North Attleboro resident David Santoro, a principal in the firm Santoro Financial Planning Group, raised $1,400 this fall in the Boston (Virtual) Marathon to benefit the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, an organization which helps provide support to families of cancer patients.

For Santoro, this was his 31st consecutive Boston Marathon. And, despite his status as a qualified runner, meaning that his “run times” are strong enough that he qualifies to enter the race without needing to run for a charitable cause, he continues to fundraise to support families with cancer. In all, he has raised nearly $25,000 for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, founded by former New England Patriots three-time Super Bowl-winning offensive guard Joe Andruzzi and his wife Jen. Joe Andruzzi is a cancer survivor and created the foundation to help other families with the costs of battling cancer. The Foundation provides grants to hundreds of families.

Supporting cancer patients is a cause near and dear to Santoro, who lost his mother, Geraldine Santoro, to breast cancer in 1999. For the last nine years, he ran in support of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, and before that, for Dana Farber. Because of COVID-19, the Boston Marathon was first postponed to the fall, and then converted to a virtual event, meaning that marathoners would select their own route for fundraising or qualifying purposes. Santoro worked with a local running club to create a 26.2 mile marathon route that went through North Attleboro into Attleboro, into Mansfield and then back to North Attleboro. He trained with this running club for the event. And while this was not his best finish time ever (which was 2 hours and 56 minutes, or a per-mile run time of 6:43), he was pleased with his finish time and more importantly the funds he was able to raise to support the Foundation.

“The Joe Andruzzi Foundation is a very worthwhile organization,” he said, adding, “I’m pleased to have been able to support it again this year. We weren’t certain what would happen with the Marathon due to COVID, but it was great to do the Marathon again this year and be able to help families in need.”

Prior to choosing the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, Santoro ran in support of Dana Farber Cancer Institute and estimates that all of his fundraising efforts over the years have exceeded $100,000.

About David Santoro

David Santoro, as principal of Santoro Financial Planning group, brings a number of years experience in financial planning and advising to his current role. Prior to founding his own business, he worked in a financial planning/advisory role at a local bank for the last eight years. He is a retired Major in the Army Reserve, having served as an intelligence officer for 23 years. He holds the Certified Financial Planner® designation, as well as Series 7 and 63 licenses. He earned his undergraduate degree at Framingham State University, his Master’s Degree from Bryant University and his CFP Certificate at Bryant. He works with a number of small business owners, helping with retirement plans for their companies.

Santoro serves on the Board of Directors of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts.

In his spare time, he serves as member of the Board of Directors for the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America in East Providence, which encompasses Rhode Island and Massachusetts; he is an Eagle Scout. In addition to running, another of his hobbies is restoring antique cars. His current restoration projects include a 1958 and 1959 Ford Edsel, two of the three years that the automobile was in production.

He lives in North Attleboro with his wife Diane. They are parents to two children: Adrienne, a 2019 Stonehill College graduate, and son Peter, a sophomore at Bishop Feehan High School and an avid baseball player.

About Santoro Financial Planning Group

Santoro Financial Planning Group serves clients in the geographic region including Norton, Attleboro, Mansfield and Easton. Founder David Santoro is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional with more than 25 years’ experience in budgeting, cost benefit analysis, mutual funds, revenue forecasting and analysis, and understanding of the financials solution available. Clients include small business owners and individuals looking for help with their financial goals. Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Fixed insurance products and services offered by Santoro Financial Planning Group. To learn more about Santoro Financial Planning Group, please call 508-286-7900 or email david@santorofpg.com.