(Team Metro Housing will be running the Boston Marathon on April 20 to raise money for Metro Housing’s programs and services. This is part one of our “Meet the Team” series.)
Hyde Park Resident Cate Henning Makes First Boston Marathon a Worthy Cause
Cate Henning of Hyde Park has been running competitively since she was an eighth grade student competing in track and cross country for Boston Latin School. She loved being part of a team, but the running was secondary. It took some time, but she is now in love with the sport and the adrenaline she gets from it. This passion, along with her strong interest in social causes inspired in part by her parents, has brought Cate to Team Metro Housing, a group of six runners that will run the 2020 Boston Marathon while raising money for Metro Housing|Boston, a homelessness prevention nonprofit organization.
“The work that Metro Housing does is extremely important, and I am so excited by the opportunity to support such an incredible organization while doing something I love,” said Cate, now a freshman at Northeastern. “I want to be able to contribute to the incredible work Metro Housing does and running the marathon with the Metro Housing team is an incredible way to do so. It will not only give me the opportunity to fundraise for a good cause, but it will also provide me with a platform to raise awareness and educate others about homelessness in Boston and the work Metro Housing is doing.”
It should come as no surprise to those that know her that Cate is turning her love of running into a way to help those less fortunate. Both of her parents work in the nonprofit sector. Her mother, Marie Herb, is managing director at Technical Assistance Collaborative, an organization in Boston that provides assistance to other nonprofits and organizations that work to end homelessness. Her father, Bill Henning, is the executive director of Boston Center for Independent Living, an organization that provides services to people with disabilities.
Cate’s support of social causes is not limited to running to help end homelessness. At Northeastern, she is a member of the Alliance for Civically Engaged Students (ACES), which is a branch of Northeastern’s Center for Community Service. Cate works on service projects throughout Boston, including volunteering at Community Servings and Boston Building Resources. She also volunteers as a Health Educator with Peer Health Exchange, an organization that works to provide comprehensive and inclusive health education to Boston Public School high school students.
Cate used to get butterflies for every race she ran, but she sees the Boston Marathon as a different experience.
“I feel pure, genuine excitement when I realize I will be cheered on by the thousands of people I have cheered with for years. It is surreal that I will get to run in this race with people from around the world while still in the city I have grown up in.”
If you would like to support Cate in her running of the Boston Marathon to help Metro Housing, please visit bit.ly/CateRuns2020.