Ever since I was five years old I have spent almost every Patriot's Day (better known as Marathon Monday) somewhere along the Boston Marathon course to cheer for my dad and his friends. I ran my first marathon in 2009, but the Boston Marathon is different, and a challenge I have always wanted to take on. My brother and I used to make up songs about my dad's number while we waited for him and his friends to run by us. I have watched Dick Hoyt push his son Rick through Kenmore Square. I saw Lance Armstrong at the bottom of Heartbreak Hill. 

On April 16, 2012, I'm finally going to do it. I'm going to run the Boston Marathon. Boston is a race that draws world-class marathoners from many countries. World records have been broken there. It also draws tens of thousands of runners like me. I've joined the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center’s Boston Marathon Team.  My training is well under way and so far the weather has been on my side! The CLLC is located in my neighborhood and for the past 2 years I have volunteered and coached a third and fourth grade girls lacrosse team.

The CLLC creates a community in which young people of all ages and backgrounds possess the leadership skills, self confidence and knowledge to succeed on the field, in the classroom, and in life. An education-oriented, multi-service youth development program, they use lacrosse, academic enrichment, and community service as vehicles to enhance intellectual curiosity, support and encourage academic progress, and motivate participants to set and pursue challenging academic and athletic goals.

Since the fall of 1997, CLLC has provided Charlestown youth and adolescents with a community-based lacrosse program and year-round academic programs. CLLC operates Boston’s oldest lacrosse program and has lacrosse programs for boys in girl’s kindergarten through the twelfth grade. Throughout the year, CLLC manages a Learning Center that provides it’s student-athletes with an opportunity for 1:1 tutoring, reading groups, a peer mentoring program, healthy cooking classes, standardized test preparation, foreign language labs, a chess club, writing and mediation club, and much more. These programs allow their student-athletes to gain the extra help they need to accomplish their goals in the classroom, on the field, and life.

I'm very glad to be part of CLLC marathon team. I have made a commitment to train, finish this marathon, and to raise $3,500 for the CLLC. I know I can do it with the help of my dad, coach, teammates, family and friends. So with the student-athletes of the CLLC in mind, I'm asking you to give to CLLC. Your donation is tax-deductible. I gratefully welcome donations of any size.
Thanks,
Katie Webber