When someone thinks about corporate social responsibility they might think of environmental impact, donations, or volunteering. Not very often does one associate running 26.2 miles as part of a company’s philanthropic responsibility; but Boston Scientific employees are making their debut on the Special Olympics MA Xtra Mile Boston Marathon Team with the goal of spreading inclusion.
“This started when I happened to be having dinner with a group from our company and it just so happened that four of the people around me were all runners and they asked me if the company sponsors a team to run the Marathon,” said Chief Medical Officer of Endoscopy at Boston Scientific, Dr. Brian Dunkin. “I said I didn’t think Boston Sci did anything formal for the Marathon; but we should really change that. So, that was the beginning of this. And since I wanted everybody to get involved I had to commit myself—I said, OK, I guess I’m going to run a marathon.”
Boston Scientific is no stranger to Special Olympics MA, having volunteered at various events over the years and hosting and its “Fit for a Cause” program, where Boston Sci employees chose a team from one of three nonprofits who participated in a weekly fitness program to receive a grant from the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation. However, Boston Scientific is now looking toward its running community to foster a deeper partnership with Special Olympics Massachusetts, especially with many of its employees being personally touched by the benefits of Special Olympics programming and initiatives.
“My colleague Derrah has been involved with Special Olympics for a long time. She's done different events, raised funding, that kind of thing,” said Brian. “And a group of us runners at Boston Scientific have been looking for the company to have more of a presence at the Marathon. We only have six this year but we have 40,000 employees, so hopefully we'll get a lot more year to year.”
By joining the 2024 Xtra Mile Boston Marathon Team, Brian and his colleagues have been able to immerse themselves in the mission of Special Olympics MA and have exclusive opportunities to meet and engage with athletes from across the state—which in turn has led to a greater meaning behind the money the Boston Scientific team has been fundraising as part of their run.
“I think everybody knows about Special Olympics. You see it at various times in your life; but I don't know if you really think about what it does. I know I didn't think that deeply about it until I got more involved in this way, talking to colleagues, seeing their involvement, getting to meet the Inclusion Ambassadors,” said Brian. “I'm a big sports person; and when you start thinking about how Special Olympics brings that to a whole group of people, it’s really fantastic. It's nice to be part of it.”
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