In January 2016, tragedy struck our community when Daniella Moffson, a 21-year-old student at Barnard, was killed in a bus crash in Honduras along with two other students. The group was there on a volunteer mission when their bus fell down a ravine. They were on their way to the airport to go home after a week of providing medical care to poor communities. The suddenness left everyone in complete shock.

Since then, Daniella’s friends have been searching for ways to honor her memory. Akiva Blumenthal, of
Teaneck, NJ, and Rebecca Cherson, of Woodmere, NY, are two such individuals. They both know about and share Daniella’s love for Chai Lifeline, an organization that helps children and families deal with the emotional, physical and financial stress of childhood illness. Daniella was a counselor at Camp Simcha, Chai Lifeline’s summer camp, and volunteering for the organization was a true passion of hers. Last January, Akiva and Rebecca both participated in the Miami Marathon with Team Lifeline, raising awareness and funds for Chai Lifeline.

This year, Akiva and Rebecca have created Team Daniella that will participate with Team Lifeline in the Miami Marathon on January 29, 2017. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join the team, and their goal is to raise $100,000 for the children of Chai Lifeline. As Akiva said, “Daniella lived for Camp Simcha and Chai Lifeline. We decided to create this team to promote the incredible acts of chesed Chai Lifeline provides, all in Daniella’s name.”

To join Team Daniella or to learn more about Team Lifeline, please visit www.teamlifeline.org. Team Lifeline participates in the NYC Marathon, Rock n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon, Miami Marathon and America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride in Lake Tahoe.