The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center announced last Thursday a first-of-its-kind, multiyear partnership with the Boston Athletic Association, the nonprofit that hosts the Boston Marathon.
The four-year agreement will include a $700,000 direct monetary investment as well as entries to the marathon, the BAA said, which will contribute up to $1.3 million to the Reggie’s fundraising efforts as the community sports center seeks to expand its sports and wellness programming.
“This is huge,” said Michael Turner, executive director of the Reggie. “From the moment I stepped in here, I saw what the Reggie could be. But we needed support [and] help to make that happen.”
The announcement comes as the Reggie prepares to celebrate its forthcoming 30th anniversary with a fundraising campaign in which it aims to raise $5 million, a portion of which will come from the BAA’s investment. Affiliates of the sports center announced a series of events to celebrate the fundraising effort, including a 5K race and a golf tournament at Franklin Park and health and wellness forums.
A group of women exercise at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. PHOTO: ROXBURY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
With the investment, the track and athletic center, home to competitive youth sports groups and events as well as adult and community programming, looks to widen its offerings, including growing its “Sensational Seniors Exercise Program.”
The full slate of events and programs for 2025 will be announced later this year.
Turner said the partnership with the BAA will help improve the life expectancy of Roxbury residents, which is about 23 years less than that of residents in the Back Bay, by further promoting health and physical activity.
“We’re going to close this gap. That’s our goal,” he said. “And their support is what’s going to help us do that.”
The Reggie conducted surveys to gauge what community members need and will tailor its offerings to align with the feedback, Turner said. With the support of the BAA, which has previously hosted events at the sports center, the Reggie will be able to hire additional staff, such as nutritionists.
As part of the partnership, there are stipulations the Reggie has to adhere to, including offering a running club, Turner said. But the BAA has “fully supported” the ideas Reggie officials have presented thus far.
“The BAA’s mission focuses on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, especially through running, and there’s no better way that we can live out our mission … than by putting on good events and channeling that back into the community, and this is a perfect example of that,” said Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the BAA.
He said while the partnership is the first one of its sort the BAA has ever undertaken, the organization will continue to pursue more collaborations with community organizations to “help provide opportunities for everyone.”
Also in attendance at the Oct. 24 gathering were Stephen Chan, Mayor Michelle Wu’s senior advisor for partnerships; Jonathan K. Jefferson, president of Roxbury Community College, whose sports teams use the Reggie; and state Rep. Chynah Tyler.
“We are adding on to the legacy of what the Reggie Lewis Center means to us all,” said Tyler, who recalled growing up playing sports in the neighborhood arena. She added that “it is very difficult to be able to add on to what we do here in the state, particularly for assets like the Reggie Lewis Center, because dollars are short. … For the BAA to be able to be hands-on and to make this happen today, it’s been a true honor to be a part of this.”
Jefferson, who began his role in July, lauded “one of the largest financial commitments ever made by a nonprofit organization” to the Reggie.
“It is through partnerships like this one that we make real, sustainable change,” he said in his remarks, stating that the collaboration will provide “all Boston residents with access to quality, affordable wellness and well-being resources.”
Steven Tompkins, sheriff of Suffolk County and RCC’s board chair, said the new partnership is an opportunity to “celebrate the history of this storied institution” and allow it to continue its services.
“This center is not just here for this community. This is a statewide facility,” Tompkins said. “The importance for all of the adults in the room and others is to make sure our kids have an opportunity to be kids and to grow up and be vibrant.”
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