Good Shepherd Development Coordinator Runs First Boston Marathon, Doubles Fundraising Goal for Youth Grief Program

Newton, MA (April 29, 2025) Fiona Cusack, Development Coordinator at Good Shepherd Community Care, hadn’t so much as run a mile until two years ago. After moving to Boston, she found herself inspired by the steady stream of runners along Castle Island and the Esplanade. “I kept seeing people out there and just thought, ‘Why not me?’” she recalls. Fiona noticed a vibrant charity presence at her first running of the Falmouth Road Race this past August, after completing her first half marathon in July, when, with her Good Shepherd development work top of mind, another thought had come to her: “if I can do 13, I can do 26!”

Fiona’s personal running journey has grown in tandem with her deepening passion for HEARTplay, a program of Good Shepherd that offers free grief support to children, teens, and young adults of all abilities, along with their families. “I don’t have a personal grief story,” Fiona explains, “but know from a few of my close friends who lost family members while we were all kids how important it was for them to be around people who just ‘got it.’” It’s so hard to picture these kids being in school, surrounded by talk of families, while carrying a loss no one around them understands. Wouldn’t it be great to make it so more kids could come here to be around people who get it?”

The Good Shepherd community thought so.

Setting an ambitious $10,000 fundraising goal for the Boston Marathon, Fiona and the Good Shepherd Development Team launched a creative slate of events beginning in February: Super Bowl Squares, Candlelit Yoga, Irish Step Dancing at Seapoint in South Boston, March Madness “Hoops for HEARTplay” brackets, and a “Miles Sponsor” initiative—26 dedicated donors, one for each marathon mile, which filled almost immediately upon release.

Support came from all directions and in so many forms. Baramor in Newton donated a portion of proceeds from its monthly charity cocktail; Oak n’ Barrel hosted a “spirited giving” night; and a community yoga class, led by Elena Castellini and enhanced by Arbonne gifts from Claudia O‘Regan, brought together staff and community members in the HEARTplay program space. “Everyone in the office was so dialed in—always asking, always encouraging,” Fiona says. “I was blown away by the support. On race day, along the whole route, people were shouting my name and I saw so many signs —some that had been made at our Good Shepherd sign-making party. During the last two miles, I kept hearing my name and turning to wave—I didn’t want to miss anyone. Then I looked up and saw Hereford and thought: here I am.”

“For this 129th Boston Marathon—and her very first marathon ever,” reflected Jennifer Wiles, Director of HEARTplay and Camp Erin Boston, “Fiona wore her HEARTplay heart on her jersey, and more than that, she carried this work with her every step of the way. Those 26.2 miles, built on hundreds more in training, were a powerful tribute to our 30th year of leading with the heart. Every step she took helped make space for grieving children to feel seen, supported, and surrounded by community.”

Fiona crossed the finish line in under four hours, achieving a “sub-4” marathon—an accomplishment that reflects disciplined training and determination. And she did it with a “negative split,” running the second half of the race faster than the first.

She also more than doubled her fundraising goal, bringing in $20,300 to support HEARTplay.

Next week, Fiona will join a HEARTplay event centered around the theme of “running your race.” Drawing from her recent experience, she’ll share reflections on running, resilience and support. Most of all, though, she’ll have the chance to be with the HEARTplay community that propelled her, mile after mile.

About HEARTplay

HEARTplay is a heart-centered bereavement program. Our mission is to support children, teens and young adults of all abilities and their families who are coping with the serious illness or death of an important person in their lives. HEARTplay offers support services for children, teens, and young adults of all abilities and their families who are coping with the serious illness or death of an important person in their lives. Services are offered at no cost to all families and include home, office, or virtual visits for individualized support, on-going bereavement groups, and bereavement day-camp workshops. Licensed mental health counselors and expressive therapists use movement, music, art, play, and discussion to help participants explore and express feelings associated with grief and loss. Participants are invited to honor their person, learn about the grieving process, and connect with peers who have experienced a similar loss. We strive to offer programs and services that are trauma-informed and responsive to the needs of families in our communities. HEARTplay is a program of Good Shepherd Community Care, one of the most trusted not-for-profit health care organizations in Greater Boston, recently named a “Top Place to Work in Massachusetts” by The Boston Globe for the third consecutive year. For more information about HEARTplay and its programs, please visit https://www.HEARTplayprogram.org/. To learn more about or donate to Good Shepherd Community Care, call (617) 969-6130 or visit https://gscommunitycare.org/, like Good Shepherd on Facebook www.facebook.com/GSCommunityCare and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter @GSCommunityCare.

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