In April, Pete Levangie will run the Boston Marathon, supporting Boston Medical Center as a dedicated member of Team BMC for the tenth time. But this year’s run is especially meaningful for Pete because his daughter, Kate, a BMC nurse, will be running as well.
Pete and Kate Levangie
Pete’s connection and commitment to BMC began nearly 15 years ago, when the hospital launched its Preventive Food Pantry. Through his professional work focused on making nutrient-dense foods affordable and accessible, Pete was drawn to BMC’s holistic approach to health—one that recognizes food, housing, and other support as essential parts of care.
“Donating to BMC is an investment in a healthier, more equitable community,” he says. “It supports a vital ecosystem of care that not only addresses immediate health needs but also works to eliminate the root causes of health disparities. Somewhere along the way, I started running for Team BMC, and it just stuck. BMC’s mission has always resonated with our family.”
Kate sees that mission in action every day as an inpatient pediatric nurse at BMC. “I ran the Boston Marathon with BMC when I was in college,” she shares. “This year feels different, though, because I’m running not just for the hospital, but for my patients, their families, and my coworkers. Seeing what these donations are going toward in real time makes a difference. BMC reaches so many diverse communities of people who don’t have a lot of protection, like children, the elderly, immigrants, and people in poverty.”
Kate says her commitment to caring for vulnerable populations didn’t happen by accident. She credits her parents with shaping that worldview. Her mother, Enid, has spent her career in social work and once interned at BMC. She took Kate and her siblings on trips to medical clinics in Haiti when they were young. “For years, my wife has worked with marginalized populations in different capacities. She is the CEO of our social justice commitment,” Pete says. “But it’s a shared value in our family.”
For the Levangies, giving back is both deeply personal and profoundly hopeful.
“When you show kindness to others—active kindness—it’s an act of gratitude. It leads to a more joyful life.” — Pete
This April, father and daughter may not run side by side, but they will run toward the same goal: helping ensure that BMC can continue showing up for every patient and every family in need. And knowing her dad is somewhere up ahead will help carry Kate to the finish line. “He’s faster than me, but he’ll wait for me at the end,” she laughs.
This year, 72 Team BMC runners are fundraising and training for the Boston Marathon as part of the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program. Together, they’re aiming to raise $850,000 to advance BMC’s mission. Learn more about Team BMC and the Boston Marathon.