Aoife Callinan is looking to have a major impact on the fortunes of the Massachusetts Maritime women’s soccer team during her final year of college.  The honors student and Buccaneer co-captain is a leader in competition, in the classroom and in the campus community, but her impact off the field is one that has resonated across Cape Cod for the past decade.

Callinan, a resident of West Falmouth, will once again run the prestigious Falmouth Road Race on August 21^st, just as she has done in each of the last nine years.  But in 2008 at the age of 13, Aoife began running the race with a specific cause in mind—to support the efforts of The Cape Cod Center for Women, which provides a safe haven for abused women and their children. 

Her lofty fundraising goals have not only been achieved each year—they have been exceeded.  In all, Callinan has raised over $24,000 for the CCCFW, and those funds have been allocated to meeting the needs of the children at the shelter.  As always, her goal for this year’s race is to raise more money than last summer—something she has obviously done extremely well for the last eight years—and her target amount is to exceed $5,000 in donations in 2016.

Aoife’s efforts have not gone unnoticed.  In 2014, the CCCFW presented Callinan with the organization’s Phyllis Collett Memorial Award in recognition of her longtime commitment and support. 

She will be joined in her effort next month by her older sister Shauna, a 2012 graduate of the Academy who served as co-captain of Massachusetts Maritime’s inaugural women’s lacrosse team as a senior.  The entire Callinan family makes a full-fledged effort to raise money and awareness for the on-going mission of the CCCFW, and the reward they receive is knowing that they are all making a difference.

Most athletes look to give their opponents a run for their money in competition.  In Aoife Callinan’s case, she is making a run for the money, and every contribution will continue to make a difference in the lives of women and children on Cape Cod.

To make a donation in support of Aoife Callinan, please visit http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/aoife-callinan/falmouth-road-race-2016.

ABOUT THE CAPE COD CENTER FOR WOMEN

The Cape Cod Center for Women (CCCFW) is the only 24-hour, 7-day-a-week confidential domestic violence emergency shelter serving Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. CCCFW is dedicated to providing quality programs and services to individuals and families fleeing violence or abuse. Our compassionate community of staff, volunteers and supporters assist individuals and families in leaving a violent environment and transitioning to independent living, fully connected to a network of community support and with a lifelong safety plan.

​Since its founding in 2000, CCCFW has provided a sanctuary for more than 500 families and hotline services for approximately 10,000 callers, thanks, in part, to private donors and community support. We measure our success one family at a time. We work with individuals and families for at least one year after they leave our program, and in that period 80 percent have remained violence-free.

We work around-the-clock because domestic violence never takes a day off. If you need help, please contact us. If you want to help, please join us.  For more information, please visit www.capecodshelter.org.