On April 16, Shelby Doherty, 28, of Newton, will run in her first Boston Marathon. The former Bishop Feehan High School track star and two-time half-marathon runner 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.Doherty, a Communications and Policy specialist at National Grid, learned about Playworks New England through a friend who ran in the Boston Marathon for the organization last year. After playing alongside other young professionals and kids in a dodgeball tournament hosted by the nonprofit at a Dorchester elementary school this past year, she saw first-hand the power that play can have to build skills and more united communities.“Children are our future,” says Doherty, a Communications and Policy specialist at National Grid. “Playworks provides kids with access to opportunities for safe and healthy play, during which kids build skills to become more well-rounded, empathetic and confident. Bullying is reduced. School climate improves. It’s a wonderful organization and I am honored to run on behalf of Playworks.” For years, Doherty, a Cumberland, R.I. native, has cheered for Boston Marathon runners from the sidelines. This year, she will fulfill a lifetime dream to be one of them. Doherty is one of six Boston Marathon runners hitting the pavement for Playworks New England. Her goal is to raise $8,000 to support the cause. “The biggest blessing in my life is to have two parents who have supported me and loved me unconditionally,” says Doherty, whose parents, fiancé, brother, sister-in-law, nephew and friends will be on Boylston Street to see her cross the finish line. “To be able to give back in some way to kids growing up who may not have the support and resources I did means the world to me.”On Thursday, March 1, the Playworks New England Boston Marathon 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.For more information about the Playworks New England Boston Marathon team or to support Shelby Doherty, visit: https://www.crowdrise.com/shelbydoherty. 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.
