Johanna Impellizeri

Leading up to the Oct. 11 Boston Marathon, the Independent will profile local charity runners. This issue we highlight Johanna Impellizeri, who is running to raise funds for the Hopkinton Garden Club.

“I was born and raised in New York playing as many sports as could fit on the calendar,” Impellizeri writes on her GoFundMe page. “Then, I was lucky to receive a scholarship to Assumption College in Worcester to play basketball and from there, I fell in love with the Massachusetts area. Upon graduating, I moved to Boston and attended several marathons. Seeing the energy from the runners and crowd solidified my dream and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Impellizeri seeks to raise $5,000 for the Hopkinton Garden Club, which has details and a link to her GoFundMe page at its website, hopkintongardenclub.org.

“The Hopkinton Garden Club does such a great job beautifying the town and supporting their community any way they can,” Impellizeri writes. “Our goal is to raise money for this organization so they can continue their efforts. Hopkinton is currently undergoing a significant multi-year construction project through the center of town up to and including the Boston Marathon starting line. The Hopkinton Garden Club will be an active participant in beautifying the town by establishing new gardens once construction has been completed. Additionally, the club brings horticultural related programming to community members and provides scholarships for students pursuing horticulture and design and environmental related degrees.”