Cancer Survivor and Friend Partner Together for the 125th Boston Marathon to Support Homeless Families
Rob Velasquez is training hard to run the Boston Marathon on October 11. Rob’s goal is even bigger than completing 26.2 miles, though — Rob is raising funds in support FamilyAid, a Boston-based nonprofit that empowers children and parents facing homelessness to secure and sustain housing and build strong foundations for their futures.
Rob’s reasons for running are not just to support FamilyAid though; “I’m running this race in honor of my friend. Jim Partridge made me aware of the importance that FamilyAid had on his life and how dear it is to him,” Rob said.
Jim Partridge dreamed of running the Boston Marathon again. He began training hard, but due to an ongoing fight with cancer and the recommendation of his medical team, Jim was forced to hang up his sneakers this year, but not without a plan.
“I had hoped to run the Boston Marathon as a comeback of my own after some tough health struggles. I have been battling cancer for the last few years – mostly quietly – with the support of my family and friends,” explained Jim. “In the face of that adversity I had hoped to come back and work with FamilyAid Boston, the charity that supported me in 2013. They remind me of how important family is to make it through life’s most difficult times.”
Knowing that training for a marathon would be too taxing on his body, he reached out to Rob with an idea – they would fundraise for FamilyAid Boston together, as a team, and Rob would take Jim’s place this year and accomplish their dream of running the Boston Marathon.
Rob is the owner of Big Coach V, a personal training business based in South Boston. Originally from Pueblo, CO, Rob has been a Boston resident for the past 15 years. After playing football at Endicott College, he went on to coach at BB&N, BC High, Tufts University, and Bentley University. His professional fitness career started at EveryBodyFights and he has been working as a personal trainer since 2019. It was at EveryBodyFights that Jim and Rob met, and Rob promised to run the virtual marathon last fall. Now one year later, the two of them have worked together to raise thousands of dollars and are ready for an in-person race.
Boston now has the third highest number of people in families experiencing homelessness–3,714–on any given night. This number includes more than 2,000 children.
Over the past year, FamilyAid served 3,000 children and parents with shelter, housing, and support services needed to return to stable housing. These services included providing 580,000 pounds of essential food and supplies through weekly door-to-door deliveries, $1.1 million in direct financial assistance to ensure families could pay for food, utilities, and other basic needs, launching a half-million-dollar incentive program to encourage landlords to rent to families with housing vouchers and opening a new, safe refuge program for families seeking shelter in Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center emergency rooms. Families who are placed in housing by FamilyAid have a 99% success rate of remaining housed a year later.
Through the John Hancock Marathon Non-Profit Program, and the dedication and support of FamilyAid’s Marathon team, FamilyAid hopes to raise more than $100,000 to create lasting solutions to the family homelessness crisis in our community. To learn more about FamilyAid Boston please visit www.familyaidboston.org.
To make a donation to support Jim and Rob, please visit their fundraising page
