Rewrite this post 
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — On Monday, 30,000 athletes will run the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston as part of the 127th Boston Marathon.
That includes Sergeant Daniel O’Neil and Troopers Neil Kelly and Brendan Morgan with the Rhode Island State Police.
“When given the opportunity, how can you say no?” Morgan said.
“It’s just kind of a win-win,” Kelly added. “You get to participate in a historic event and raise money for charity.”
The charity is Cops for Kids with Cancer, which gives local families and their children who are battling the disease checks for $5,000.
“They can use it for whatever they need,” R.I. State Police Cpl. Amy Jackman said. “If their bills are running low, if they need a car payment, if their engine needs to be repaired, or if they need to put food on the table or medicine for the rest of the family.”
As a team, they’ve committed to raising $15,000 by selling t-shirts and accepting donations.
“They sponsor these wonderful families in need,” said O’Neil, who has run the marathon for the R.I. State Police once before. “When we are able to help them out, it’s just the best feeling.”
“You get to that finish line, and then you look down and you see the wristband for Cops for Kids, and you say I did this for a family in the hospital of a family that can’t leave their home because of illness,” Jackman added. “It hits a little bit harder.”
Right now, the team has only reached about third of its fundraising goal. Anyone interested in donating can do so by clicking here.
. Keep all images. Remove “and links” at the beginning