NE Distance Welcomes Maeghan Hobson

This month Meaghan Hobson of La Salle
University will
become the next athlete-in-residence fellow at NE Distance, the
new
community-based distance running project in New England.  She will be moving to
Woonsocket, RI to join
the program by the end of this year. 
Meaghan
possesses 55 second 400 meter speed and is looking to NE Distance
to help her achieve
a long sought goal of being nationally competitive in the mile.

 

Meaghan just completed her Masters degree in
Education with
an emphasis on Special and Elementary education.  While training with the NE
Distance team, she
will be working part time in Woonsocket, Rhode Island with one of
the
Woonsocket After-school Coalition members. Meaghan will be moving
into the
Constitution Hill section of Woonsocket in an apartment developed
by
NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley.

 

“We are extremely excited to be adding Meaghan
to the NE
Distance team”, says Nich Haber, President and Founder of NE
Distance.  “We feel she has
an incredible amount of
drive and is going to be someone that sports fans of New England
will be able
to see as one of their own.”

 

Meaghan is thrilled to be a part of NE
Distance’s inaugural
year and believes that athletics has a significant role in
community-building.  “Growing
up I never
knew of any professional runners. They are very inspirational
people and
excellent role models for young kids. I have been fortunate enough
to have some
extremely positive role models in my life, help guide me to where
I am now. I
hope to work with students and have that same positive effect on
them that I
had in my life. Running was always a great outlet for me and
opened many doors.
I have learned over the years that it doesn’t matter where you
came from but
where you take yourself. And I am taking myself to Woonsocket.”

 

Bob Rothenberg, Board member of NE Distance,
Inc.  (former Head Coach of
Track & Field,
Brown University) ‰ÛÓ “The community aspect of this project is just
as important
as the athletic aspect.  As
our first
athlete, David Goodman, has demonstrated, in the time when they
are not
training, our athletes can be community-builders working 16-20
hours a week
with local youth.  It truly
is a win-win
situation for everyone involved.”

 

People interested in supporting NE Distance can
purchase
tax-deductable “shares” in the team via their web site, www.nedistance.org.  Shares are not redeemable
like shares in a
for-profit company.  Shareholders
are
invited to the annual meetings to meet the athletes and vote on
key decisions
for the group.

 

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About
NE Distance:  NE Distance,
Inc.
(www.nedistance.org) is a 501(c)(3) charity. 
A community-based distance running program funded by
individuals in the
running community.  NE
Distance provides
a supportive environment for post-collegiate runners committed to
representing
their community and reaching a higher level of competition.

 

About
NWBRV:  NeighborWorks
Blackstone River
Valley (www.NeighborWorksBRV.org) is a nonprofit community
development
corporation that works with residents, businesses, and
neighborhood
institutions to enrich neighborhood life and make affordable
housing
opportunities available throughout Northern RI. 
With over 20 years of experience, the organization offers
innovative
programming that goes beyond bricks and mortar- including youth
after school
and summer academic and enrichment activities, financial fitness,
credit and
homebuyer education, foreclosure prevention, and much more.

 

About
WASC:  The Woonsocket
After-School
Coalition (woonsocketafterschool.org) supports individualized
learning needs of
youth by coordinating efforts among eleven organizations, families
and schools
to expand opportunities for success within the community and the
world
beyond.