Growing up in the Boston area, I've learned that the Boston Marathon has always been one of the great traditions that makes the city unique.  Between the starting line in Hopkinton, the half way point in my home town of Natick, Heart Break Hill in Newton, and all the way to the finish line at the Boston Public Library on Boylston St, it seems that for at least one day during the year, the entire community comes together to celebrate the great tradition that we have enjoyed for the past 116 years.

My employer (John Hancock) is the primary sponsor of the Boston Marathon and each year they give the opportunity to 100 employees to participate in this great event.  This year I was selected to the list of employee runners and have been given the opportunity to compete in the event.

Through my entire life in athletics, I've learned to be grateful for and to make the most of every opportunity because they will not always be given to me.  Being able to run in the Boston Marathon is no certainly no exception, and I am training as hard as I can to take full advantage of this.

As part of the program run by John Hancock, we get to raise money for a special cause in the Boston area.  Since I have spent much of the past 6 years helping young people through coaching Baseball and Basketball, I felt it made perfect sense for me to represent the Teen Empowerment Program, which helps the youth in urban areas of Boston.  More information on the great work this charity does is located below.

I understand that these times are tough, and making a donation is not the easiest thing to do when the economy weighs on us all.  However, I kindly ask you to consider supporting, with me, this worthwhile charity to support the at-risk youth of Boston.  Any donation would be much appreciated.

Running the Boston Marathon truly is a great challenge that I wouldn't be able to complete on my own.  All the support I receive from my family and friends is what motivates me to compete.

Thanks for your support and encouragement, and please let me know if you have any questions.

-Greg

Center for the Development of Teen Empowerment, Inc. wrote -

Every dollar donated to Teen Empowerment is used to hire and support youth from urban neighborhoods to plan and carry out initiatives engaging thousands of community members each year. These initiatives involve hundreds of young people from high-risk backgrounds in telling their stories, expressing their emotions, and committing themselves to creating communities based on respect and cooperation, while building enormous good will among youth from different neighborhoods and between young people and the adult world. 

But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Please spend a few minutes looking at the videos of TE youth at work and you will see the capacity that they have to communicate powerful messages of mutual respect that is helping to create urban environments where healing is possible and violence unthinkable.

We want to offer our deep appreciation to all of those men and women who are dedicating themselves simultaneously to training for the Boston Marathon and to raising much-needed funds to support Teen Empowerment’s important work. Thanks so much to the members of the TE Team and to all of you who are supporting them and Teen Empowerment through your donations.