Boston Marathon training season has begun. The long runs in the cold, the hill workouts and the 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.
For the 119th Boston Marathon on April 20th, 2015, The Joe Andruzzi Foundation (JAF) and Team JAF will be running in its 5th consecutive marathon. Selected by the John Hancock Nonprofit Partners, Team JAF will be entering 19 runners in this year’s race (15 of which are John Hancock entries), all who req
uired to raise a minimum of $5,000, with some goals set to $10,000.
The Joe Andruzzi Foundation is committed to 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. Team JAF is one of the many ways the Joe Andruzzi Foundation helps raise money to provide this support. For every $5,000 amount raised by each runner, over seven cancer patients and their families can be helped.
This past Monday, JAF kicked off marathon season with a two-part evening. First, the Foundation hosted a Charmed By Charity event at Alex and Ani Patriot Place where representatives taught runners to fundraise through the jeweler’s products. Joe brought some bling of his own and took photos with fans that got to try on his three Super Bowl rings. Second, Team JAF walked over to Splitsville for some food and friendly competition to start the team bonding process—an important component for Team JAF. Not only does each runner support the morals and mission of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, but many of them also have direct ties to family, friend or personal battles with cancer.
In addition to fundraising and team-building, Team JAF provides multitudes of training opportunities for its runners. Weekly hill workouts in Newton, training runs on the course, and costumed long-runs (“Superhero 17” and “Hop21”) are amongst the many ways team members can train together for the April Race. The Joe Andruzzi Foundation is incredibly supportive to their runners as well; board members attend as many runner-fundraisers as possible and continuously keep in touch with the runners and their training progress.
JAF emphasizes the immense impact that raising money has in making things a little easier for families fighting cancer. Click to donate to the Joe Andruzzi Foundation.
If you have an entry for the Boston Marathon and want to pay-it-forward, apply today to join the Team JAF, click here.
Additionally, Team JAF has two spots left for this year’s United Airlines NYC Half Marathon on Sunday, March 15, 2015. To apply, click here.
It’s important knowing that it’s not always about finishing the race, but preparing for and running the race itself that tests and challenges you (which, of course, applies to much more than running marathons).
-Team Stacy
