In an effort to give back to the community (and have fun doing it), four PRIM&R staff members raced around town (and beyond) last Saturday in a mad dash for some do-gooding. The Dash for a Difference benefitted Boston Cares, an organization that leads team-oriented volunteer opportunities throughout Greater Boston. While the PRIM&Rettes (that’s Emily Butler, Anne Meade, Ashley Schofield, and Catherine Rogers) didn’t win the race, we all had an excellent time deciphering the scavenger hunt clues and trekking from one destination to the next. We started off searching for 10 Harvard Street, and took the Green Line to Brookline Village.

Unfortunately, that idea was shot when we realized there is no 10 Harvard Street in Brookline (though there was an 8 and a 14…). After another mini-adventure in Chinatown (there’s a Harvard Street there, too), we landed at Dudley Station, where we waited for the #23 bus…

…which took us to Four Corners, Dorchester! There, we built a birdhouse, which will be donated to the Audubon Society.

After that, it was on to making Mother’s Day cards for mothers at The Women’s Lunch Place and hopeFound. With Saturday’s wind, some cards almost escaped our grasp, but luckily we had plenty of help from the Boston Cares coordinator to help chase them down.

We then went to the Franklin Park Zoo (hands-down, our favorite part!) and saw tigers, gorillas, tapirs, girraffes, snakes, lemurs, and (yep!) camels!

There were a lot of children there that day, so when we found a moment to pose as a rooster (Emily), snake (Ashley), goat (Anne), and hawk (Catherine), it wasn’t possible to get a photo without an excited kid in the foreground.

Once we returned from the zoo, many of the other teams were awaiting our arrival. Still, we managed to cross the finish line, and even break through an actual ribbon! We may not have won the Dash, but we were proud to partake in an event that values community and collaboration. Can’t wait to do it again next year!