Team Gathering on 2/23

There was a change in schedule and the Renys are now hosting a final small team gathering (in-person) on 2/23! If you are available and would like to attend, there are limited spots, so click here to RSVP!

Fundraising Tip

Reach out to your network on Saturday, February 14 and ask them to share the LOVE and support your upcoming run! See below for language you can personalize for an email/text/social post.

This Valentine’s Day, I invite you to share the love by supporting the Stepping Strong Marathon Team. As I train for the historic Boston Marathon, my teammates and I are doing more than preparing for a race, we are running to transform the lives of trauma survivors.

Every mile is a labor of love, fueled by our commitment to advancing trauma research and care through the Stepping Strong Center. Your support won’t just carry me to the start and across the finish line, but it will help provide critical funding for research grants, educational programs, and patient-focused initiatives, to develop innovative treatments that revolutionize trauma care and rebuild lives.

If you’re able, please consider making a gift today. You can visit my fundraising page here: <INSERT LINK>.

Thank you for sharing the love and being part of this journey with me.

Donor Questions & Donor Advised Fund Gifts

Friendly reminder for you and your donors that the best way to get questions answered is to reach out to me directly (marathonteam@bwh.harvard.edu and/or 857 505 1225), rather than contacting the general development office or Kiran Rai. I will triage all inquiries and make sure each gift question is processed quickly and accurately! Here are a few key reminders:

• Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Gifts: Donors can use their DAF to support your fundraising. All they need is the following information:
  • Tax ID: 04-2312909
  • Charitable/Non-Profit Organization Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Mass General Brigham
  • Address: 263 Huntington Ave. #318, Boston, MA 02115-4506
  • Designation/Comments: Stepping Strong Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Support of <RUNNER NAME> Marathon Run.
  • Donor Advised Fund Gifts are also known as Charitable Funds, Family Funds, etc.

• Please ensure donors know you’re fundraising for the Stepping Strong Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Some donors are disputing their donations because they do not recognize the charge on their credit cards
  • Disputed charges are reversed and removed from your fundraising page.
  • Credit card charges appear on statements as ‘Brigham and Women’s Hosp’

For additional guidance about gifts, you can also refer to the second team meeting PowerPoint by clicking here, which has all the relevant information laid out clearly.

Team Office Hours

Office hours are available for questions, fundraising guidance, or general support. Please drop in at any of the times below:

• Wednesday, 2/18
  • 8:30–9:00am: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=83193091649
• Friday, 2/20
  • 12:30–1:00pm: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=88039061029
• Tuesday, 2/24
  • 5:15–5:45pm: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=86879138047

From start to finish,

Ali

Hi Team!

It was a pleasure meeting a few of you at the Reny small team dinner this week. I enjoyed learning more about each of you and your motivation for running with Team Stepping Strong. During the evening, a question came up about how to talk about the Stepping Strong Center’s work and our definition of traumatic injury. 

I’ve shared our elevator pitch and definition below and hope you find this helpful in your fundraising efforts.

Elevator Pitch: 

Founded by survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation transforms how we prevent, treat, and recover from traumatic injury—the number one cause of death for people under 44 in the United States. Through research grants, educational programs, and patient-focused initiatives, the center unites healthcare professionals to develop innovative treatments that revolutionize trauma care and rebuild lives.

Definition of Traumatic Injury:

Traumatic injury is sudden intentional or unintentional exposure to an external force, object, or substance resulting in severe or life-threatening bodily harm. Examples include, but are not limited to, injuries from motor vehicle crashes, violence, blasts, drownings, natural disasters, and falls.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if I can assist with anything throughout the remainder of your marathon season. On behalf of the team, we wish you all the best of luck with your training and can’t wait to cheer for you on Marathon Monday!

Cheryl Lang

P.S. Be sure to check out the following one-pagers as they have great information for you and your donors:

• What we Do_We We Impact
• The Value of Trauma Research
• FAQs

We hope your training and fundraising efforts are going well as we get closer to Marathon Monday. Below are this week’s key updates and reminders to help you stay on track.

Donor Support

Please share my contact information with your donors and encourage them to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding their gifts. I am happy to help manage and triage inquiries quickly and appropriately.

• Email: marathonteam@bwh.harvard.edu
• Number: 857 505 1225

Marathon Madness

Congratulations to our January winners:

• Three-way tie for most funds raised: Luis B., Robin V., and Linda S.
• Most individual donations received: Elise W.

Thank you for your incredible efforts – swag is headed your way!

Team Office Hours

Office hours are available for questions, fundraising guidance, or general support. Please drop in at any of the times below:

• Friday, 2/6
  • 8:00–8:30am: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=85802435925
  • 12:00–12:30pm: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=86453307270
• Monday, 2/9
  • 5:30–6:00pm: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=83177789326
• Wednesday, 2/18
  • 8:30–9:00am: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=83193091649
• Friday, 2/20
  • 12:30–1:00pm: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=88039061029
• Tuesday, 2/24
  • 5:15–5:45pm: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3274495934?omn=86879138047

Virtual Team Gathering

There are still spots available for the 2/24 virtual gathering with the Reny’s, click here to RSVP!

Training & Coaching Support

Coach John Furey continues to provide training guidance for runners of all experience levels. Team training runs remain an excellent opportunity to build mileage, connect with fellow runners, and stay motivated. I will be there on Saturday to support you at the first waterstop, so be sure to say hello!

Submit your photos!

Make sure to send us your photos for a marathon weekend surprise! Click here to share with us!

Fundraising Tip

Reach out directly to a small group of people who know you well with a personalized message rather than a broad social media post. A short, sincere email or text explaining why you’re running and what the Stepping Strong Center means to you often results in higher-impact gifts. Even 5–10 individual outreach messages can make a big difference! And remember no response doesn’t mean no!

From start to finish,

Ali

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to join us last night for the second team meeting – it was great meeting, re-connecting and walking through everything together!

If you weren’t able to attend, no worries at all. You can review the PowerPoint slides by CLICKING HERE.

The slides cover everything we discussed, and they’re a great reference as you move forward. If you have any questions after reviewing, or if anything is unclear, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thanks again for being part of the team, and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead!

From start to finish,

Ali

P.S. A quick reminder that the Saturday morning long run (1/30) has changed! This will no longer be a Riverside run and will instead be an out-and-back route (10–12 miles). The start time has been pushed to 11:30am, and doors to Joint Ventures will open at 11:15am. Be sure to check out John’s weekly email for more details—click here to read more.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone tonight at our second team meeting from 6:00–7:30 p.m. Please use the Zoom link below to join us!

Can’t make it? No worries — the PowerPoint will be shared on Friday for you to review, and if you have any questions, we’re happy to schedule 1:1 time to connect.

Zoom link: https://mgb-org.zoom.us/j/3944762219
Meeting ID: 394 476 2219

Boston.com – Why I’m Running

Marathon Monday is eleven weeks away! You all have incredible stories behind why you are running for the Stepping Strong Marathon Team and we wanted to encourage you to submit your “Why I’m Running” to potentially be featured on Boston.com. We have had runners from our team featured in the past and it’s a great way to get your fundraising page out there to a bigger audience. You can review other submissions here for inspiration and submit your stories for this year utilizing the instructions below. 

Boston.com Submission Instructions

Share your story in 300 words or less for Boston.com’s “Why I’m Running” series by emailing community@boston.com.

Please include the following:

• First and last name
• Age
• City/State/Country
• A photo of yourself
• Why are you running in the 2026 Boston Marathon? (300 words or less)
• A link to your fundraising page

If you need assistance or would like us to review your write-up before submitting, please just let us know!

From start to finish,

Ali