BOSTON -- Pittsfield resident Pam Malumphy, along with thousands of other walkers, will participate in the Boston Marathon Jimm Fund Walk on Sunday, Oct. 6.
The annual event unites the community to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and research at the nation’s premier cancer center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $176 million for Dana-Farber in its 35-year history, raising a record-breaking $9.4 million in 2023.
"For 35 years, the Jimmy Fund Walk has continuously supported lifesaving research and cancer care at Dana-Farber," Jimmy Fund Assistant Vice President of Event Fund-Raising Caitlyn Fink said. "Our goal is to build off of the momentum we've established throughout that history, and in 2024, aim to surpass our total from last year by raising $9.5 million. Fighting cancer is what we do. The Walk unites our community under a common goal —to defy cancer together.”
The Jimmy Fund Walk is the only organized walk permitted to use the famed Boston Marathon course, and participants have the flexibility to choose from four distance options: 5K walk (from Dana-Farber’s Longwood Medical Campus); 10K walk (from Newton); Half Marathon walk (from Wellesley); and Marathon walk (from Hopkinton). Walkers can participate virtually as well.
Whatever route participants choose, they will be supported by hundreds of volunteers and treated to refueling stations with refreshments throughout the course. Poster-sized photographs of patients—Jimmy Fund Walk Heroes—are the heart of the event and appear along the course as inspiration. All routes will conclude at the Jimmy Fund Walk Finish Line Powered by Schneider Electric at Boston Common, by the corner of Charles and Beacon Street. Finish line activities will include a celebration with food, entertainment, and more.
To register for the Walk (#JimmyFundWalk) or to support a walker, visit www.JimmyFundWalk.org or call (866) 531-9255. Registrants can enter the promo code NEWS for $5 off the registration fee. All registered walkers will receive a bib, medal, and Jimmy Fund Walk T-shirt.
The Jimmy Fund is comprised of community-based fundraising events and other programs that, solely and directly, benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s lifesaving mission to provide compassionate patient care and groundbreaking cancer research for children and adults. The Jimmy Fund is an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children's Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Follow the Jimmy Fund on Facebook, X, and Instagram: @TheJimmyFund.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber's mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber is a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
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Pittsfield Remembers Lives Lost to Overdose, Underscores Harm Reduction
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Mayor Peter Marchetti reads a proclamation at City Hall encouraging residents to raise awareness and lift each other up.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder.
The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma.
There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024.
While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero.
"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.
Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."
"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said.
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