The American Red Cross in Greater New York (ARC/GNY) will be participating in the 40th ING New York City Marathon for the first time with a team comprised of 15 runners led by the Chapter’s CEO and first-time marathon runner Theresa Bischoff. Team Red Cross has pledged to raise at least $50,000 to support the vital work of the American Red Cross in Greater New York––helping New Yorkers prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Mike Curtin, 36, of Brewster, NY joined Team Red Cross for several reasons––to thank the Red Cross for supporting him in his time of need and to fulfill one of his personal goals. In 1995 when Mike, a then 23 year-old soldier serving in the US Army at Fort Bragg, NC, was about to be deployed to Somalia, his father died suddenly at the age of 52 from a heart attack. As her son was not granted leave nor could he afford the trip home to be with his loved ones, his mother called the local Red Cross Chapter to get help. The Services to the Armed Forces unit of the Red Cross was immediately there––Mike was escorted to the airport, put on a plane back to New York for his father’s funeral in a matter of hours and picked up on the other end to ensure that he was properly reunited with his family.
Mike decided that it was time to give back when he heard about Team Red Cross’ November 1st foray into the ING New York City Marathon 2009. He became a runner about 2 years ago to drop some weight, felt this was his year to go the distance, and knew he wanted to run his first marathon as a “Red Crosser.” “Red Cross and running saved my life,” said Mike Curtin. “When I needed help the most, the Red Cross was there. This is my way of giving back.”
Mike runs 8 – 10 miles a day, 5 days a week and another 18 – 20 miles a day on the weekends training for the marathon. In order to run on Sunday, November 1, Mike has pledged to raise at least $2,500 for the American Red Cross in Greater New York. He has raised $2,150 so far, and is committed to meeting or surpassing his financial goal before he crosses the finish line in this year’s marathon.
To support Mike, or for more information about the Red Cross marathon team visit www.nyredcross.org.
