by Jeff Hall, Red Cross of Massachusetts

The phrase on most people’s lips every Marathon Monday in Boston is ‘Bucket List.’

That’s what running the Boston Marathon is to most people. The race can be very difficult to qualify for, and there are always more people wanting to run than there are spots. And that’s where the charity-team section of the marathon comes into play.

Every year Team Red Cross fields a group of 60-plus runners, all of them fulfilling a dream of ‘finishing Boston.’ Our partnership with Webster Bank in Copley Square gives Team Red Cross runners and their families a place to gather and celebrate the finish of what most consider their dream marathon.

For the last eight years, Webster Bank has been a proud sponsor of Team Red Cross. The Webster leadership team and Copley Square employees welcome the Red Cross each year to set up a home base for runners, providing a secure location for personal items, a gathering place before the marathon, and an atmosphere that welcomes and helps runners and their families celebrate their accomplishment.

Besides hosting the Marathon Monday event, Webster Bank has donated more than $100,000 dollars to support the mission of the Red Cross. They have also held employee team-building events helping our Boston Food Pantry, building food bags for distributions. Their unwavering support has helped Team Red Cross meet their fundraising goals every year.

And this year’s Team Red Cross is no different. The 60-plus runner team raised more than $611,000 to support Red Cross missions throughout the country, with final fundraising ending May 10.

If running the Boston Marathon is on your bucket list, watch our website later this year for information about joining our charity team for 2025. Information will be posted in September about the upcoming 129th Boston Marathon in 2025 - https://www.redcross.org/local/massachusetts/about-us/our-work/team-red-cross.html.