Westonite to walk to honor grandson during Marathon; NC to expand Flood Brook services

Weston resident to join Jimmy Walk for 3rd year to honor grandson

On Sunday, Oct. 4,  Weston resident Carol MacLaury will once again lace up her walking shoes to participate in the  2020 Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk: Your Way.

For  the third year she is fundraising and reaching out in honor of her 13-year-old grandson, Graham, who is a Walk Hero again this year. On June 9, Graham had another MRI and there was no evidence of disease, almost two years post-treatment.

In November of 2017, Graham was diagnosed with Medullablastoma, a pediatric brain cancer.  MacLaury’s fundraising is her way of expressing her gratitude for the scientific expertise and passionate, thoughtful caregiving that helped her grandson and his family survive this difficult diagnosis from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Jimmy Fund and Boston Children’s Hospital

Being slow to commit to this year’s walk because of the Covid-19 pandemic, MacLaury has been training to tackle her really long walk route from her front door ending on the town green in Weston after weaving her way along the numerous back roads of the Weston, Londonderry and Andover area.

Last year Carol, raised $8,004 in Graham’s honor and $8.8 million total was raised by the 8,500 walk participants. Her personal 26.2 mile journey took 11 hours and 18 minutes walking 68,911 steps.

With past support, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has been able to:

• Identify biomarkers that can help predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapy;
• Do research that led to FDA approval of a new first-line treatment for advanced kidney cancer;
• Enhance access to care both locally and globally, including opening facilities in China and Haiti as well as making progress on new satellite locations within New England.

To donate directly to Carol MacLaury’s mission, click here. You can also send in a check payable to “Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk” with Carol’s name and participant ID # 1006659 in the memo line directly to the Jimmy Fund Walk at:
Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk
P.O. Box 3595
Boston, MA 02241-3595

Donations can also be made by clicking here.

Neighborhood Connections to expand Flood Brook services

Neighborhood Connections and Flood Brook School have formalized a partnership to expand social services to FBS children and their families.

NC Executive Director Nicole Wengerd says, “Where Flood Brook’s support focuses within the school’s walls, our services can expand beyond those walls and offer comprehensive support to families in need. We want to be there for children and their families in assisting in whatever way we can, from ensuring food and housing security, to helping them gain access to physical and mental health services, or offering programmatic and educational services.”

A generous grant provided by the Stratton Foundation ensured that the formal alliance that had been in the works for months was able to be realized. For additional information about the partnership or how Neighborhood Connections might be able to help you or anyone in need, call Neighborhood Connections at 802-824-4343. Neighborhood Connections is a non-profit social services agency serving the area mountain towns of south-central Vermont, located in Londonderry’s Mountain Marketplace.