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Grace Thomas and Emily Branham joined OAR this summer as RUN FOR AUTISM coordinators. Branham will work as a traditional coordinator. The traditional coordinator works with OAR’s established charity running programs, including the Marine Corps, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Marathons. Thomas will be the first coordinator whose primary focus is the iRUN program, which allows runners to represent OAR in any race they chose.

Through their combined efforts, they hope to increase participation in both the established RUN FOR AUTISM program as well as the iRUN FOR AUTISM program by drawing in more support from businesses, schools, and clubs as well increasing the number of RUN FOR AUTISMparticipants who return to participate in iRUN FOR AUTISM events. “I think that the freedom that iRUN offers makes it the best platform for growing OAR’s base of support,” Thomas notes. 

Branham, whose first task is coordinating the Marine Corps Marathon team of almost 170 runners, plans to be among the runners’ biggest cheerleaders, encouraging them to reach or surpass their fundraising goals and cross their finish lines. She and Thomas both have a passion for sports and fitness. In fact, before she started at OAR, Branham was a marketing assistant for the University of Notre Dame athletics department. “I always knew growing up that I would work in sports someday,” Branham explains. “After having spent a year working full time in the college athletics world, I realized that I had passions elsewhere, including in the realm of serving others. When I saw the opportunity to do a sort of mixture of the two, I was hooked.”  

Thomas, who came to the job from a Teach for America assignment in the Mississippi Delta, has always loved running. Using her knowledge of the sport to support a cause she cares about makes it even more meaningful, she says. “Spending my days convincing others to run is good motivation for me to get my own runs in! It gives me a sense of solidarity with OAR’s runners.”

It was during her assignment as a first-grade teacher that she became more aware of the challenges related to autism, because two of her students were on the autism spectrum. “I tried to provide them with the best possible educational experience, but worried that I did not have the necessary training or support to deal with their individual differences,” Thomas says. “I felt that by joining the OAR team, I would be working toward ensuring that teachers, students, and families are better able to handle the challenges of autism.”

Branham is inspired every day by the runners she supports and works with. “Not only because running a marathon is such an incredible challenge, but because these runners are fueled by a passion for helping individuals with autism and their families and friends,” she explains. “It is an honor to help them as they prepare to meet their marathon and fundraising goals.”