Ruth Casseus will be representing Team USO at the 2023 New York City Marathon.
Casseus, a former Irvington resident and Navy veteran, said she is thrilled to be participating in the marathon representing the United Services Organization, which she calls “a remarkable non-profit organization dedicated to offering support to active military personnel and their families.”
Casseus dedicated five years to serving in the Navy as an aviation boatswain mate handler. A majority of her military career was spent aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Regan. After leaving the service, she found her path in financial services. Currently she serves as an investor relations associate at FVLCRUM Funds.
Because of her firsthand experience with the USO during her time in the Navy, she wants to use this opportunity to pay it forward.
Being in the Navy was not something Casseus dreamed about as a little girl. She was born in Haiti and grew up in Irvington with her family and two siblings. Being “the shy one” she was put in Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth, a private, all-girls school for her freshman year. She transferred to Irvington High School for sophomore year and it was where there she first met a Navy recruiter.
She also met someone who was a Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet and she fell in love with the idea.
“It was pretty cool. That’s when I realized what I wanted to do,” she said.
Casseus said her military experience was “amazing all around.” She felt the service was very important. During her time, she had a great loop of mentors and progressed quickly.
“The first week, for anyone, it was rough,” she shared. “They chop off your hair. It’s like Hell Week. Wow, I should have just went to college.”
Going from the Navy to working in financial services was also a big transition. Casseus was also going through a divorce at the time but she’s happy at FVLCRUM Funds and plans to further her career there.
This marathon run will be her fourth. Her first marathon was raising money for the Travis Manion Foundation, which provides training opportunities and programs to empower veterans and families of the fallen. She also ran a Philadelphia marathon where proceeds went to the American Heart Association.
Assisting the USO is important to her because while in the Navy, she received care packages and support from them.
“Candy bars, the little things,” she said. “The smallest things meant so much.”
There were also “little comforts” that played a major role in uplifting the military. The USO brought the rock band Train on the ship, along with actor Bradley Cooper.
“I took a picture with him,” said Casseus. “That’s what the USO does for the military. They bring entertainment to us. They provide financial help to us as well. That’s a great organization.”
Casseus’ other interests include gardening, golf, and cooking with her two children—a 12-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. She’s inspired by her parents who she calls “two amazing people.”
Her long-term goal is to retire both of her parents. “Everything I do, I do for them. They deserve it.”
Visit Ruth Casseus’ New York City Marathon fundraiser page at: https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/fundraisers/ad379f483587245d13d9.
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