Joe Andruzzi Foundation Boston Marathon Fundraiser

East Providence resident John Ponte will be running the Boston Marathon on April 20 to raise awareness and money for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation (joeandruzzifoundation.org), an organization that assists families in New England, New York and New Jersey who are facing financial hardship while undergoing cancer treatment. Joe is a former New England Patriots football player and three-time Super Bowl winner who, after beating a form of cancer called non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s lymphoma, created JAF with his wife Jen to help other families battling the disease.

In addition to providing emotional support, JAF provides financial assistance to cancer patients and their families by providing grants so that they can focus on treatment and recovery. Those financial grants typically help with expenses such as mortgage and rent payments, utility bills, groceries, gas and other expenditures.

For Ponte, this is a cause he became passionate about after completing his first marathon and Boston Marathon last year for a similar charity called FamilyReach (familyreach.org). Last year, he raised just over $10,000 that went towards helping families fighting cancer and he hopes to match that this year.

“Unfortunately, we’ve all been touched by cancer in one way or another. I have seen first hand, the emotional and financial burden it can cause. This is just my way of trying to help those cancer patients and their families who need assistance.”

Ponte says that training for a marathon, and what many consider to be the toughest in the Boston Marathon, is extremely challenging, especially during the harsh Winter months in New England, but it’s all worth it because it’s a platform to help families in need.

Ponte continued, “Not everyone has an opportunity or desire to run a marathon, but I feel like everyone has an obligation to find something in their life that motivates them to help others. I’m trying to teach my three kids to live a philanthropic life and make a difference…big or small. It’s not about how many miles you run and how many races you complete, it’s about who you’ve helped along the way.”

If you would like to make a donation to Ponte’s Boston Marathon Campaign to support the Joe Andruzzi Foundation and help cancer patients and their families, visit: https://www.crowdrise.com/JAFBoston2015/fundraiser/johnponte and click the Yellow Donate button.

Checks and money orders, made out to: Joe Andruzzi Foundation, can also be mailed. For the mailing address or any other questions, email johnponte401@gmail.com