Boston, Mass – When the 116th Boston Marathon kicks off on April 16, 2012, a brand new team of employees from Suffolk Construction’s Boston Scholar Athletes program (BSA) will be running to raise money for the BSA and the Boston Public high school scholar-athletes it serves on a daily basis.
Six runners—Nicole Reither of Swampscott, MA, Michelle Nielsen of Falls Church, VA, Kate Hensley of Quincy, MA, Joseph Cappellano of South Boston, and Liz Collins and ColinCampbell of Boston, MA—have already raised nearly $20,000 for their cause.
The athletes are using the website CrowdRise to raise money before the April marathon. The URL for those wishing to make a contribution is http://www.crowdrise.com/BSAMarathon/fundraiser/bostonscholarathlete.
Founded in 2009 by Mayor Thomas Menino and Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish, the Boston Scholar Athletes program seeks to improve academic achievement through athletics in the Boston Public high schools. On the field, the BSA providesequipment and uniform upgrades, skills training and clinics, as well as regular professional development for coaching staffs to ensure that every coach is properly trained both in their sports and in their roles as mentors.
In the classroom, the BSA works to improve academic performance and personal growth through mentoring, tutoring, summer employment assistance, and a robust SAT program that partners with The Princeton Review. These collaborative efforts build skills, confidence, shape character, and enhance opportunities for success.
“Sports were a huge part of my life growing up, and I know that being an athlete has been a huge part of how I got to where I am today,” stated Kate Hensley, the Design Director for Suffolk’s Corporate and Northeast teams. “I’m running for BSA because it changes lives for the better. It is a program that has the ability to give students that extra incentive to keep up their grades and stay in school. BSA brings a sense of pride and confidence to them too, both on the field and in the classroom.”
“Working for BSA, I run and manage Learning Centers known as ‘Zones’ in different BPS high schools,” stated Joseph Cappellano, a Senior Facilitator for the Boston Scholar Athletes program. “I get to see on a daily basis how important the BSA’s work is and what these Zones mean to the athletes in these schools. The resources that the BSA supplies are incredible but also not cheap, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help raise money for the program I am so lucky to be a part of.”
Since the establishment of the Zones, the BSA has demonstrated noted improvement in BPS scholar athletes’ academic performance, graduation rates, and sports eligibility rates. Success is measured on a daily basis by tracking