Simsbury Woman Holds Boston Marathon Fundraiser to Benefit Dana-Farber

Tracy Saperstein of Simsbury will host Wine Tasting with Wines from Around the World, a cancer research fundraiser at Simsbury Fire Company Clubhouse on Town Forest Road in Simsbury on Saturday, Feb. 28 as part of Her 2015 Boston Marathon run on the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) team.

Wine Tasting “Wines from Around the World” will include multiple wines paired with appitizers and desserts. There will be live music, “Opportunity Drawings” , door prizes and much more! The event starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25.

More information is available by calling Tracy at 860-558-2113. Although some tickets may be available at the door, it is strongly suggested you purchase your tickets in advance. All proceeds from the event support Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Saperstein is one of more than 550 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners from across the country and the world who will run the 119th Boston Marathon on April 20 with a goal of raising $5.2 million for Dana-Farber.

One hundred percent of the funds raised benefit Dana-Farber’s Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which supports cornerstone science research in its earliest stages, providing researchers with critical resources to test their cutting-edge ideas. Findings from Barr Program research can provide novel clinical insights as well as the results necessary to seek additional federal funding.

Since its inception in 1990, the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $69 million for the Barr Program. Dana-Farber Trustees J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver founded the Barr Program in 1987 to honor Mrs. Weaver’s mother, Claudia Adams Barr, who lost her battle with cancer in 1957.

This year marks the 26th running of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. In 1990, Dana-Farber was among the first charity organizations to be recognized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A), which organizes the Boston Marathon.

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team offers its members extensive fundraising support, training guidance from Jack Fultz, the 1976 Boston Marathon men’s champion, plus team training runs, and volunteer opportunities for non-runners. Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners who are not time-qualified for the Boston Marathon receive an invitational entry into the race.

Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team members must meet one of the following basic fundraising commitments:

Invitational runners (runners who receive an entry from Dana-Farber) have a basic fundraising commitment of $4,000.

Own entry runners (runners who have joined the DFMC after obtaining their own race entry) have a basic fundraising commitment of $3,500.

To contribute directly to Tracy’s goal of $13,000go online to the Run DFMC website or contact the Dana-Farber Running Programs office at (617) 632-1970 or email dfmc@dfci.harvard.edu. Follow DFMC on Facebook.

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge is one of many ways runners can support the lifesaving mission of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dana-Farber offers official teams in the Boston Marathon, Falmouth Road Race B.A.A Half Marathon, and B.A.A. 5K. Participants can also ‘Run Any Race’ of any distance, in any city, while raising funds for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. For more information visit RunDanaFarber.org.

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute:

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is world renowned for its leadership in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of NCI and National Institutes of Health grant funding. For more information, go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute website.