What a race! They did it, six runners, six finishers. Our team ran the 125th Annual Boston Marathon to raise much-needed funds to support The Children’s Room services for grieving children, teens, and families. Four of the six are families who came towards us to receive services for their children. The team included marathoners, casual runners and a few who had never run before. They all committed to the demanding training and race with conviction and courage. We are so very proud. And our two volunteer coaches, Crissy Straub and Malinda Dublin of MC Coaching, received the Grace Johnson Volunteer Appreciation Award from the Parmenter Foundation in recognition of their work providing guidance and encouragement to the team.
This team exceeded our expectations with their fundraising! Together they raised nearly $150,000 to support our programs so that we can continue to offer services for no fee.
The Children’s Room is fortunate to have an additional team member who ran virtually from PA. Andy Breisch had no previous connection to The Children’s Room but chose our charity as the beneficiary of his virtual Boston Marathon run this year. Thank you Andy.
Thank You To Our Principal Sponsors
Thank You To Our Supporting Sponsors
The Children’s Room is proud to be an official Partner of John Hancock in the Marathon Non-Profit Program. The Non-Profit Program provides over 1,000 Boston Marathon® bibs to select non-profit organizations throughout the community, which provides organizations with a significant fundraising opportunity. Last year, John Hancock Non-Profit Runners raised over $10M for their causes.
In 2018 my husband Joe passed away. Joe and I have 2 beautiful daughters Callie and Kennedy. They were just 7 and 4 years old when Joe passed. I will never forget the moment I broke the news to my daughters. In an instant their world was torn apart, their hearts crushed, their worst nightmare had come true. From that moment on we have been trying to piece our hearts back together and find a new normal.
Shortly after Joe passed it was suggested that we check out The Children’s Room in Arlington Mass. The Children’s Room is non profit organization that offers a place for grieving children and families. Where they provide peer support groups so that no child has to grieve alone. My girls and I walked into The Children’s Room completely shattered. Totally unaware that we were walking into a house full of warmth, understanding and love. From the moment I sat down I could feel this calming energy. As if the universe had just given us one big hug, telling us you are exactly where you need to be. I felt like I had just landed our space ship on a planet full of others just like us. We all have different stories of loss. But in the end it is all the same pain and similar struggles. Often my children speak of how different they feel. How they feel left out only having one parent. Because of The Children’s Room they are able to sit with other kids who have the same feelings and fears. My older daughter was able to see other kids with the same anxieties. And I remember after the first group my little one said to me “Mama another little boys Mommy is in Heaven too”.
At The Children’s Room my girls connect with their peers in ways they otherwise are not able to. At the end of each group my kids are so happy. They walk out with big smiles on their faces. They leave feeling reset and ready to take on the world with more strength than they did the time before. Both of my daughters are incredibly strong. And with the help of The Children’s Room they face each day with a smile and brave heart in ways so many adults are not able to do. I am extremely proud that they have been able to keep their hearts kind and grateful. They show empathy and courage while underneath it all they are full of anxiety and heart ache. They are truly my heroes.
I am running The 2021 Boston Marathon as part of The Children’s Room team. Please help me reach my goal of 10,000 dollars to support The Children’s Room where they continue to offer such a wonderful place for grieving children, teens, and their families.
I’m running the Boston Marathon for my wife Katie and The Children’s Room again this year in October. I think this is one of the best ways for me to honor Katie’s legacy and her fun-loving and caring spirit. Following her sudden passing in 2019, it became clear that Katie made a positive impact on the lives of so many people who knew her. My running the marathon for Katie and raising money for The Children’s Room will ensure that this positive impact continues by helping those who benefit from the much needed services The Children’s Room provides. They do incredible work for kids and families like mine who find themselves in a really difficult situation. Please join me in supporting this great cause.
Last year’s virtual marathon was a great experience, but I’m looking forward to my shot at the real thing this year and running down Boylston towards that finish line. Let’s go!!!
Hi all! I’m taking part in 125th Boston Marathon to raise money for The Children’s Room, who do great work for a cause that’s very close to my heart. If you can, please donate to my fundraising project on GivenGain!
The Children’s Room is a non-profit organization that creates safe, supportive communities so that no child, teen, or family has to grieve alone. Their services are offered to grieving families free of charge which means we rely on generous donations to keep our programs funded.
As a teenager, I lost my mom during my senior year of high school. To say it turned my world upside down is an understatement. Nevertheless, I have always been lucky to have a large extended family that has gone above and beyond to support me. However, the way in which individuals experience grief and the types of support they need can be unique depending on the person, and the Children’s Room has many services to support families facing the death of a parent or child.
Since his passing, the kids and I have been lucky to have such wonderful friends and family who have rallied around us in our support. We have also been lucky to find the Children’s Room — a nonprofit that offers direct services and peer support groups to families who have lost a loved one. The services are offered free off charge — an important lifeline for people suffering immeasurable grief. Grief counseling can be prohibitively expensive, and having this resource in a time of crisis can truly be lifesaving.
I’ve decided to run the 125th Boston Marathon to raise money for the Children’s Room, a cause now very close to my heart. If you can, please consider donating in memory of Chris, and to support others suffering the unending grief of losing a cherished loved one. And make sure to look for me at the marathon — I’ll be wearing the shirt saying “I run for Chris.”
I will be running the 125th Boston Marathon this year on October 11th, 2021, in memory of my daughter, Molly. I am seeking donations on behalf of The Children’s Room Miles and Memories 2021 campaign.
If interested, here is Molly’s obituary:
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=molly-c-mclean&pid=196267371&fhid=20835).
Although the last year has been one big blur for our family, we have made the well-being of our granddaughter, Rylie, our main focus. Rylie is Molly’s beautiful little girl. At three and a half years old, Rylie could not understand the permanence of Molly’s passing, and as you can imagine, wants to see her Mommy again and again.
We were completely overwhelmed with how to cope with this huge loss ourselves – never mind how to explain it to a 3 year old. We found out about The Children’s Room which became our savior in helping Rylie and us cope with Molly’s passing. Rylie participates in therapy sessions with other children who have lost loved ones. We also participate in a family group activity, which has been a great way for us to be together while also remembering many funny, happy, sad and often crazy stories about Molly.
I plan to run the first 20 miles, one for each month Molly was clean. The next 6 for my family. And the last 0.2 is for me, for being crazy enough to do this!
Molly always said to us, I love you to the moon and back. Here’s hoping that the moon is not at my back when I cross the finish line!
In honor of “The Children’s Room”, I am asking for your support as I raise money for this charity that provides guidance and services for families and children as they work through the grieving process. My wife and I had the privilege of attending a virtual tour and we were so impressed with the dedication and direction this organization provides. In my search to support this charity, I was given the chance to complete a lifelong goal, the running of the holy grail of marathons, Boston.
Please sponsor me as I run Boston on October 11th. This is a dream come true for me and a privilege to support such a great charity as “The Children’s Room”.
Warm thanks to Advisory Board Member, Crissy Straub, and her running partner, Malinda Dublin, of MC Coaching, for once again volunteering their services to help train and guide our runners from the beginning of the process all the way through to race day.
