Special to the Transcript
On Monday, April 15, Winthrop resident Mikara Loehning will run the 128th Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America on a 26.2-mile route from Hopkinton to Boston as a member of Team Make-A-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island is part of the Bank of America Official Charity program, with a team of 10 runners for 2024. As a Team Make-A-Wish member, Loehning set a goal to raise $12,500 to help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses through Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The average cost to grant a wish is $12,500 and as Loehning enters the final stretch of fundraising, her total continues to climb.
Loehning is excited to run as part of Team Make-A-Wish with her brother and her cousin as the trio carries on their family’s long-standing tradition of generously supporting Make-A-Wish.
“Having the opportunity to make a child’s dream come true through their own wish means more to me than these words can describe,” says Loehning. “After marrying into the Loehning family, I was introduced to Make-A-Wish by my in-laws, who are very active in with the charity. Our family holds Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island near and dear to our hearts; it is in essence a part of our family. My family has and will continue to find new and innovative ways to donate to this important and inspiring cause.”
This will be Loehning’s second time running Boston. An employee of MS Walker, Loehning is the mother of three, including two young twins.
Visit massri.wish.org/marathon to donate to Loehning’s fundraising page.
The fundraising efforts of Team Make-A-Wish for the marathon are part of the Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island celebration of World Wish Month this April. World Wish Month is a global celebration of the Make-A-Wish mission and the power of wishes to bring hope, strength, and joy to children who are facing life-threatening medical conditions. Opportunities throughout the month of April are available for people to take action as “WishMakers”—anyone who donates their time, talent or treasure to Make-A-Wish to grant more life-changing wishes.
To learn more about Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island and find out how you can get involved as a volunteer, donor, or in many other ways during World Wish Month and beyond, visit massri.wish.org/wishmaker. The organization’s next fundraising event is its annual Wine and Wishes tasting event, Friday, May 3, at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter in Boston.
Make-A-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. A wish can be a spark that helps a child believe anything is possible. In the face of life-threatening medical conditions, wishes enable children to experience profound joy, renewed strength and resiliency, and lasting hope to keep striving and dreaming for the future. Together with generous supporters and 450+ volunteers, the organization has granted the wishes of over 10,000 children in Massachusetts and Rhode Island since its founding, and its vision is to grant the wish of every medically eligible child. The organization is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023 and relies on the generosity of the community to continue its wish-granting work. To learn more and get involved, visit www.massri.wish.org.