Colin's Joy Project fundraiser bringing healing through pain

BOSTON — Six months after a toddler was hit and killed in South Boston, his family is finding a new way to honor his memory and this weekend.

Supporters will gather at a local gym to raise money for "Colin's Joy Project."

Sweat Fixx founder Elisa Caira knows there is pain in progress.

"There’s just something so beautiful about being able to strap into a rower and pick up heavy weights and let the rest of the world just kind of fade away," Caira said. %

%

Inside her South Boston studio, Caira found solace after losing her mother unexpectedly to pancreatic cancer. And says she recognized that same pain in a newcomer to her rowing classes.

"She just has this quiet confidence to her, I would have never known until we actually got to know each other," she explained.

The woman was Kerry McGrath. Her son, Colin, died just before his third birthday after he was hit and killed on l Street last July.

"I didn’t really know who she was and we just started to connect," Caira said.

When Colin was hit and killed, he was on his way from the park with his sister and his nanny. The park was his favorite place to be and his family says the best way to remember him is to build one in his honor.

That led to Colin's Joy Project.

The McGrath family is trying to raise a $250,000 for Colin’s park. Caira says she knew the perfect way to help her new friend.%

%

"It’s just a good day to give back to the community, to support Kerry and her family, it’s what makes opening a studio worth it," she said. "She wanted to keep his memory alive and have something to give back."

Saturday, Kerry and Caira will lead a class to raise money for Colin’s Joy, finding healing in the pain and progress in the project.

PREVIOUS:

• Boy dies after being hit by a car in South Boston, another injured
• Community calls for safer streets after toddler's death in South Boston
• Officials looking to improve safety along L Street following fatal crash

Cox Media Group