The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘She will take on challenges’
Middletown native ready to cycle coast to coast for cancer charity
MIDDLETOWN — City native Marissa Aldieri has given back to the less fortunate in her community since she was 13.
Now 22, the 2014 Middletown High School graduate is working on her master’s degree in expressive arts therapies at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., while living in the greater Boston area.
And for 10 weeks this summer, the avid cyclist, runner, and all-around athlete will be riding from Baltimore, Md., to Portland, Ore., in conjunction with the Positive Tracks lifestyle campaign, “Sweat for Good.” Participants will leave June 2 and reach their destination by Aug. 10.
The 70-day trip, which spans thousands of miles coast to coast, will raise money and awareness for the Ulman Foundation, which supports young adults in their fight against cancer.
“I been always inclined to help the community I’ve been involved in. It had nothing to do with what I was feeling, it was more what the community needed,” Aldieri said. “It obviously felt good, but I felt this was a minor contribution, and they were just so incredibly thankful, which made me feel amazing.
“That was a feeling I wanted to continue throughout my lifetime — it didn’t have an expiration date to it,” said Aldieri, who graduated from the University of Connecticut in May with an individualized major in health and wellness through the visual arts.
The Ulman Foundation is a national organization that benefits the young adult cancer community through various support services. “We will be traveling with the intent to spread awareness, give scholarships, and build a stronger relationship with young adults in the cancer community,” she said.
Each individual’s goal is to raise $4,500 by June.
“I never had the most money in the world, so I try and give back to the community through services and manual labor or walks and raising money. I just latched on (to her various charity projects), and met the most amazing people ever, and it changed my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them,” Aldieri said.
Every year, 72,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer, according to the Ulman Foundation.
Through fundraising, activism, and activities such as the 4K For Cancer, which Aldieri is taking part in, “we change lives by creating a community of support for young adults, and their loved ones impacted by cancer,” the website says.
Aldieri said that when she was in sixth grade, a friend
developed leukemia and throughout that year, she was involved in many fundraisers to help her family’s expenses, including the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life of Middletown, held annually at the Woodrow Wilson Middle School track.
While an eighth-grader and parishioner at St. Pius X Church in Middletown, Aldieri witnessed the effects of her philanthropy. “It was amazing,” she said. Her volunteer work there, through the peer ministry, helped the less fortunate and homeless. Soon, she was doing missionary work in upstate New York.
Those years of giving to others, combined with her artistic talent — Aldieri is a photographer, painter and violinist — and guidance of her mother, Sandy Aldieri, who runs Perceptions Photography, convinced her to pursue a career in art/ expressive therapy.
“My mom was a big proponent of that: She led me in the direction. She knew I was involved in the arts and I wanted to (be) involved in health care,” Marissa Aldieri said.
“From Day 1, she was always the kid in class who included the other child who was not being included, and would sit with [him or her]
at the lunch table. She never thinks about herself, she thinks about everyone else. It energizes her,” her mother said.
Marissa Aldieri has also volunteered at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, for chronically ill and terminally ill children, and has been doing a Ragnar Relay/Camp Challenge Ride for nearly four years, proceeds of which benefit the camp.
For three years, she participated in HuskeyTHON in Storrs to raise money for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. “Working with kids — I feel like I’m the best version of myself,” Marissa Aldieri said.
“My husband and I are very proud of her. Our initial response was ‘that’s going to be a lot. You’re in the master’s program, you’re taking the summer off to journey cross country in the middle of the summer, and raising $4,500.’ We were a little anxious about it, but we’re getting better,” Sandy Aldieri said. “She will take on challenges that are a stretch, and this one is a stretch,” her mother added.
A colleague Marissa Aldieri worked with at camp, who had also participated in the ride and is coaching her, is very sick now with cancer, her mother said. Her friend’s help means a lot to the cyclist.
Each town participants travel through provide food and lodging, and Marissa Aldieri is prepared to sleep on floors in churches and other locations in a sleeping bag. She has to pay for her own flights and gear. One of the perks is when the riders hit $1,500 of their $4,500 goal, they will own the bike they’re using for the competition. “That’s the most amazing part,” she said.
Every day, riders “circle up” to honor their ride. Each writes on their legs the names of people they know who are or have been affected by cancer. “We’re constantly thinking about someone affected throughout the entire ride. We’re constantly reminded of who we’re doing this for and why,” Marissa Aldieri said.
Once every five to six days, bikers will volunteer at a cancer center or hospital, and do community outreach, speak with young adults. “We’re doing this for them and we want them to know that,” she said.
So far, she’s raised $1,180 of the $4,500 goal. For information, visit Aldieri’s fundraising page at ulman.z2systems.com.
It’s not too late for a cyclist to register for the event. To find out more about the ride, see 4kforcancer.org.