Runway For Recovery

Runway directs vital funds to children who are affected by breast cancer to lessen the burden and obstacles of losing a caregiver to the disease. We foster a sense of community within the families, children, and survivors that we work with to inspire joy in the midst of a seemingly hopeless time. When you ask people about their experience through Runway, words like strength, courage, love, hope, kindness, and inspiration are often mentioned. Runway for Recovery has become a central landing place for women, men, and children to find connection because of the fact that their stories are at once entirely unique and part of a shared experience. During 2019-20, we are growing the model community into a platform for mentorship, support, and positivity via virtual and in-person channels for models to share their experience, find hope and advice, and fold others who need it into our Runway family. Runway funds have always been deployed to help families who have lost a parent to breast cancer, but it has become clear that Runway for Recovery has untapped potential to significantly shift the trajectory of a family's experience. We're re-imagining our grant-making to “swarm” families with wraparound resources that reduce the financial, emotional, social, and developmental obstacles that come from the loss of a parent, and choosing to focus on deepening our intervention for fewer families. In doing this, Runway will lead the way that Boston-area hospitals think about the “after” experience of families dealing with loss, and help set the standard for coordinated care and support.