Marathon Runners Raise Money for BMC
MED’s Jeffrey Schneider and Robert Oates, members of Team BMC, will run the Boston Marathon
Not everyone running the 112th Boston Marathon is looking for money or for glory. On Monday, April 21, 35 people will run as part of Team BMC, to raise money for Boston Medical Center’s programs for the poor and the under- or uninsured. Among the programs the team’s proceeds support are the Kids Fund, the Cancer Support Services Fund, the Preventive Food Pantry and Demonstration Kitchen, and Nutrition and Fitness for Life — programs whose survival otherwise would be in doubt. The 2007 team raised more than $200,000 for these critical BMC services, and the 2008 team hopes to top that by bringing in more than $300,000. During the last stretch of marathon-training season, BU Today will profile some of the students, faculty, and staff on Team BMC.
Jeffrey Schneider, a MED assistant professor of emergency medicine, and Robert Oates (MED’82), a MED professor of urology, joined the team with similar — and simple — goals in mind. They want to have fun and raise funds.
Schneider, who ran last year’s marathon as part of Team BMC, claims he “is not a runner by any stretch of the imagination.” His time for the 26.2 miles was 4:35, but he says he put pressure on himself to hit the finish line fast. This year, he just wants to make it to the end. “I want to enjoy it more than I enjoyed it last year,” he says.
This year marks Oates’ first marathon, although he’s run several half-marathons in the past. He has been associated with BMC since 1978, when he entered MED as a student, remaining for his residency and now as a faculty member and physician. “It’s nice to be able to give something back other than just seeing the patients and trying to run a good practice,” he says.
To sponsor Schneider, Oates, or other members of Team BMC, click here.
Rebecca McNamara can be reached at ramc@bu.edu.
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