Another indicator that race season is upon us - the number of emails and facebook messages that ask something like this: Do your races benefit any charities? In case anyone else is wondering, my response: Thanks for your interest in how our races benefit charities. We are working on our websites to make that info publicly available. In the interim: 1) We are a small for-profit company, with most of the revenue covering expenses, with hopefully some profit so we can continue to operate. Earning our living in this sport allows us to give back to our community in a variety of ways. 2) Unlike some other singular-cause events like Komen Race for the Cure where ALL the proceeds go to ONE non-profit, we donate cash to a number of local, micro non-profits such as running clubs, youth athletic teams, etc. who support our races with their volunteers. 3) We offer direct support to athletes in financial need through our Entry Fee Assistance program. We also invite local elite athletes to participate so they can continue to improve. 4) We encourage small non-profits to use our Clearwater 5K Walkathon as a fundraiser. In a nutshell, any non-profit who registers with us and recruits athletes to participate in the walk, receives $20 of the $30 entry fee. We have all the infrastructure, permits, etc. in place. All a non-profit needs to do is recruit its supporters. 5) We often provide comp entries as raffle items for auctions at churches, schools, fundraisers, etc., and we donate modest amounts of cash when our athletes are raising funds for their pet projects. 6) We provide exposure through our races to other fundraising events in our goody bags, emails, and Facebook posts. 7) Our biggest area of charitable endeavor is to provide our race management services, equipment and time, pro bono or partial pro-bono, to non-profits who stage races. In prior years, we did this for the Partners For Life Police Appreciation Run. This past Saturday, we helped the Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation increase participation by 50% for their One Step Closer to the Cure 5K / 10K / 1 Miler. On September 27, we are helping a fellow race director stage her Sunrise Run. We also offer our time or equipment when applicable, such as volunteering at Gasparilla and the St. Pete Road Runners 5K Beach Series. 8) The absolute most satisfying charitable endeavor last season was to create and stage the Tampa Bay for Boston Memorial Run. Just about 3 weeks after the Boston Marathon bombing, we hosted 800 athletes in St. Pete for a candlelight vigil and memorial run, raising $15,000 for the victims through the One Fund Boston. As you can see, we LOVE being a part of the Tampa Bay running community and thoroughly enjoy being in a position where we can help in so many diverse ways. I dont think we will ever have a hospital wing named after us, but we take great joy in helping people on a more direct, personal level. Thanks for the opportunity to explain - hope that helps. Chris Lauber Race Director
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 18:41:08 +0000
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