Memorial Race For 9/11 Victim Pays Tribute To Bombing Victims, Survivors
ABINGTON (CBS) --- Around 1,000 people turned out for the 12th Annual Jeff Coombs Memorial Road Race, Walk and Family Day on Sunday.
Gold Star father and Marathon hero Carlos Arredondo gave the official ready, set, go, with Paul Norden, who lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bombings, at his side.
The event, founded in memory of the Abington husband and father of three killed on 9/11, pays tribute to the troops, those lost on 9/11, and also honor those affected by the Boston Marathon bombing.
The event benefits the Jeff Coombs Memorial Foundation, which assists families across Massachusetts who are affected by death or illness or other circumstances that challenge the family emotionally and/or financially.
After the Boston Marathon bombings, the Foundation assisted three local families seriously affected, matching a donation made by waitresses at a New York City restaurant who donated all their tips for one night.
Jeff's daughter, Meaghan, was one of the waitresses who helped spearhead the fundraiser, raising $1,200 in just a few hours. With other private donations made to the foundation and earmarked for marathon bombing victims, the Foundation donated $5,000 to the two families.
With 9/11 being designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, the race tied in service by encouraging participants to bring a non-perishable food item for the Abington food pantry, and their old cell phones for Cell Phones for Soldiers, in exchange for a few free raffle tickets.
