Introducing Team BHCHP “Three Musketeers”
This year, we have three incredible individuals running the 130th Boston Marathon on behalf of the community BHCHP serves every single day. It will be Pat and Sofia’s first marathon and they are joined by none other than Father Predmore, our returning marathon champion! Please scroll below to read more about why they’re running for BHCHP. To contribute to their fundraising, please click here.
Our sincere gratitude to the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program for enabling us to take part in the iconic local and global sporting event. We can’t wait for Marathon Monday!
Pat Breen
I moved to Boston in my mid-20’s and started running at that time as a way to exercise and stay in shape – running along the esplanade was a favorite of mine. My cousin is a competitive runner who has tackled the Boston Marathon several times, but watching her a few years ago was the turning point for me. It was such a fun, festive and positive environment/day cheering her on and then after the race, hearing her say that nothing compares to Boston—even after dozens of other races—officially put it on my bucket list! While volunteering at BHCHP last May, I discovered they have a marathon team and I knew it was the perfect match! Now, I have the incredible opportunity to cross off a major life goal while raising vital funds for an organization I care deeply about.
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One of the most interesting things I have learned about BHCHP was also one of the earliest things I learned, which was their street outreach program. Growing up, I was always taught the importance of ‘meeting people halfway’ as a sign of respect and compromise. However, I learned that BHCHP takes this a step further—they go the whole way. By providing care under bridges and on the streets, they meet patients exactly where they are, both physically and emotionally. This taught me that true health care isn’t just about opening doors; it’s about meeting people in their own environment to build trust where it’s been broken.
Over the years, volunteering at BHCHP has been a privilege that has profoundly shifted my perspective. It has deepened my gratitude for the stability in my own life while fueling a drive to give back more purposefully. Seeing firsthand the resilience of the patients and their gratitude for the care they receive is incredibly moving. Being part of that environment has inspired me to show up for this community with the same dedication and care that the BHCHP staff provides every day. Supporting this community isn’t just an elective choice for me—it’s a fundamental part of being a good neighbor.
Sofia White
I started running after I stopped playing travel softball in my transition to college, looking for a new way to stay active, balance my mental health, and have a new activity with friends and a team. I wanted to run the Boston Marathon because it seemed like both a fun and incredibly impactful way to support the health of the most underserved.
I wanted to run this year especially because I am a senior at Harvard and might leave Boston upon graduating to start my gap year journey before med school. This seemed like the right, culminating moment of my work with BHCHP to make a lasting support with my fundraising and awareness efforts before I may have to move and take a pause from my volunteering with HER. I’ve been a volunteer with the HER clinic since the spring of 2024, spending most Saturday mornings of my academic years helping with the welcoming, comfort, and service navigation for women in the clinic.
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At the HER clinic, I’ve met and built relationships with numerous women who come through the clinic experiencing homelessness. At the art/craft table, I’ve seen people’s creativity and desire to have fun and engage with art and beauty even when struggling through tough life situations. At the check-in table, I’ve seen women advocate for their needs and express so much appreciation for simple comfort, community, and services. The women I’ve met are strong, suffering, frustrated, kind, and much more; they are full human beings each carrying a story and all deserving respect and care.
I believe that a just world would include access to such resources and safe, loving environments for all, especially the homeless, those most often subject to the greatest suffering and isolation.
Father John Predmore
I began running four years ago when I thought about running the first marathon for BHCHP. I was inspired to do more than pray and I thought I had to do something real and tangible. There was a thought going through my mind: Don’t pray. Act! I was motivated to see if I could represent the unhoused people through some concrete action.
BHCHP has done tremendous good in the local Boston area and it serves as a model for national programs. It fits in so well with the Catholic Church’s care for those on the margins of society and those who are the most disadvantaged. I’ve also seen how they provide compassionate, dignified care and lift up the dignity of the person for all to see. A surprising reality is that those who receive medical care from BHCHP facilities often receive better care than the average citizen.
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As a priest, I hear stories of heartache and rejection from many people who once experienced homelessness or had a family member become without a home for a period of time. I want people to see those who are unhoused without the lens of ideologies that make them “other” than the rest of us.
I hear so many people talk about the homeless as a class or an entity rather than a person who struggles within the system. We need to break down ideological positions so that we encounter humanity and find each other loved by God and lovable to us. We need to understand root causes including mental health, addictions, and psychological impediments to full human flourishing. We need to help each person be the best person possible within one’s capabilities.
