Several Duxbury residents are taking part in the 116th Boston Marathon Monday, April 16, to raise money for a number of causes.
Meghan Fallon
Meghan Fallon will help Samaritans raise needed funds to support suicide prevention programs.
The John Hancock Boston Marathon Non-Profit Program donated official race entries to the Samaritans, a suicide prevention organization serving the Greater Boston and Metro West area.
Fallon is one of 15 people running for Samaritans. She is running in memory of a family friend took his own life in 1994. She got involved with Samaritans through the annual Samaritans 5K Run/Walk and has run the San Diego Rock N’ Roll Marathon twice on behalf of Samaritans, but this will be her first Boston Marathon.
“It is an honor and privilege to be part of Samaritans 2012 Marathon Team,” Fallon said. “Running to raise funds and awareness about the critical suicide prevention activities that Samaritans carries out each and every day is a powerful motivator. Preparing physically to run the marathon has taken a lot of effort, but the knowledge that I am helping Samaritans save lives has kept me going.”
The 2012 Samaritans Marathon Team has already raised over $80,000. All proceeds will benefit Samaritans’ suicide prevention services.
“Supporting the work of Samaritans is needed now more than ever,” she said. “With the struggles brought on by today’s economy, people are worried about their own financial situations, and many are losing hope. The volunteers at Samaritans are there for these people 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I am thrilled to be running and fundraising for such a worthy cause.”
All funds raised will directly support Samaritans’ services, including their 24/7 crisis helpline, which answers more than 150,000 calls last year. Funds will also support community outreach efforts at local schools and workshops, as well as grief support services for individuals and communities that have been impacted by suicide.
For more information on the Samaritans, visit www.samaritanshope.org or call 617-536-2460.
Thomas Burke and Deborah Burns
Thomas Burke and Deborah Burns will be running to help conquer cancer as members of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team. These Duxbury residents, along with Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge teammates from across the United States and around the world, will run Massachusetts’ historic marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston with a goal to raise $4.8 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Burns, a teacher at Duxbury Middle School, supported her mother, Cynthia, as she endured treatments for non-Hodgkins lymphoma at Dana-Farber more than a decade ago. After a first round of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, Cynthia has been cancer-free for 13 years and able to watch her grandchildren grow up.
“That’s the reason I run – because of the treatments we’re so privileged to have coming out of Dana-Farber,” Burns said. This will be her third Boston Marathon.
Her three children and her husband provide strength as she trains for the marathon each year and always drive out to meet her with fluids as she pushes through her long runs. She said her kids have a special connection with her annual marathon efforts for Dana-Farber.
“They understand my passion for the cause,” she said. “They see how lucky they are to have their grandma.”
This year, she will decorate the back of her Dana-Farber racing pinny with 40 ribbons – each in honor of a supporter’s loved one who is either a survivor of cancer, undergoing treatment or who has lost their battle.
“It’s nice to bring these people across the finish line with me,” she said. “It gives me good luck.”
One hundred percent of the funds raised benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber, which funds basic research in its earliest stages, providing scientists with critical resources to test their innovative ideas. Findings from this research can provide novel clinical insights, as well as establishing the foundation to seek additional federal funding support. Since its inception in 1990, the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $52 million for the Barr Program.
To contribute to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, or to support a runner, visit www.RunDFMC.org or contact the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge office at 617-632-1970 or dfmc@dfci.harvard.edu. Follow DFMC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/marathonchallenge.
Anne Marie Winchester
Anne Marie Winchester is running in memory of family friend Kathy Frank and to raise funds for the South Shore Hospital Cancer Treatment Center.
Frank dieid April 25, 2011, at the age of 44 after a two-and-a-half-year battle with ovarian cancer. She left behind her husband, two teenage children, as well as many family members and friends.
“People were drawn to Kathy through her vibrant personality and unique sense of humor, which she maintained throughout her treatment,” Winchester said on her fundraising page at crowdrise.com. “Prior to being diagnosed with cancer, Kathy was part of the nursing team at South Shore Hospital.”
In asking for support, Winchester noted the importance of her cause.
“I hope you will help with a donation to support the South Shore Hospital Cancer Center and to help Kathy’s family continue with their healing process by honoring her memory with me,” she wrote.
To donate, visit www.crowdrise.com/teamsouthshorehospital/fundraiser/annemariewinchester
Michael Phalen
Michael Phalen is one of 27 runners who will be running April 16 as part of Team BMC (Boston Medical Center). Each member of the team will raise a minimum of $10,000 for the many programs at the hospital. Phalen is an equity trader at JP Morgan, and this will be his second marathon.
The money the team raises will support a variety of programs at BMC, including helping pediatric patients receive the proper nourishment at the Grow Clinic, serving families at the Food Pantry, screening men and women for cancer in the hopes of early detection, or providing shelter to the homeless elderly.
“I’m excited to take on the challenging Boston Marathon course and to raise money for such a great cause,” Phalen said.
People who wish to sponsor a runner and help raise funds for BMC can visit www.crowdrise.com/teambmc.
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