Stamford man to run second marathon for David Ortiz's nonprofit

Stamford resident Sergio Tortora is gearing up to run his second Boston Marathon this year, again to benefit the David Ortiz Children’s Fund charity team. The Fund, a nonprofit created by its namesake former Boston Red Sox slugger which provides lifesaving heart surgeries and other pediatric care for children in New England and the Dominican Republic, really touched Tortora; the heartbreaking reality that there are children who do not have the means to receive treatment they need to survive inspired him use his bib as a platform to raise money and get behind a cause he felt passionate about.

Years ago, Tortora’s children had their own medical issues which required specialized care that was not covered by insurance. Fortunately he was able to gather the funds needed for their procedures and today, both children are thriving. He’s grateful for the David Ortiz Children’s Fund which allows him to pay it forward and help other children who desperately need care and couldn’t be more deserving of this lifeline.

“I know the heartache and pain that comes with having a child with a medical issue and as parents, our only concern is to be there for our kids,” said Tortora. “I am in a position where I am able to provide the care my children need if their lives depended on it, but there are many people out there who are not as fortunate. For as long as I can, I will do what I can to dedicate a part of my life to making those people’s lives easier.”

Tortora joins 11 other dedicated “pinch runners” as part of this year’s #PinchRun4Papi marathon team who will race and raise funds for the David Ortiz Children’s Fund. In partnership with MassGeneral Hospital for Children and CEDIMAT Hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the fund has saved over 670 lives. Through this year’s Marathon efforts, the newly launched campaign, #PinchRun4Papi, aims to raise an additional $170,000 toward lifesaving heart surgeries for 34 children by April 16th.

To aid his fundraising efforts, Tortora will team up with CrossFit Norwalk on February 17th for a “Pre-Open Prep Day” fitness event, which serves to kick-off the five-week, five-workout CrossFit Games season while raising money toward his individual $15,000 goal that will provide three lifesaving heart surgeries for children. The “Pre-Open Prep Day” fundraiser will allow fitness enthusiasts (anyone 14 years and older) a chance to participate in a sample workout before the CrossFit Games officially begin, and workouts will be held over four sessions that morning: 8am, 9am, 10am and 11am. A suggested donation of $25 per person is encouraged for participation in this event and can be made on Tortora’s crowdrise page at: https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/davidortizchildrensfundboston2018/sergiotortora.

If you would like learn more about the David Ortiz Children’s Fund and ways to get involved, please visit: www.davidortizchildrenfund.org.