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9-18-2023 8:08am
35 Westwood Residents to Participate in 35th Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Photo by Sam Blackman from Flickr.
On Sunday, October 1, 2023, thirty-five residents from Westwood will participate in the 35th anniversary of The Jimmy Fund Walk, which walk organizers say is the only organized walk permitted on the Boston Marathon course.
Julie Wallace is one of Westwood's participating residents. A senior director in the Access and Financial Department at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Ms. Wallace participates in honor of her patients, many family members and friends who have battled cancer, and her grandfather who passed away in 2014 after battling with both prostate and liver cancer.
Ms. Wallace also captains Team Access, which is comprised of employees from Dana-Farber's Access Management departments, along with their family and friends. It's an opportunity to spend time with colleagues, family, and friends while supporting the those who have been impacted by cancer.
The upcoming walk will be Ms. Wallace's third. "I had several family members who were treated at Dana-Farber, " she notes." My favorite part of the day (and also one of the most emotional) is standing on Jimmy Fund Way with my family and colleagues and seeing many of our youngest patients holding up signs and cheering us on at the start of the 3-mile walk," she says.
Additional Westwood residents who have signed up to walk include Toni Choueiri, Zeina Choueiri, Hannah Blonder, MaryAnne Carty, David Russell, Katie Sargent, Nancy Weinreich, Tara Travers-Araque, Janice Russell, Samantha Keene, and 25 additional Westwood residents who will join thousands of walkers to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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In the past 34 years, The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $167 million, including raising over $8.8 million in 2022, a record-setting year for the walk. This year, the walk's organizers have a new goal of raising $9 million, says Zach Blackburn, director of the Jimmy Fund Walk.
Residents can choose from four distance options. There is a 5K walk that starts from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Longwood Medical Campus, a 10K walk from Newton, a half-marathon walk from Wellesley, and a marathon walk from Hopkinton. Each walk will be equipped with 10 refueling stations and half-mile and mile markers consisting of posters of patients, who are called Jimmy Fund Walk Heroes. All routes will finish at a new finish line in the Fenway neighborhood, rather than Copley Square, due to construction. At the finish line, participants will enjoy food, music, and speeches.
There is also a virtual walk option, for those who may want to participate by walking their own chosen route in their neighborhood, a hiking trail, or even a treadmill. All registered walkers will receive a bib, medal, and Jimmy Fund Walk T-shirt.
Those who are interested in walking, volunteering, or supporting a walker can visit www.JimmyFundWalk.org or call (866) 531-9255. Registrants can enter the promo code NEWS for $5 off the registration fee.
Thanks to the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk for contributing this news to Westwood Minute.
