Tierney sisters cheer Marathon team aiding community center
Maura Tierney and her sister, Deirdre, will be among the thousands of spectators cheering on runners at the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday.
The Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated actress — whose credits include “ER,” “The Affair,” and “American Rust: Broken Justice,” and who will soon star in the upcoming sequel to 1996’s “Twister” — will be back in her hometown to support a group that’s running to fund-raise for the Joseph Tierney Learning Center. The community center supports low-income families at the Homes at The Old Colony, an affordable housing complex in South Boston, through nocost programs and services. The center is named after Maura and Deirdre’s late father, who grew up in South Boston and dedicated his life to public service.
Team Tierney consists of nine runners, including Maura and Deirdre’s brother, Joe. They had raised more than $80,000 for the Tierney Learning Center at the time of reporting.
“We’re really, really stoked about it,” Maura told the Globe in a Zoom interview on Friday, adding that she’s “really excited” to be in town to support the fundraising team.
Additionally, the Tierney Learning Center is hosting a children’s fun run on Tuesday at Moakley Park.
“We thought this would be a great opportunity to raise some money, but had no idea of how powerful this platform would be in raising money, raising awareness, and connecting with a broader audience,” said Deirdre.
Opened in 2012, the Tierney Learning Center provides various services, from after-school programming and family support to technology and employment training. Helping the South Boston community means a lot to Maura and Deirdre, as their father, who grew up in a housing project just blocks from the center, was passionate about education and community-driven programs.
“His life growing up was challenging,” said Deirdre. “His father died suddenly when he was seven, and that left his mother to raise him and his six brothers and sisters on his own. Growing up under those circumstances, I think he learned the power of education and hard work.”
“It is certainly special because we grew up playing in the playground right there,” added Maura. “We visited my grandmother, she lived in the projects for 50 years, so that area is woven into the fabric of our childhoods.”
Team Tierney consists of participants who have run in multiple marathons and others who are doing it for the first time. The team includes people who work for the Tierney Learning Center, friends of friends, and their brother, Joe, who both sisters said is feeling good ahead of the big race.
“It’s really been fun for our family,” said Deirdre. “This is just something that brings a new energy.”
The fund-raising component is vital, but the marathon aspect, particularly the work that Team Tierney has put into training, also offers invaluable lessons, especially for younger members of the Tierney Learning Center.
“For the kids at the center, it’s been great to see the runners, see how hard they’re training, and the power of perseverance,” said Deirdre.
‘We’re really, really stoked about it . . . . We grew up playing in the playground right there.’ MAURA TIERNEY, actress, on raising money for the Tierney Learning Center in South Boston