Ian Jaffier, Jr., Rick Taranto, Emily Katz, Gracia Bonilla, and Rudy Ash ran and finished the 2016 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 18, 2016 as representatives of West End House. The team name, “Team Dawnn for Peace,” paid homage to West End House alumna Dawnn Jaffier who, before becoming an innocent victim of violence in 2014, was a mentor and role model for hundreds of young people at West End House and beyond.

Meet Team #DawnnforPeace:

	Ian Jaffier, Jr.  As an alumnus of West End House, Ian got to witness firsthand the impact of our staff and programs on young people. More importantly, it is the place he and his sister, the late Dawnn Jaffier, called home. Ian is running to celebrate his sister’s life and honor her passion for helping others. Every mile of the marathon will represent a year in her life: 26 miles for 26 years.
	Rick Taranto As Vice President of our Board of Directors, Rick has seen first-hand how West End House empowers youth to become contributing members of the community. He is humbled to be running to celebrate Dawnn’s legacy. Rick is a veteran marathon runner and excited to participate in the 2016 Boston Marathon.
	Emily Katz Emily is thrilled to run in the 2016 Boston Marathon in the city she loves and calls home. She is running to celebrate the young people at West End House who are striving to be their best selves, and who are developing confidence as they tackle life’s hurdles, challenges, and opportunities head on.
	Gracia Bonilla Gracia is a Ph.D. student at Boston University and a West End House volunteer. In her four years of volunteering, she has supported numerous STEM programs, including Middle School Coding and Girls’ Coding. Gracia can’t wait to run her first marathon in support of academic programming at West End House.
	Rudy Ash Rudy is the Chief Development Officer at West End House and excited to represent the #DawnnforPeace Marathon team. This will be Rudy’s first marathon. He is running to honor the memories of lives lost too soon, including Dawnn and his father, who passed away in 2006.