Going the distance: Road race runners support Cape Cod Hospital Foundation 

Jere Doyle is an avid walker, averaging about 10 miles a day. But, after his mother, Mary-Joan Doyle Carson, passed away in 2016, the opportunity to run presented itself. He was all in.

Specifically, Doyle entered the 2017 Falmouth Road Race to raise funds for the Cape Cod Hospital Foundation and the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod Hospice.

Doyle will be on the starting line in Woods Hole again on August 18, 2024 for the 52nd Falmouth Road Race and is hopeful to meet his annual goal of raising at least $25,000. That would push him past $200,000 in individual total fundraising for the VNA Cape Cod Hospice since his first seven-mile run to Falmouth Heights.

“The (VNA Hospice) nurses provided incredible treatment to my mother during her last few months,” he said. “They introduced me to what an amazing organization they are. The care and compassion they offer to each patient every day is just incredible and something I, and many families, are forever grateful for. This is my way to give back and support their good work.”

Doyle admits he is “not much of a runner, but I do enjoy the atmosphere of the race and all the excitement.” Born in Europe, he spent summers with his family in Osterville and considers himself a Cape Codder.

“That (Falmouth Road Race) course all along the water is quintessential Cape Cod. My mom loved the Cape and that inspires me,” he said. “The chance to honor her memory and help Cape Cod Healthcare and Hospice/VNA means a lot,

Part of a CCHC Team

Doyle is part of a Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation team, managed by Calle Gartside, manager of events and special projects for the foundation. Through the road race’s Numbers for Nonprofits program, Massachusetts charities receive coveted bib numbers and then recruit runners to raise funds for their respective organizations. There are 15 runners in all on the foundation team and each is encouraged to raise at least $750.

The Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation supports Cape Cod Hospital, Falmouth Hospital, the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod and critical services, including the Dementia & Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support program, the JML Care Center and the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod Hospice.

Not including this year’s fundraising, the foundation has received more than $160,000 from Falmouth Road Race runners since Gartside began coordinating the team in 2017.

“Helping Us Navigate a Foreign World”

Jackie Rice benefited from the services of hospice when her dad, Stephen Schletter, was in his final days at his North Falmouth home. He died in 2022 from multiple myeloma. After running the New York City Marathon last year, she was motivated to do the road race for the first time to support VNA of Cape Cod Hospice.

The agency offers more services, both clinical and complementary, than any other hospice in the region. The hospice staff works as a team with the person, family and caregivers to maximize physical comfort and provide ongoing emotional support. Hospice care services may be appropriate when:

• You are thinking about ending curative treatments.
• You are diagnosed with a condition such as heart failure, COPD, end-stage renal disease, dementia, cancer, or stroke and your illness is at a life-limiting stage.
• Your symptoms are becoming harder to manage.
• You are spending more time in the hospital, with less time between hospitalizations.
• Your main priority is comfort and relief from pain or other symptoms.

VNA of Cape Cod Hospice, said Rice, provided exceptional care for her father as well as emotional support for the family.

“They were with us every day helping us navigate a foreign world. They ensured dad's final days were filled with dignity and peace,” she said. “They were a beacon of light for me and my family during the most challenging time of our lives and their kindness and compassion made a profound impact. Raising funds is my way of expressing gratitude toward VNA and giving back to an organization that gave us so much.

Rice said the Cape holds a special place in her heart with countless memories throughout her life. “We spent every summer (in North Falmouth) from when I was born to getting married (in Chatham) in 2021. Running the race will help me process my grief and honor my dad’s memory.”

Since 2000, when the road race’s Numbers for Nonprofits program was launched, Falmouth has helped charity partners raise nearly $64 million and bring awareness to their causes. In 2023, the 51st race had 201 charity teams and 3801 runners, who brought in $7.23 million, the highest total in the history of the program.

Falmouth Hospital is a Platinum sponsor of the race, so Cape Cod Healthcare is both a benefactor and a beneficiary.