MoneyWisdom Blog

I first met Andy Martin, Jr., of New Hampshire, when I began working at the credit union 14 years ago. Andy, just 5-years-old, was the Hanscom FCU Children’s Hospital Boston patient partner. He helped our staff, volunteers and members connect with the hospital’s work. We responded by raising funds every year through the Boston Marathon and our runner, Hanscom FCU board member Ray Phillips.

What motivates someone to take on the Boston Marathon? All different things, I guess, but to my mind, you’d have to be really motivated to run 26.2 miles in the same day.

HFCU sales manager Mike Rzeszutek is one of those motivated people. The Midwestern native found his inspiration at the 2014 Boston Marathon. He went to watch HFCU board member Ray Phillips, who was running for Team Hanscom as a Boston Children’s Hospital runner with the Credit Unions Kids at Heart program. The experience changed him.

HFCU board member Ray Phillips runs multiple marathons each year. His circuit includes Miami, Las Vegas, Vermont and Boston. The last one is special — not because it’s local but for the reason behind his run.

The best partnerships benefit both sides. That has been the case with Ray Phillips, board member and marathoner, and Andy Martin, Jr., Boston Children’s Hospital patient partner and also a marathoner. They have raised funds for the hospital for the last 16 years, starting when Andy was just 4 years old.

When I think about teams, Ray and Andy come to mind.  They have been a part of the Boston Marathon for 15 years, fundraising for Boston Children’s Hospital. For the first thirteen years, Ray ran, and Andy waited impatiently at the finish line to complete the final 600 yards with him. They are quite a pair.

Last year, Andy realized his goal of joining the Marathon participants in the wheelchair division. Both he and Ray completed the course, a triumph that probably neither would have completed without the other.