Members of the Samaritans Marathon Team including Jamaica Plain resident Joy Kogut will be running in the 123rd 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 12th 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 2018, John Hancock provided more than 1,000 bibs to nonprofit runners who raised more than $13.1 million for local organizations. For over 30 years, John Hancock has been the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon.
About Samaritans For over 40 years, Samaritans, Inc. volunteers have answered more than 2.5 million phone calls. The agency has trained more than 4,500 volunteers and instructed more than 100,000 individuals through its Community Education and Outreach Program, and has supported over 10,000 individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide. For more information about Samaritans, please visitwww.samaritanshope.org or contact Samaritans’ business office at 617-536-2460 or [email protected].