Neighbor News
Reading’s Kimberly Smith Runs the Boston Marathon®
Smith is Lacing Up to Support Her Children's Education at the YMCA of Greater Boston
Reading’s Kimberly Smith, 36, set the goal of successfully running a marathon and decided to get her toes wet by running the Maine Coast Marathon in 2015. And, the experience motivated her to go one step further and set the goal of running the historic Boston Marathon. Kimberly Smith, a mother of two, is doing just that this April as part of the YMCA’s Boston Marathon Team.
“The programing at the YMCA is something my family takes advantage of. My 5 year-old goes to the Y’s afterschool program while my 3 year-old goes to the preschool,” says Smith. “Sometimes it can be hard to balance it all, having small children and working full time. I am able to wake up before them, get my run in, and then take them to the Y. I am grateful for the YMCA, and their guidance in my young daughters' lives.”
All funds raised by Y Marathon team members will support the YMCA of Greater Boston’s teen programs. This past summer the YMCA of Greater Boston gave out 15,000 free three-month memberships to teens at the Y’s 13 branches with unlimited access and held more than 900 community events. Programs like Safe Dating, Cyber Bulling, Job Readiness, Volunteerism, Leadership, SAT prep and mentoring programs empower and engage youth in productive ways.
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“The funds raised through the Y’s Boston Marathon Team are crucial in helping to meet the growing demands of our teen population,” Says James O’S. Morton, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston. “This past summer was our busiest to date with each of our branches creating programming to fit the needs of the youth in their neighborhoods. YMCA of Greater Boston’s teen programming is an invaluable resource in providing safe spaces, structured activities and caring adults who inspire and mentor our teens.”
The YMCA of Greater Boston is pleased to be a beneficiary of the John Hancock Non-Profit Marathon Program. John Hancock donates hundreds of guaranteed entries into the Boston Marathon each year to select non-profit organizations through their Marathon Non-Profit Program. Organizations use these entries to recruit individual runners who pledge to raise money for their cause.
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As a family nurse practitioner, Smith sees firsthand the positive impact that organizations like the YMCA can have on impressionable youth. She describes the YMCA as pivotal in molding teens and guiding them into healthy lifestyles with self-confidence.
“I hope that I am a positive example for my daughters, instilling the belief that you can do whatever you set your mind to,” Smith says. “The training has not always been easy, but I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to wear the YMCA name on my bib on April 16.”
Runners who have qualified to receive a Boston Marathon bib and would like to experience the camaraderie of running with a team while supporting charity are welcome to join the YMCA of Greater Boston’s Marathon team by raising a minimum of $1,500. For more information about YMCA’s marathon runners or to donate to Kimberly Smith, please visit: http://ymcaboston.org/Marathon.
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