Hey John —

This is Jeff Harbison. We haven’t met yet (well unless you count this) but I’m Val’s husband and I asked her team if I could borrow the account to share some news: Today is Val’s birthday!

Val and I have been married for more than twenty years, and in that time we’ve raised three great kids together, gone on dozens of hikes and bike rides along the Schuylkill, and thrown more balls in the backyard for Bella and Georgia, our dogs, than I can count.

In all the time I’ve known Val she’s always put others ahead of herself. For years, I watched her put her patients first, even when she was seven months pregnant with our twins and still taking overnight calls. Then, when she became chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, I saw how she put her constituents first working late into the night to coordinate the response in the County to the pandemic or helping to get folks access to the services they needed. And as a mom, she’s always put our kids first from supporting them at school activities to taking our youngest to college earlier this year.

So as I’m sure you can imagine, Val’s not too big on making a fuss over things like her birthday, but I thought I’d reach out to see if you could help me with a surprise for her.

Will you sign Val’s birthday card to wish her a happy birthday? I’m planning to show this to her later today and would love to show her a list longer than my arm.

Needless to say, it’s been a tough year as COVID-19 continues to impact our communities, loved ones, and friends. But Val has never stopped fighting to make life better for Pennsylvania’s families.

I know how much your kind letters and emails, particularly this past year, have meant to Val so I know she’ll love reading these messages from you today. I’m hoping you’ll sign this birthday card and even leave a special message next to your name. It’d mean so much to her.

Val does everything she can to make sure others know she cares. Let’s do the same for her on this special day. Please take a moment to sign her birthday card and leave a message to share what you appreciate most about her.

Thanks from our whole family (Bella and Georgia too) for helping us make Val’s birthday a special one.

– Jeff