Team Framingham Runs Boston Marathon to Support Call2Talk

In 2012, over 38,000 people in the United States lost their lives to suicide - 624 of them lived in Massachusetts.

Thousands more made attempts to end their lives or engaged in self harming behavior resulting in hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Tens of thousands more individuals were impacted by these acts as they are the loved ones left behind.

Call2Talk, an emotional support and mental health helpline and a direct service of the United Way of Tri-County, actively engages with callers to help alleviate their feelings of despair, loneliness and potential suicidal ideation. Callers are encouraged to freely express their concerns and challenges to work through their own solutions. Through validation and nonjudgmental listening, callers are made to feel emotionally safe and are empowered to face their issues.

Call2Talk continues to grow each month. By training more volunteer call takers the program is able to provide more service.

“We are very proud of our Call2Talk Boston Marathon Team as they will help us provide much needed resources so we can continue to be present for those that need us most” said Eileen Davis, Program Director of Call2Talk.

On April 20, a group of five local runners will be participating in the Boston Marathon to raise financial support for Call2Talk. 62 local runners applied and only 22 were randomly chosen to represent Team Framingham.

The runners are enduring training in the extreme New England snow and cold with goals to raise a minimum of $1,500 each. Every dollar raised by the 5 Team Framingham Call2Talk runners will go directly to the Call2Talk program.

The team includes Framingham locals Peter Gould, Michelle Kinsella, Sarah Matteodo, Joe Mazzola, and Bailey Siber.

• This will be Gould’s third consecutive Boston Marathon! His very first Boston Marathon was in 2013, when he was just shy of the finish line when the bombing occurred.
• Kinsella has spent a majority of her life dedicated to helping educate children on making healthy decisions as a Framingham elementary health educator, so she understands how important it is to have a program like Call2Talk.
• Matteodo, will be making one of her life long dreams come true this year. Growing up in Framingham she has watched the race each year, but this year she will be running in it as part of Team Framingham.
  
• Mazzola, a Lieutenant for the Framingham Fire Department, has spent over 27 years helping people in his role as a fire fighter. This will be his eighth Boston Marathon! He feels passionate about raising money for Call2Talk and says “Thank you in advance for all your support and help!”
  
• Siber is currently a freshman at Tufts University. She is running not only the Boston Marathon but the Martha’s Vineyard 20 Miler to raise money for Call2Talk. Bailey has been part of this program since it started, and considers the Call2Talk team part of her family.

If you would like to make a donation you can do so at www.uwotc.org/marathon.