Team Fisher House Story

Cathy Cabrey (left) - Program Director

Stacy Toner (right) - Program Assistant & Team Coach

In 2006, Cathy Cabrey presented the idea of a Marine Corps Marathon team to the Fisher House during a conference call with editor of Military Spouse Magazine, Regina Galvin, and the V.P. for Communications for Fisher House, Jim Weiskopf.  Jim's response was "We'd love to!  We've wanted to be a part of the race for 10 years, but we've had no one who was willing to take on the project.  Cathy, would you be willing to organize the team?" Cathy nervously replied, "yes."  She asked Stacy Toner, her own marathon trainer, to join the team as the official team coach. 

As volunteers and military spouses with no prior event planning or online fundraising experience, they had quite a year: 85 runners raised over $70,000!  After the race, Jim asked them if they'd be willing to run the team again the next year.  Needless to say, Cathy and Stacy agreed.  In 2007, they recruited over 200 runners who contributed over $278,000 to the Foundation. 

In 2008, Fisher House offered Cathy a newly created job, Program Director of Team Fisher House, and Stacy the position of Team Fisher House Coach. They were both thrilled to be officially part of the Fisher House Family. Stacy and Cathy expanded the fundraising program in 2008 to enable individual people to raise funds for the Foundation while participating in any event, anywhere in the world.  The program also had inaugural fundraising teams at the Army Ten-Miler and Air Force Marathon. The Navy Ten Nautical Miler was added in 2011.

The program continues to grow each year - adding fundraisers like Burning River Lacrosse, American Gold Star Mothers and the Dreyfus Lions.  In 2011 alone, over $1,680,000 was raised for the Foundation through the Team Fisher House Program. 

Stacy Toner joined the Foundation full-time in 2012 as the Team Fisher House Program Assistant to help fulfill the needs of the ever-expanding program, while continuing her role as the Team Coach for the four military race teams.

In 2012, Team Fisher House will host fundraising teams at all four military races:

• Navy Ten Nautical-Miler in Millington, TN
• Air Force Marathon Races in Dayton, OH
• Army Ten-Miler in Washington, DC
• Marine Corps Marathon and MCM10K in Arlington, VA

Cathy and Stacy’s Team Fisher House Story was recently highlighted in Fitness Magazine.  Click here to download the article.

The Team Fisher House Program enables anyone to become a fundraiser for Fisher House.  Join the team today to become a Champion for Military Families!