WMHS Custodian Taking Part in Jimmy Fund Walk

The following text was provided by the Jimmy Fund Walk:

On Sept. 9, 19 residents from Woburn will walk up to 26.2 miles along the historic route of the Boston Marathon in the 24th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai. They will be among the 9,000 walkers expected to participate with the collective goal of raising more than $7.5 million to support lifesaving adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Lee Kille, of Woburn, is a four-time Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk participant and works as a custodian at Woburn Memorial High School. In 2008, Kille’s mother succumbed to liver cancer. That same year, Kille learned that a high school sophomore was diagnosed with cancer and was being treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. Feeling inspired by the students at Woburn High School who annually participate in community service projects, Kille knew he had to do something to help people affected by cancer.

On Sept. 21, 2008, he participated in his first Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk in honor of his late mother and the student battling cancer. Consequently, he lost 80 pounds training for and participating in the event and has since viewed the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk as a personal challenge to maintain a healthy weight.

He continues to participate in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund walk year after year to raise as much money as possible to help people in his community who are affected by cancer. The volunteers who cheer for him along the route are also a reason he continues to walk. To date, Kille has raised nearly $13,000 for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This will be Kille’s fifth year walking.

The Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk is the largest single-day participatory event benefiting the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber and has raised nearly $80 million since its inception in 1989 to conquer all forms of cancer. The Boston Athletic Association has supported the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk for the past 24 years.

“Every year, the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk unites thousands of people — from parents, neighbors, coworkers, cancer patients, cancer survivors, and the young and the old — who share a goal to bring an end to cancer,” says Ann Beach, director of the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. “Their dedication and commitment to fundraising for the event enables Dana-Farber to aggressively pursue its life-saving mission.”

Participants may choose to walk one of four routes: the entire 26.2-mile Hopkinton to Boston route, the 13.1-mile Babson to Boston route, the 5-mile Boston College route, or the 3-mile route starting at Dana-Farber’s campus. Those unable to participate on Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk day can become “Virtual Walkers” and still fundraise for the event.

Walkers begin in Hopkinton between 5:30-7:30 a.m.; at Babson College between 8:30-9:30 a.m.; at Boston College between 10 a.m. and noon; and from Dana-Farber at 1:30 p.m. The Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk finishes at Copley Square in Boston, where walkers can celebrate completing the course and enjoy complimentary food, beverages, a speaking program, and entertainment.

All walkers must raise a minimum of $300, and walkers 12 years old and younger have a fundraising minimum of $100. Pacesetters are extraordinary fundraisers who raise $1,250 or more. Young Pacesetters are children 12 years old and younger who raise $500 or more.

To register for the 24th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, to support a walker, or to volunteer, visit www.JimmyFundWalk.org or call (866) 531-9255. Registrants can enter the discount code BOSTON for $5 off the registration fee.