Raveis Real Estate and Puritan Cape Cod for their support of the Arts Foundation and for Standing with the Arts!