The IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund will distribute US$66,000 in grant funding to non-profit initiatives and groups in the greater Lake Placid, New York, community in conjunction with the 2015 IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon taking place on Sunday 26 July 2015.
The IRONMAN Lake Placid event is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the IRONMAN events in North America. The IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund provides community and volunteer grant opportunities to non-profit organizations where US IRONMAN events are held.
With the 2015 donations from the IRONMAN Foundation, a total of US$1,377,033 has been given since the first IRONMAN Lake Placid event.
In 2015, The IRONMAN Foundation will provide more than US$1.5 million to support the needs of IRONMAN race communities across North America.
Community grants
The IRONMAN Foundation provides charitable support to a variety of local non-profit organizations that recognize citizens in need and support the Foundation’s mission. The Foundation works with community leaders to identify projects and initiatives and to provide funding in order to support worthwhile causes.
This year, the IRONMAN Foundation’s Community Fund will provide a total of US$26,000 in community grants to local non-profit beneficiaries in the Lake Placid region.
“Grant funding is one way that the IRONMAN Foundation leaves a lasting legacy in the communities where IRONMAN races take place,” said Dave Deschenes, Executive Director of The IRONMAN Foundation. “We are thrilled to support the Lake Placid community with these community grant awards.”
One recipient of these funds is the Lake Placid Outing Club (LPOC). “Support from The IRONMAN Foundation will be used to directly further our mission,” said David Balestrini, Board Chair of LPOC. “We will be able to include a larger percentage of disadvantaged youth in our program, train an additional leader to continue offering highly subsidized, multiple-overnight wilderness trips, and continue the ongoing effort to maintain and diversify the equipment we make available to participants in our program.”
Other grant recipients include the Adirondack Foundation, East Branch Friends of the Arts, and the Adirondack Medical Center.
Community grant recipients will be honoured at the IRONMAN Lake Placid Athlete Welcome Ceremony on Friday 24 July 2015 at 18:00 ET at Mid’s Park on Main Street.
Volunteer grants
Within IRONMAN’s race communities, The IRONMAN Foundation provides a grant program to support organizations that have a volunteerism component. This year, The IRONMAN Foundation’s Community Fund will provide an additional US$40,000 in volunteer grant donations.
“We are thrilled to expand the IRONMAN Foundation’s reach and impact through volunteer grants in Lake Placid,” said Christine Perkins, Community Relations Manager for The IRONMAN Foundation. (Last year, volunteer grant funding was distributed among 38 community groups in the region.)
Community Fund athlete entries
Athletes can help make a lasting impact in race communities by choosing to purchase an IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund Entry. By selecting a Community Fund Entry, athletes can support the IRONMAN Foundation’s mission to provide funding opportunities to local non-profits within each IRONMAN race community.
More than 220 athletes have participated in this program for the 2015 IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon and have helped raised over US$166,000 for the IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund, while collectively all Community Fund entries have raised over US$1.3 million in 2015.
Featured charity partner
The IRONMAN Foundation has worked with many non-profit organizations in the form of charity partnerships throughout the years. The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation is the Featured Charity Partner of the 2015 IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon.
With 110 athletes racing at IRONMAN Lake Placid, The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation team is on track to raise a record-setting US$850,000 for lifesaving myeloma research, helping to accelerate the development of next generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend patients’ lives, and lead to a cure.
The IRONMAN Foundation will be conducting a R.A.K. (Random Acts of Kindness) campaign while in Lake Placid. The IRONMAN Foundation staff will be out and about throughout the community encouraging athletes and their support crews to make a difference while out in the community.
Partnering with an IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 event provides a platform for charities to raise awareness and educate others about their cause while raising valuable funds towards their mission. Through these partnerships, US$6,722,715 was raised to support their respective missions in 2014 alone, and US$13.4 million since the beginning of The IRONMAN Foundation’s charity partnership program.
www.ironmanfoundation.org
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