With less than two weeks to train and fundraise, one father signs up for the Boston Marathon to honor a Sandy Hook parent and his daughter that was killed in the 2012 shooting.
Dan Friedman decided last minute to participate in the Boston Marathon this year and will be running for the Avielle Foundation. The Avielle Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on preventing violence and building compassion through neuroscience research.
The CEO of the Avielle Foundation was Jeremy Richman, and the foundation was named after his 6-year-old daughter. Avielle was one of those precious children whose lives were taken too soon during the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
Jeremy, who died just a few weeks ago, made it his mission in life to carry on his daughter’s legacy and share compassion with those who have been through unimaginable pain.
In one interview, Jeremy had said that “compassion is the ability to feel somebody else’s suffering.”
Dan Friedman’s father, Rob Friedman, is in charge of sponsorship and marketing for the Boston Marathon. He was touched to hear about Jeremy’s mission and the work of the Avielle Foundation.
“What happened to Jeremey was just unspeakable and it was important for me to support him,” said Rob.
That’s when he contacted his son to see if he would run for the Avielle Foundation on such short notice. Dan was onboard with his father’s plan and got straight to training.
While some people take several months to train for an event as big as the Boston Marathon, Dan knows that his time is very limited. But he is working toward his goal with great effort.
“I don’t know necessarily what kind of marathon shape I’m in. I think because what it’s for and the meaning behind it, that really helps. All I have to do is put one foot in front of the other,” explains Dan.
With Jeremy and Avielle on his mind, Dan is doing such a wonderful thing to honor them. If you would like to learn more about this worthy cause