WHO WE ARE
The American Friends of the Lebanon Mountain Trail (AFLMT) was incorporated in Washington, DC, on January 27th, 2009 as a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
The AFLMT will solicit funds in the United States for its activities. All activities of the AFLMT will be funded through contributions or grants from individuals, corporations, foundations, and governmental agencies. The AFLMT will raise funds through personal solicitations, mail and email solicitations, and grant proposals. The organization also will accept donations on the AFLMT website here.
OUR MISSION
“To promote educational programs, environmental protection, natural and cultural heritage conservation and rural economic development related to and around the Lebanon Mountain Trail.”
The AFLMT will strengthen ties between Lebanon, in particular the nearly 80 communities along the LMT, and Lebanese Americans and American hikers and friends of Lebanon, and encourage them to visit Lebanon, walk on the LMT, and discover or re-discover the unique natural and cultural heritage of the mountains of Lebanon. Membership in, and support for, the AFLMT offer a unique opportunity for all to share the gift of the Lebanon Mountain Trail and to help unleash the unlimited opportunities made possible by it.
HOW WE SUPPORT THE LMT
The primary activities of the AFLMT are to promote awareness of the Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT) and to provide financial and technical support for the protection, maintenance and promotion of the trail. The AFLMT will provide funds, in the discretion of its Board of Directors, to non-profit organizations in Lebanon, including the LMT Association to help it implement programs and events that will further the purposes of the AFLMT. Candidate LMTA programs of interest to the AFLMT include Adopt a Trail, Guesthouse Upgrades, Become an LMT Volunteer, Annual Thru-Walk events, and programs intended to engage youth in placed-based education, outdoor recreation and learning, and public-service projects.
MEET THE BOARD
Joseph G. Karam
PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR
The idea of the Appalachian Trail awed me in the late eighties, and inspired my vision for the Lebanon Mountain Trail 15 years later. Today, my colleagues on the AFLMT board and I share with thousands of people a passion for the LMT that is unleashing unlimited opportunities for heritage conservation and economic growth, and reconnecting Lebanon’s rich Diaspora with the homeland.
Akram Khater
BOARD MEMBER
Doha Gabro
TREASURER AND DIRECTOR
I was thrilled when my friend Joseph Karam asked me to serve on the AFLMT Board. I had watched with excitement the fruition of the LMT through tireless work by ECODIT staff in the USA and Lebanon. I hope the AFLMT mission will touch the hearts of all Lebanese Americans. Love of nature is a common language that transcends all boundaries.
Marielle Fares
BOARD MEMBER
After a spectacular hiking adventure on the Lebanon Mountain Trail, I was compelled to share my experience with fellow outdoor enthusiasts in the United States. It was a privilege to join the AFLMT board and promote the mission of the organization among the Lebanese diaspora and the American people. The Lebanon Mountain Trail is an invitation for all Lebanese to walk along its wealth of natural, cultural, and social resources; and preserve it for generations to come.
David Startzell
SECRETARY AND DIRECTOR
I was first introduced to Lebanon and to the Lebanon Mountain Trail concept in 2006 when I visited there in an advisory capacity and I have maintained a keen interest in the project ever since. I am excited about the potential for the LMT to play a significant role in natural and cultural resource conservation, economic development, and youth education in a truly beautiful and diverse country.
Karim El Jisr
DIRECTOR
It was a sunny day in May 2005 when Joseph (Karam) and I leaned over a map of Lebanon to trace the LMT for a prospective proposal. Nine years on, the LMT is Lebanon’s unique long-distance trail and I see it as a much-needed public space where Lebanese and foreign hikers and visitors can rediscover Lebanon’s history, cultural vestiges and breathtaking landscapes!