Boston Athletic Association Gives Back Grant recipients announced

BETTER BY THE MILE. I TURN IT UP, BABY. THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT IS DEFINITELY ON FULL DISPLAY. YOU CAN GO FAST OR GO SLOW. DON’T STOP MOVING. BUT THE GOAL HERE IS TO MAKE SURE THERE’S NOTHING SCARY ABOUT GETTING INTO THE HABIT OF RUNNING OR WALKING. WHOSE FIRST RUN FOR THE WEEK IS THIS? FIRST RUN FOR THE WEEK? YEAH. THERE WE GO. THE GROUP’S HERE TONIGHT ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITY. RUNS BOSTON INITIATIVE, WHICH IS DEDICATED TO MAKING SURE EVERYONE HAS A CHANCE TO GO FOR THAT FINISH LINE. THAT’S ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT RUNNING. IT REALLY IS A CHANCE FOR US TO BE COMMUNITY UNITED TOGETHER. JEFFREY DUBUISSON WITH LYNN FIT ARMY KNOWS THE POWER OF REPRESENTING AND INCLUSION. HE FELT IT FIRST HAND WHEN HE RAN THIS YEAR’S BOSTON MARATHON. I STILL REMEMBER RUNNING THE RACE AND LIKE PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO SEE ME AND NOTICING ME OUT OF THE CROWD JUST BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF MY SKIN. HE ALSO KNOWS THERE ARE STILL OBSTACLES TO MAKING RACES ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE. HAVING TO GET SHOES, HAVING TO GET GELS, SUPPLIES, SOCKS, YOU KNOW, DOWN TO LIKE THE SHORTS THAT I WEAR, HELPING PEOPLE GET PAST THOSE BARRIERS IS WHAT THESE GROUPS AND THE INITIATIVE IS ALL ABOUT. IF YOU NEED SOMEONE TO HELP YOU, YOU KNOW, LEARN HOW TO RUN FASTER, HOW TO SPEED UP, WE ALL, YOU KNOW, GET TOGETHER AND WE HAVE A GOOD TIME. IT’S ALL POSITIVE VIBES. CARLA EARLEYWINE WITH BLACK GIRLS RUNS REMEMBERS VERY CLEARLY WHEN SHE PICKED UP THE RUNNING HABIT. FOR ME PERSONALLY, MY MOTHER PASSED AWAY AT A YOUNG AGE AND THAT’S WHAT INSPIRED ME TO START RUNNING THIS YEAR. THAT JOURNEY TOOK HER ALL THE WAY TO BOYLSTON STREET, THANKS TO THE MAYOR’S RUNNING INITIATIVE, WHICH SECURED MARATHON BIBS FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS. I’M 58 YEARS OLD. I WAS ALWAYS MY DREAM TO RUN BOSTON. IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, SO AWESOME TO BE ABLE TO REP MY CITY. GUADALUPE MORALES MARTINEZ COORDINATES THE CITY’S NEW EQUITY AND INCLUSION CABINET. THE FORCE BEHIND THIS PROGRAM, SHE SAYS GIVING THESE GROUPS THE POWER THEY NEED IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. THE RUNNING ORGANIZATIONS ARE THE REAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS THAT ARE ON THE GROUND WHO ARE CREATING THESE SAFE SPACES FOR PEOPLE TO GET ACTIVE, TO MOVE THEIR BODY, TO PICK UP WHO’S GOT IT, WHO. ON THIS NIGHT IN MATTAPAN, THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR. MOVING TOGETHER MAKES A DIFFERENCE. SOMETIMES RUNNING IS A REALLY SOLITARY ACTIVITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE DOING DISTANCE RUNNING. AND SO JUST TO HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH AND JUST LIKE TALK ABOUT TRAINING MILESTONES AND TRIUMPHS AND CHALLENGES HAS BEEN REALLY HUGE IN MATTAPAN DANAE BUCCI BUCCI W WCVB NEWSCENTER FIVE. AND THERE ARE OR WERE EIGHT DIFFERENT COMMUNITY RUNNING GROUPS AT THAT EVENT, A SIGN OF JUST HOW MUC