"You run for a purpose, for your community, your heritage and to raise funds and awareness for the Aisling Irish Community Center."

Running may be the ultimate individual pursuit, offering a time for peace, solitude and growth while challenging one’s body. However, for many runners, distance running is a sense of community, a testament to the spirit of the sport.

Team Aisling formed a running team to challenge ourselves to offer the opportunity to run with a group, at whatever level you are at, beginner to long time runner, in the 2018 Yonkers Marathon. You run for a purpose, for your community, your heritage and to raise funds and awareness for the Aisling Irish Community Center.

The Aisling Irish Community Center is supporting Team Aisling through mentors on fitness, nutrition and training both in person and online and help get you to the finish line. The Team is coming together, is strong and is growing every day and we invite all runners to take that first step, to take the challenge and join Team Aisling. Whether its accountability, competition or motivation, sometimes just joining a group and taking the first run can be the hardest step. Once you join, you are in for fun, friendships and an experience of a lifetime.

Team Aisling will be running for a cause; the Aisling Irish Community Center. Running for a charity not only provides you purpose, it also gives you the opportunity to change lives and give back to your community. Every mile brings awareness to the center and can help someone in need of services from the Aisling Center. Our mission is to bring a team of volunteers together to celebrate Irish in America and in doing so we can fund-raise along the way to help us expand and reach out to a bigger audience who needs our services. Reach out to Sharon at 914-237-5121 or sharon@aislingcenter.org to join. Team Aisling welcomes 1st time runners, experienced marathoners, and everyone in-between.

Monies raised will help fund the Aisling Irish Community Center’s Mental Health Programs including; free and confidential counseling services with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with extensive mental health experience in supporting individuals, children, families and groups. Services are provided at the center, off-site and via phone and email, all aimed at providing a comfortable and private experience. In addition, we cover a health and wellness campaign in the Irish/Irish American community and a suicide prevention program targeted at the entire community. Monthly workshops on mental health issues are ongoing, issues including; depression, domestic violence, drug and alcohol dependency, and suicide.

Aisling Irish Community Center provides resources and a community respite to the Bronx, Yonkers, Queens and the entire tristate area. Over the years, the role of the Center has evolved into a fully-fledged social services organization catering not only to the Irish and Irish-American population, but also to the community at large. Aisling Center is one of the largest Irish immigrant resource centers in the tristate area and the main provider of services for communities of Yonkers and Woodlawn.

We provide free confidential and professional counseling; Irish arts and culture program which includes classes in Irish language, music and dance; assistance with employment & accommodation; services for Senior Citizens; various classes for adults and children and weekly AA meetings. Our educational, cultural and welfare programs/services benefit over 900 people each week with particular emphasis on the more vulnerable people, with our weekly feeding program, delivering food to the homeless at numerous locations throughout New York city. www.aislingcenter.org

This article was submitted to the IrishCentral contributors network by a member of the global Irish community. To become an IrishCentral contributor click here.