The 2015 Boston Marathon training season has begun. Long runs in the cold, hill workouts and diet adjustments are all coming up fast and often. Yet the one thing people may not always think about is how fundraising for the race is just as important as running it.
A lot of heart and sole (pun intended) is put into the preparation of running the Boston Marathon. Here at Joe Andruzzi Foundation (JAF), we don’t just do it to cross the finish line—we do it for a million other reasons as well. Running, similar to life itself, is not just about finishing the race. The preparation, the process, the friends you make along the way and the people we love are always the reasons we continue to embark on these journeys that continually challenge and test our strength and courage.
Our runners are strong and determined, kind and thoughtful, endlessly generous people who believe in the same mission as JAF: providing help, hope, and a reason to smile for cancer patients and their families by contributing financial and emotional support when it is needed most.
This past Monday, JAF teamed up with Alex and Ani Patriot Place to host a Charmed by Charity event to help teach our Team JAF runners how to fund raise using the jeweler. Joe brought along some of his own bling for local fans to try on and signed some autographs after an exciting AFC Championship win. Check out photos from the event on our Facebook page!
Afterwards, JAF and our amazing runners walked over to Patriot Place’s newest addition, Splitsville, for some friendly competition and fun. Well-equipped with great food, good beer and a lot of laughs, the gathering allowed us to bring together our runners from across the country who all share a love and passion for running, but more importantly, running for a cause. You can also check out photos from the kick-off event here.
For every $5,000 amount raised by each runner, over seven cancer patients and their families can be helped. This means that if JAF reaches our fundraising goal of $150,000, we can assist over 214 families with paying their rent, mortgage, and utility bills, allowing families to stress less about money and focus on their family member that is fighting the disease.
We are so amazed by our incredible Team JAF members and are honored that they have chosen to run for our foundation. Some of us have been longtime friends, some are newly acquainted, but we are all brought together to inspire and help those we love, as well as families struggling with experiences some of us have gone through personally. Each day is a constant reminder of how lucky we are to be part of something bigger than ourselves, and to have such inspiring people by our side is the most humbling and comforting feeling. We run for those we love, lost, and who continue to fight. We run together.