Setting out to raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, two local teens also hope to raise awareness and honor their friend with Paige’s Green Dream Walk.
Paige’s Green Dream Walk will take place on Nov. 3, beginning at 10 a.m. at Moorestown High School.
The walk will start and end at the high school, with vendors such as Cyberonics and the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey promoting epilepsy awareness and education.
Choosing November because it’s Epilepsy Awareness Month, Paige’s Green Dream Walk will be held in memory of Paige Holland. Holland was a resident of Moorestown who passed away last October due to complications of epilepsy.
Holland was 17 years old at the time of her passing and maintained a close friendship with Robin Liebman’s daughter Alexandra Liebman, who is also 17 years old.
“They were really inseparable,” said Robin Liebman.
Tagging along with Alexandra Liebman was her younger sister, 12-year-old Kacie Liebman, who also befriended Holland through her older sister.
Following Holland’s untimely passing, Kacie Liebman asked her parents if she could start a walk to honor Holland’s memory. Completing her Mitzvoh, a selfless good deed, for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah, Robin Liebman said her daughter had considered doing another project, but immediately knew Paige’s Green Dream Walk was what she wanted to do.
Alexandra Liebman quickly began to help her sister, knowing that Holland had always talked of finding a cure for epilepsy.
“With Alex, it was only natural for her to help since she was so close with Paige,” Robin Liebman said.
Robin Liebman also said that she can recall many times when Holland had spoken of finding a cure for epilepsy and said that Paige “wanted to be a champion for those with epilepsy.”
“My sister and I feel so great,” Alexandra Liebman said. “ I feel like we’re living out her dream to the fullest.”
The Liebmans met with the Moorestown Police Department and Theresa Miller to secure their blessing.
In addition, a letter was also sent to the Moorestown Public School District Board of Education, since the walk was planned to begin and end at Moorestown High School.
After securing the blessing of both the schools and township officials, Robin Liebman said that she then reached out to the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, the organization to which all proceeds from the walk will be donated.
Finally securing the permissions they needed, they then went to the Holland family.
“They were only happy to be part of the process,” Robin Liebman said.
With Holland’s parents and grandmother serving as active members on the official Paige’s Green Dream Committee, it was then time for the committee to find sponsors.
Robin Liebman explained that after sending letters, Paige’s Green Dream Walk received a number of sponsors, including Wegmans, which will be donating water bottles and bananas. In addition, Capital Health will also be supplying t-shirts for the event, which will be given to the first 300 registrants who donate more than $10 to the Paige’s Green Dream.
“The companies in the area have been very generous,” Robin Liebman said.
The walk will begin with an introduction, which will include a speech from both Alexandra Liebman and Kacie Liebman. Following the introduction will be a dedication ceremony for a bench, which will be permanently affixed to the front of Moorestown High School.
The walk will officially kick off with the playing of a Green Day song “Time of Your Life,” a song from Holland’s favorite band.
Robin Liebman said that the response from the community has been “heartfelt” with already 130 people registered for the walk. She said that by the day of the walk, she expects the total number of walkers to be approximately 300.
“I could think of nothing more meaningful to us,” Kacie Liebman said.
Alexandra Liebman also added that her hope for Paige’s Green Dream Walk is to not only raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey, but also give people a new perspective for those who are diagnosed with epilepsy.
Paige Holland’s mother, Kara Holland also released the following statement in regard to the walk:
“We are deeply grateful for the efforts of Paige’s friends, classmates, their families and the entire community in helping bring Paige’s Green Dream to life. Not everyone is born to become a noble laureate, but each one of us can make a difference in the world. Even if you make just one person a little happier each day, which is a day well lived. Paige understood that. She embodied it. She knew that one simple act of kindness could make a difference in someone’s life that can become a turning point for them. Paige was devoted to making others feel happy, important and loved. And for her friends and their families to continue that legacy in Paige’s honor is truly amazing.”
Another aspiration of Paige’s Green Dream Walk for Kacie Liebman is for those who are diagnosed with the condition to meet others who are dealing with the same diagnosis.
“It’s a great way for people to connect with each other,” Kacie Liebman said.
Registration for Paige’s Green Dream Walk is open to the public from now to the day of the walk and free of charge. To learn more about Paige’s Green Dream or to make a donation, visit www.paigesgreendream.org.
