• Mary Jo Loparco
• Jonathan Hughes
• Marty Zanin
• Amanda Connell

Our Team Page

A small group of athletic humanitarians from AmeriCares have joined together to run the 2013 New York City Marathon to support our work around the world.

Where do they get their inspiration?

“Initially I decided to run for my own personal health and wellness goals, but when the opportunity became available to tie that in to supporting the work of AmeriCares, I knew it was going to provide the additional motivation for me to meet the challenge,” explained Mary Jo Loparco, from AmeriCares Human Resources team. “Knowing that I’m running to help raise funds to improve health outcomes for those that are disadvantaged is a reward in and of itself.” Mary Jo is no stranger to marathons, having run the NYC Marathon once before.

Novice runner Amanda Connell, who also works in Human Resources, is eager to embark on the challenge. “It’s an honor to represent AmeriCares in the marathon,” she said.  “I have only been running for 3 years and I never thought I could run a marathon, but with all the training I’ve been doing this summer, I can’t wait for race day!”

It will also be the first marathon for Marty Zanin, from AmeriCares Latin America and Caribbean partnerships team. “I’ve been running for exercise for nearly ten years and have wanted to run a marathon for quite some time but never found the motivation,” he said. “Now, working for a strong, mission-driven organization and training alongside a great team, I have finally found that motivation.” 

Working at AmeriCares, the team sees first-hand how our aid deliveries help save lives and reduce human suffering. “Running the marathon is a fantastic way to raise awareness for the work AmeriCares does around the world,” said Jonathan Hughes, who works with Marty on the Latin America team. “It’s an excellent way for me to accomplish a personal goal while fundraising for a collective goal – to help people around the world gain access to adequate health care.”