Somerville residents Sara Gaeta and Rachel Richardson are training hard to run the Boston Marathon on April 15. Gaeta and Richardson’s goal is even bigger than completing 26.2 miles, though. They are raising funds in support of FamilyAid Boston, a local nonprofit that empowers parents and caregivers facing homelessness to secure and sustain housing and build strong foundations for their children’s futures.

They both chose to run because of their belief in FamilyAid Boston’s mission. This is Gaeta’s second marathon. Her motivation for running comes from her career as a speech-language pathologist, “Working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in early intervention, I see firsthand how important a stable, secure living situation is. A young child’s brain is malleable, being molded and shaped by their environment. Adding stress, unpredictability, and fear into the mix can do a lot of harm in a child’s overall development,” explained Gaeta. “FamilyAid Boston helps secure safety and predictability into these family’s lives; giving these parents a second chance and allowing a child to grow, prosper, develop, and to do their most important job – being a kid!”

This is also Richardson’s second marathon; both times she has run for FamilyAid Boston. “The issue of homelessness is a personal one for me and I’m passionate about ending it. Running for FamilyAid in 2018, I met the staff, learned more about the families they serve, as well as their approach to tackling family homelessness. I decided to run for FamilyAid again because I firmly believe in the work that they do and I’m confident the funds I raise will have an impact.”

Massachusetts saw the largest growth in family homelessness in the country last year, a dramatic 17% increase. Boston now has the third highest number of people in families experiencing homelessness, 3,653 on any given night. This number includes more than 2,000 children.

Over the past year FamilyAid Boston provided over 1,570 parents and children with shelter, housing, and support services needed to return to stable housing. Families who are placed in housing by FamilyAid Boston have a 99% success rate of remaining housed a year later.

Through the John Hancock Marathon Nonprofit Program, and the dedication and support of FamilyAid Boston’s Marathon team, FamilyAid Boston hopes to raise more than $100,000 to create lasting solutions to the family homelessness crisis in our community. To learn more about FamilyAid Boston please visit www.familyaidboston.org.

To make a donation to Sara Gaeta or Rachel Richardson please visit their fundraising page: http://bit.ly/fabmarathonteam.