Will finished in 4:45:21 and we've blown the $10,000 goal out of the water! Thanks to everyone who has been sending their support from afar and a special thanks to everyone who cheered him on at the race and the kick off party. Donations can be accepted through May 20th and everything is going straight to Mass Eye and Ear. Thanks for your support!
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Thanks so much for all the donations and generosity! Thanks to everyone's INCREDIBLE support we've been able to increase our target to $10,000! We've blown through our $2500 and $5000 goals already. A special thanks to everyone who has donated offline and are not recognized in the donor list below.
REMINDER: Please RSVP to Mrs. Mac by Friday if you're going to be able to attend the event at the Old Colonial Cafe (171 Nahatan St, Norwood, MA 02062) on Sunday, April 19th 4-7PM for people to stop by to wish Will well in his run and to remember Bill. Please e-mail Mrs. Mac at bdmcn99 AT aol.com or call and leave a message on her phone at 781-837-7806 if you'd like to come!
Will, 28, has recently joined Team Eye and Ear from Aspen, CO where he lives with his dog, Riva, a two-year-old Newfoundland. Almost three years ago, Will had a mountain biking accident near Vail, Colorado. As a result of the accident, he broke his back. During surgery, Will had a stroke to the optic nerve in both eyes, leaving him legally blind and facing a new way of life. Due to the special rehabilitation Will received while in Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital in Colorado and support from friends and family, he walked out of the facility with only the aid of a cane. He says, “I have two rods and many screws in my back, but my back has been fine, it’s been my eyes that hold me back.” “My family has been looking and we are all hoping for some kind of cure for my eyes.” Will found Mass. Eye and Ear and Dr. Dean Cestari’s marathon team of nine members <http://teameyeandear.com/meet-the-team/honors-marathon-team/> who are raising funds for neuro-ophthalmology research and knew it was a perfect match. Will ran the Chicago Marathon this past fall to raise funds for Craig Hospital. This April, Will will run with Mass. Eye and Ear in memory of his father who he lost to cancer. “As a family, we have raised lots of funds for cancer. Now we think my dad would want us to do some fundraising for eye research and we feel we have found the right place . . . we are all looking for some type of cure for my eyes.” Will is not new to giving back. He uses his challenges to help others. In addition to his fundraising activities, Will volunteers for Challenge Aspen <http://www.challengeaspen.org/index.cfm> , a non-profit organization that offers life changing experiences to individuals and groups with disabilities. Will attributes what he’s been able to overcome and accomplish due to the support from his friends and family including his mom, who lives in Scituate, MA and his younger sister, Becca, who lives in D.C. On April 20, Will will join the 55 other members of Team Eye and Ear for the 113th running of the Boston Marathon to raise funds and hope for others.
Also we have secured the Old Colonial Cafe (171 Nahatan St, Norwood, MA 02062) for Sunday, April 19th 4-7PM, for people to stop by to wish Will well in his run and to remember Bill. Please e-mail Mrs. Mac at bdmcn99 AT aol.com or call and leave a message on her phone at 781-837-7806 if you'd like to come!
If you don't like teh interwebz and would prefer to donate by check that's great too!
Check to: Foundation of MEEI, INC ("Team Honors, Will McNamara" on subject line)
Mailed to:
Mrs. Deborah McNamara,
P.O. Box 372
Humarock, MA 02047
