John Chenier - Event Coordinator

Throughout his life, John has taken to heart the Jesuit ideal of being "a person for others," a value that Fairfield University reinforced. After graduating from college, he spent his first two years as an AmeriCorps Volunteer on Staten Island. During this time, he worked as a resident counselor at an academically focused group home for inner-city at-risk youth. John daily dealt with the chaos, challenges and joys that come with raising a house full of teenagers. He also developed training and recruiting programs for other volunteers. Additionally, he was responsible for updating parents, other educators, program administrators, and donors on the progress of the students.

John's passion for sports began at a very young age. A competitive swimmer since primary school, John developed into a talented and competitive Division I athlete in college. While John's primary sport has always been swimming, he's also an avid runner. John started running competitively when he was 14 in his hometown of Holyoke, Massachusetts. John combined his love of swimming and running with his interest in working with youth as a coach of numerous age group and high school teams. As a coach, trainer and competitor, he and his teams have won numerous awards and championships and at the same time have earned the respect of other coaches, competitors and teams.

After studying and teaching in China during his junior year abroad, John met Christian, who was taking up space in his lane at Fairfield University's pool and so began their friendship. As their idea for Coast to Coast: A Run for Survivorship developed, there was no doubt that John was to be a key partner in the event. John's commitment to service, as well as his patience, organizational skills and willingness to take on a challenge, make him ideally suited to be the Event Coordinator.