Dear Friends,
As most of you know I have spent the past few months focused on marathon training. I am happy to say the training is coming to an end, and the Big Day is almost here – for a second year in a row I am running in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C., which will take place this year on October 29th. Some of you may remember I ran this race last year with three other family members as part of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund’s Marathon Team, raising funds for the families of Marines and sailors injured while on active duty. This year’s marathon is even more exciting for me than last year's, as we are again running for the Semper Fi Fund, and our numbers have doubled: I now am part of an 8-member family team, trained and ready to run on October 29th!
I am very proud to be running again for the Semper Fi Fund. Given the number of injuries sustained by those in combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in other conflict areas in the past year alone, the need for aid this year from the Semper Fi Fund is extensive. The families of those injured in combat have financial needs that range from the immediate, such as travel costs to visit loved ones in hospitals, to those which are long term such as ramps, vehicles, and special accommodations to homes so that disabled combat veterans can live outside of a hospital setting. Funding for these needs is not always readily available, and this is where the Fund steps in to help. To date the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund has had over 1,400 cases and given more than $5 million in grants to these wounded heroes and their families, allowing for the families to worry less about finances and focus on recovery.
In addition to running for the Fund the reason I am so proud to be running in the Marine Corps Marathon again is because I am running with my family in memory of my Marine cousin who was killed in action in Iraq. He was a heroic Marine, and a heroic individual, and I think of him every day. I believe he would be very proud to see us all running in this marathon together, so to do so while raising money to help those who wear his uniform is a true honor for me.
If you’d like to support us in this cause, or just learn more about the Fund and the work they do, you can visit the Fund’s website at: http://www.semperfifund.org.
