City Councilor Matt O’Malley of Jamaica Plain, got to know the ins and outs of his district on his long runs while training for the Boston Marathon. This year O’Malley is a member of the Project Hope Marathon Team. The team consists of 24 runners, some local and some from as far away as Australia, Canada, California and Florida. These enthusiastic athletes were out most Saturdays in their coordinated gear training along the marathon route. The money raised by the team will be used to provide access to housing, quality child care, education and job training for Boston’s neediest children and families. The team hopes to meet their $130,000 goal by Monday. To help, visit http://www.crowdrise.com/TeamProjectHope/fundraiser/prohope.

Project Hope is a multi-service agency Dorchester/Roxbury whose mission is to partner with families as they move up and out of poverty. It provides homeless women and their children with an integrated system of supports; access to education, job training, housing, and emergency services, even as it works for broader systems change in the public domain.

For more information on the runners and Project Hope, please visit www.prohope.org.