CHS grad running 1st marathon with Team MDSC

Canton resident Jennifer Dever will be running her first Boston Marathon this coming Monday, April 17, on behalf of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress (MDSC) and in honor of her younger brother Bobby.

Jen Dever with her brother Bobby

A 2015 Canton High School graduate and currently a sophomore at Boston College, Dever ran the BAA half marathon in the fall and is now looking forward to completing the full 26.2 miles as a proud member of Team MDSC.

“Equal rights for people of all abilities is a cause that matters to the MDSC as much as it matters to me and my brother,” Dever wrote on her fundraising page. “The MDSC has provided my family with support since Bobby was born in 2000 and continues to do so for families across Massachusetts. The MDSC’s programs, including First Call to families with new babies with Down syndrome and the AIM (Advocates in Motion) self-advocacy program for young adults are truly life changing. From the Buddy Walk to their conferences, the MDSC helps to facilitate and support an awesome community for individuals with Down syndrome and their families across the state and have become a national model for their work.”

For the sixth consecutive year, Team MDSC is proud to be an official charity of the John Hancock Non-Profit Marathon Program. The goal of the team is to “promote acceptance and inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome and to raise critical funds for MDSC programs and services.”

MDSC’s mission is to ensure that individuals with Down syndrome are “valued, included, and given the opportunities to pursue fulfilling lives by providing information, networking opportunities, and advocacy for people with Down syndrome and their families, educators, health care professionals, and the community at large.”

“If more just laws and better education and employment opportunities for people of all abilities, including my brother, are your beliefs,” said Dever, “I urge you to and thank you in advance for generously donating to the MDSC in Bobby’s honor and for granting me the privilege to wear an MDSC bib in the 2017 Boston Marathon.”

To support Dever’s fundraising efforts, go to crowdrise.com/mdscboston2017/fundraiser/jenniferdever.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Apr 14 2017. Filed under Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.