NeighborHealth’s 13th Annual 5K Event Champions Community Health and Fitness
Let’s Get Movin’ & New Balance Foundation 5K for Fitness promoted healthy lifestyles through physical activity and nutrition education
BOSTON, MA (June 12, 2025) – NeighborHealth, in partnership with the New Balance Foundation, hosted its 13th annual 5K for Fitness event on Saturday, June 7th, 2025, at East Boston’s Memorial Park. The event brought together more than 900 people, including nearly 800 runners and walkers, to celebrate and promote healthy living through physical activity and nutrition education.
“This event is about prioritizing wellness for the entire family and experiencing healthier living as one community,” said Jamie Hazard, NeighborHealth, Interim President & Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “We know that health care doesn’t start or end at our clinic. The fact is that where we live and how we live can have a profound impact on our health outcomes and wellbeing. Events like the Let’s Get Movin’ 5K encourage everyone to put their personal health first in a fun and supportive setting.”
The race day schedule included a spirited warmup led by the Let’s Get Movin’ team. DJ music energized participants as they wound their way through the East Boston Greenway and Bremen Street Community Park. The first 200 registrants received free T-shirts, and all finishers were awarded medals. The top finishers in each age category were recognized with trophies, and a free raffle concluded the event. More than a dozen community organizations joined the festivities to share resources, and many community members expressed appreciation for the NeighborHealth program.
“Let’s Get Movin’ gave me my life back,” said Let’s Get Movin’ participant Elaine Mendes, pastor at Revival International Center in Chelsea. “After losing so much during the pandemic, I felt like I had nothing left, but this program gave me hope. I showed up in 2022 to volunteer, and what I found was a community that taught me how to move my body and be healthy, not only physically but mentally. I went from not being able to run at all, to crossing the finish line, stronger and faster each year.”
Chelsea resident and Let’s Get Movin’ participant, Pastor Elaine Mendes, gears up for her fourth annual Let’s Get Movin’ race. (Photo Credit: Agnieszka Rytych-Foster Photography)
“The Let’s Get Movin’ program has made a huge difference in our lives over the past 8 years,” said Nuvia Vanegas of East Boston, mother of Brian Vanegas who participated in the program as a child and now coaches for Let’s Get Movin’. “At first, I wasn’t sure if we could do it, but I realized that, with the help of the Let’s Get Movin’ team, eating well and exercising regularly could be a normal part of our family’s life. Today, I am so proud of my son, Brian, who is going off to college, and all our family members who showed up today to support us.”
East Boston locals Nuvia Vanegas and her son Brian Vanegas after participating in the Let’s Get Movin’ 5K race. (Photo Credit: Agnieszka Rytych-Foster Photography)
Let’s Get Movin’ is a lifestyle-change program for children, teens and their families that promotes physical activity and nutrition, while helping young people make healthier lifestyle choices. The program was developed in response to the national epidemic of childhood obesity and its impact on the local community. Built on three main components – medical monitoring, physical activity, and nutrition education – Let’s Get Movin’ offers no-cost training sessions, after-school and summer programs, field trips, community events, garden access, cooking classes, and educational activities for adults who want to learn more about supporting their children’s healthier lifestyles.
NeighborHealth would like to thank our generous sponsors, in addition to the New Balance Foundation, for supporting this event: Wise Construction, Suffolk University, YMCA, Cataldo Ambulance Service, RRT – No Speed Limit; as well as in-kind sponsors Wegmans, Whole Foods, Rumba 97.7, an iHeartMedia station, and Citius Printing & Graphics.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Justin Auguste
jauguste@thecastlegrp.com
617.337.9509
About NeighborHealth
NeighborHealth, formerly East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, is one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts, serving over 130,000 people and recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a National Quality Leader. For more than 50 years, NeighborHealth has offered access to comprehensive primary care, specialty care, and emergency care for patients in the Commonwealth. In a first-of-its-kind merger in 2020, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center joined forces with the South End Community Health Center and expanded services to patients who live and work in Boston’s South End and Roxbury neighborhoods. NeighborHealth champions innovative care models to actively bridge health equity gaps in our low-income and immigrant communities with services unique from other healthcare providers in our state. For more information, visit www.neighborhealth.com.
Let’s Get Movin’ participants leap off the start line, commencing the annual 5K race. (Photo Credit: Agnieszka Rytych-Foster Photography)
NeighborHealth’s Let’s Get Movin’ Manager Cristina Weddle (left) with NeighborHealth Interim President and CEO & Chief Financial Officer Jamie Hazard (right) as they prepare to welcome participants to the annual race. (Photo Credit: Agnieszka Rytych-Foster Photography)
East Boston families with children of all ages proudly display their medals at the annual Let’s Get Movin’ 5K race, an initiative by NeighborHealth that encourages families and young people to enjoy the benefits of physical activity. (Photo Credit: Agnieszka Rytych-Foster Photography)
Let’s Get Movin’ 5K runner Diana Gallego enjoying the run with their community. (Photo Credit: Agnieszka Rytych-Foster Photography)
The East Boston Social Centers was one of many organizations sharing resources with community members at NeighborHealth’s annual Let’s Get Movin’ 5K. (Photo Credit: Agnieszka Rytych-Foster Photography)
