Runners Raise Funds for Boston Marathon Victims

Patrons at Hemenway Gymnasium exercised for a cause Wednesday as the gym dedicated its 19 treadmills to a fundraising effort in honor of participants at this year’s Boston Marathon.

Runners were asked to donate 26 dollars for a 26-minute session on the machine—just one of many efforts on campus to raise money for The One Fund, established by Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78 and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino to support families affected by the Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three and injured more than 170 last month.

“We’ve housed people that have been training for a year for this,” said Katherine E. Egan, assistant general manager of Hemenway Gym. “We felt like this building and these walls really had a bruise on them from what had happened. We wanted to give back somehow, not just to the cause, but also to our members.”

Although the gym quieted down after a midday rush, a steady trickle of patrons continued to filter in throughout the afternoon, and a basket of raffle tickets—one given for every dollar donated—filled up quickly.

“I didn’t have time to run 26 minutes, but I might come back later with my friends.” said Bobby T. Fitzpatrick, Jr. ’16. “It makes it seem so doable to run for 26 minutes, especially compared to 26 miles.”

Dunster House resident tutor Kirstin W. Scott had just completed the marathon when the first bomb went off at the finish line. In the immediate chaos of the attacks, she remembers “hugging strangers,” trying to support those around her, and feeling helpless.

Looking for a way to contribute to relief efforts afterwards, she ordered one thousand wristbands inscribed with “All in For Boston”—an encouraging phrase posted along the marathon route. The supplier doubled the order for no charge.

“If you donate five dollars to The One Fund, I’ll send you a wristband,” Scott said. “Once we run out of our two thousand bands, I’ll feel comfortable saying we’ve raised about ten thousand dollars for The One Fund, at a minimum.”

Student groups have been working to support those affected at the Marathon as well. Profits from the Presencia Latina cultural show, which took place the weekend after the bombings, were redirected towards The One Fund after organizers wanted to contribute to the local community.

“We live in Cambridge, yeah, but we’re part of Boston...It’s our hometown, at least for these four years,” said Presencia Latina director Maricela Lupercio ’15. “After everything that happened, we felt that money should go somewhere more purposeful.”

The Asian American Christian Fellowship plans to donate 700 dollars, or roughly one-third of the profits from its annual “servant auction,” to The One Fund. The money will come out of its service trip scholarships, but the group plans to offset the impact with additional fundraising efforts.

“At Harvard, students are very privileged and have a lot of resources, provided either by students or by the school,” said Yelun D. Qin ’10, an AACF staff member. “It’s just a small step to giving back to the immediate community.”