On April 16, Suzanne Foley, 28, of Medford, will run in her first Boston Marathon. The three-time marathon runner and former swimmer will lace up to support Playworks New England.
Playworks New England, a regional branch of a national nonprofit, leverages the power of play to transform children’s social and emotional health. Through direct-service coaching and training, Playworks partners with elementary schools, districts, and after-school programs to integrate games into recess to create a place where every kid on the playground during recess can feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills needed to thrive in the classroom and beyond. During the 2017-2018 school year, Playworks New England is serving 75,000 students in 140 elementary schools across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.As an intake coordinator for Eliot Community Human Services, a nonprofit that provides therapeutic mental health services, Foley sees first-hand the value of play, especially during the school day. She handles the referrals of children who have often endured some type of trauma. For many, school is often the constant in their lives of rotating programs, homes and caregivers. “I truly believe in the power of play,” says Foley. “In therapeutic work, we often use games as tools for treatment. The difference is it takes place one-on-one in an office or small setting as opposed to the playground. Games and play are crucial to teaching kids life skills, such as sharing, kindness, assertiveness, self-esteem, problem solving, tolerance, the list goes on! I love that Playworks serves all types of communities. Every kid deserves a safe place to live, learn and play.”As a child, the Marblehead native was given opportunities to play. For 14 years, she was a competitive swimmer, representing her high school and college teams at regional and national meets. Although she wouldn’t call herself a runner, she has already tackled two marathons: New York City in November 2015 and Chicago in October 2016. Now, she is running four to five days a week, eating healthy and mentally preparing for the big day.“A marathon is more mental than physical,” says Foley. “I believe if you dedicate yourself to training consistently, you can do a marathon, or anything else for that matter. If you can train for a 10K, you can do a marathon.”Foley is one of six Boston Marathon runners hitting the pavement for Playworks New England. Her goal is to raise $7,500 to support the cause. On Thursday, March 1, the team will host a fundraising happy hour at Harpoon Brewery from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The event is open to the public. Tickets are $30 per person. All proceeds will directly support the Playworks New England Boston Marathon team.“Learning critical life skills at an early age will help students to become responsible and productive members of society,” say Foley. “The public needs to know about the great work that Playworks is doing with schools, districts and after school programs across the region and how contributions to our Playworks Boston Marathon Team will help to provide more access to safe and healthy play in schools.” For more information about the Playworks New England Boston Marathon team or to support Suzanne Foley, visit: https://www.crowdrise.com/suzannefoley1. About Playworks New EnglandPlayworks New England is a regional branch of a national nonprofit working to bring play and physical activity into elementary schools as a means to improve the health and well-being of children and to enhance learning. Through onsite direct-service coaching and training school faculty and staff, Playworks integrates physical activity and social and emotional learning skill-building into organized activities during recess to create a space where students feel included, are active, and build valuable social and emotional skills needed to thrive in the classroom and beyond. Entering its 12th year, Playworks New England serves more than 75,000 students in 140 elementary schools across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. To date, the nonprofit has served 210,000 youth. For more information, visit: http://www.playworks.org/communities/massachusetts.
