Hi everyone! My name is Marcella Brown, and I am the Vice President of Development & Communications for LMM. In my role, I am grateful to advance the agency within the philanthropic sector and amongst community and civic leaders by sharing our mission, programs, services, and stories with people who believe in what we stand for – hope, fair chances, and stability.
I’ve worked with Benjamin Turney on raising funds for his marathon run, in honor of LMM’s Youth Resiliency Services program, since the fall of 2024. When Benjamin first brought this idea to our team in the Development & Communications department, we were excited and ready to support in every way possible.
Over the months of planning, I think we all started to realize what Benjamin was sacrificing to make his marathon possible. It became so much more to us than raising money – that was the easy part! As we listened to his stories about the challenges of training, hearing his appreciation for the show of support, and his excitement as we shared new ways to promote and engage the LMM community, his excitement became contagious. Before I knew it, Connor O’Brien, our Communications Manager, had signed up to do the half-marathon as well. Now we had two people to get excited for!
I am many things, but a runner I am not! But somehow, as I listened to them tell stories about practice runs, and new milestones for their “long runs”, I started to wonder…could I do it as well? I was suffering from a serious case of F.O.M.O.! (Fear of Missing Out) And of top of that, I was sitting at weekly outdoor track meets for my daughter, who runs for the SEL School District, and thinking to myself, “I really should push myself more ☹.”
Watching all those teenagers on the field every week, running the 4 x 800, the 4 x 200, the hurdles – oh my! Then at one of her track meets, my daughter had to run the 1600; yes, infamously known as “The Mile”! I sat in the stands, watching her in awe; four times around that giant track, in a little over six and one-half minutes. I could have cried.
But…naaahhh! 😊 Twenty-six miles for the full marathon? Or even thirteen for the half? No way! Neither my body nor my mind was prepared to commit to that this year. I do a 30–45-minute light jog (okay, more like a power walk!) most mornings, to the tune of 3-4 miles at best!
Then I found out that the Cleveland Marathon hosts a 5K (3.1 miles) and a 10K (6.2 miles) the Saturday before the marathon on Sunday, and I said, “Now that’s more like it!” I told my daughter that I was planning to do the 5k, and she said, “I’ll do it with you, mommy!” That did it!
So, my run is a family run, in honor of the youth that we serve at LMM! I am blessed to have not just one amazing daughter, but two; my younger daughter decided to join us as well!
I am a mother of three and an auntie to 16; I have heard and seen it all when it comes to young people facing life challenges and adversity! The youth that we serve at LMM need our prayers and our encouragement, and I ask that you join Benjamin, Connor, and the Brown Family in supporting this worthy cause.
