Samaritans Team To Run Boston Marathon To Save Lives

From Samaritans: Members of the Samaritans Marathon Team will be running in the 122nd Boston Marathon to honor loved ones lost to suicide, while raising funds, hope, and awareness for suicide prevention.

All proceeds generated from this year’s team will benefit Samaritans’ suicide prevention services. This includes their 24/7 Crisis Services phone and text Helpline, suicide prevention workshops for schools, businesses, and community groups, and SafePlace support groups for those who have lost someone to suicide.

“Each of our team members have been touched by suicide and are passionate about raising awareness and educating the public about this important issue,” said Executive Director of Samaritans Steve Mongeau. “The stigma and misinformation that surrounds the discussion of suicide and suicide prevention is an unfortunate reality. Our Marathon runners are performing a tremendous service to our organization and the community at large, and are helping to save lives.”

This is the 11th consecutive year that Samaritans, a suicide prevention organization serving the Greater Boston and Metro West communities, has received bib numbers for their Marathon Team. The donation was made to help Samaritans generate awareness about the issue of suicide, educate the public about suicide prevention, and raise much-needed funds.

Samaritans will once again be participating as a non-profit partner in the John Hancock Non-Profit Marathon Program. Each year, John Hancock donates guaranteed entries to select nonprofits which use these entries to recruit individual runners to raise money for their cause.

In 2017, John Hancock nonprofit runners raised more than $12.3 million for 131 different local organizations. For over 30 years, John Hancock has been the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon.

Image via Shutterstock.com