Senator Kerry sent this message to the Massachusetts members of the johnkerry.com community this morning, and we wanted to post it here as well for the benefit of those readers both inside and outside the state who aren't currently subscribed to receive his emails. Team Hoyt is an outstanding effort, and we're glad to help spread the word about this extraordinary father-and-son team.


I'm going to ask you to do something in this email that's really important to me because I care about an incredible young man and his father and what they're trying to achieve.

This isn't another political appeal -- though campaigns are as important as ever -- but it's an appeal that's much more simply from the heart. Please keep reading.

Yesterday I was very fortunate to be able to fire the starting gun for the wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon. The competitive fire and strength of these amazing athletes is just incredible.

I don't do this all that often -- but there's one particular athletic team I saw yesterday that I want to mention and ask you to help today. Dick Hoyt and his son Rick form Team Hoyt, a team that has competed in marathons and triathlons around the world. Rick is in a wheelchair without use of his arms, and Dick pushes him through the course.

Rick was born in 1961 with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and ever since, Rick and his family have pushed the boundaries on what people thought possible. From pushing for Rick to be able to attend public schools to building a special computer to show people that Rick can communicate and think just as well as any other young person, Team Hoyt has worked hard on the front-lines of the battle to tear down the roadblocks faced by people with disabilities.

They began to compete athletically when Rick wanted to run in a charity event in the late 70s, and they began running the Boston Marathon in 1981. Since then, they've competed across the world, raising awareness about human potential and raising money for charities that work with people with disabilities.

As Rick puts it: "The message of Team Hoyt is that everybody should be included in everyday life."

They've formed the Hoyt Foundation with the goal of integrating people with disabilities into everyday life. This is a fantastic charity, and the Hoyts are absolutely inspiring. If you can, please give to the Hoyt Foundation by clicking here:

http://www.teamhoyt.com

The wheelchair division of the marathon is testament to the success of people like the Hoyts in expanding opportunities across our society, but we still need to do more. I hope you will do what you can to help this amazing team and their important work.

Thank you,
John Kerry