Waterbury KiDSMARATHON

Two men are making an enormous differences in the lives of children, first is long distance running icon Rod Dixon of New Zealand, and the second is Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary, pictured left.

Dixon, a former Olympian and winner of the 1983 NYC Marathon, has established a non-profit foundation promoting exercise, nutrition and healthy choices. The Rod Dixon Kid’s Marathon is spreading across the country and has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of children. Waterbury City Clerk Michael Dalton was instrumental in recruiting Dixon’s program to Waterbury in 2013, and 430 students completed the 26.2 mile running program. Mayor O’Leary has a history of helping Waterbury kids. He helped relaunch the PAL program on Division Street that now serves 3500 children, and he capitalized on the success of last years Kid’s Marathon snare a $120,000 grant to fund the program’s expansion. As a result 1500 students finished the program last night, and ran the final mile through the streets of Waterbury in a wonderful celebration of health and hope.

Congratulations to Rod Dixon and Neil O’Leary for making this happen, a special thanks to Michael Dalton for facilitating between the city and the Dixon Foundation, and a huge “well done” to the 1500 kids who filled the streets of downtown last night with joy. Bravo. Hooray. Fantastic.