Running For a Cause

Taylor Brandon and Cecilia Scott-Croff of the Early Childhood Center

Taylor Brandon and Cecilia Scott-Croff of the Early Childhood Center
September 23, 2013

They say heroes are made, not born.

Christopher Reeve, best known as “Superman” on the big screen, could be considered a hero, or a legend.

A survivor of a spinal cord injury that left the late actor and activist paralyzed, Reeve and his late wife Dana inspired many people through their humanitarian work with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which remains committed to finding treatments for spinal cord injuries.

This fall, Taylor Brandon, a Head Teacher at BMCC’s Early Childhood Center, will be running in the ING New York City marathon with “Team Reeve.”

And some of his biggest supporters are the smallest ones—the pre-schoolers of the Early Childhood Center.

Every year, the BMCC Early Childhood Center operates an on-campus bake sale, and this semester, funds from the October 11th sale will support Brandon’s run.

“Despite his setbacks, Christopher Reeve had courage, and that’s inspiring,” says Brandon, who mostly works with the Center’s 3-year-olds and has completed marathons before.

He has already started training for the 5K run.

“Since they’ve heard I’ll be running with Team Reeve, I’ve received lots of encouragement from co-workers,” he says.

Support from the Center

“Taylor running the marathon is an inspiration for many of us here at BMCC,” says Cecilia Scott-Croff, Executive Director of the Early Childhood Center. “He takes his physical health and commitments very seriously, has a background in the arts, and infuses his knowledge of health and the arts into the classroom.”

Brandon engages the children he works with in movement activities and playground games such as rolling and tumbling.

“They’re too young to quite grasp the concept of running a marathon, but they contribute to the cause by helping out at the bake sales. They help exchange the money and the goods using little cash registers,” he says, adding, “I’ve always related well to children. I’m kind of a big kid myself! It’s been wonderful watching them learn and grow.”

According to Scott-Croff, Brandon “has a quiet and unassuming demeanor but also feels like a playmate for the kids, and they just love him. He’s very dedicated. That’s why we here at the Center feel like he’s running the marathon for us, too.”

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