FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dan Finanger
Executive Director
612-925-3500, Ext. 12
Jackie Liu
Media & Public Relations Manager
612-925-3500, Ext. 13
TWIN CITIES MARATHON NAMES 2003 COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Non-profit marathon supports other area non-profit groups
Minneapolis, Minnesota - April 25, 2003 - Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) has
announced its 2003 Community Partners. The groups have been selected based
on their need as well as their efforts to promote health and wellness and
their ties to running. In addition to organizations receiving funds,
several other groups will collaborate with TCM for other types of benefits.
TCM also continues to fund a Scholarship Program.
Community Contribution Recipients
The Community Contribution recipients are Assistive Technology of
Minnesota, Bolder Options, Second Harvest Heartland, and Team USA
Minnesota. "In addition to assisting other health-oriented organizations in
our community, we continue to build long-term relationships with these
partners. We have worked with all of them before, and we are delighted to
continue to do so," says Dan Finanger, TCM's Executive Director. Bolder
Options Executive Director Darrell Thompson agrees, saying "It means a
great deal to be a TCM Community Partner. It's a good, natural fit for us,
with the focus on healthy activities that can be enjoyed with kids and
adults."
Scholarship Program
The TCM Scholarship Program provides $1000 scholarships to two
college-bound student-athletes each year, reinforcing TCM's commitment to
young athletes pursuing their academic goals. "Our scholarship winners are
top-notch students," says Finanger. "We're proud to support these students,
and all of our community partners."
Fund-Raising Partnerships
TCM has also joined forces with the American Lung Association's TEAM LUNG
and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. TCM connects marathon
participants with TEAM LUNG and St Jude's running teams, benefiting both
groups' pledge-based fund raising efforts. TEAM LUNG also contributes a
portion of funds raised to TCM's other Community Partners.
Food Donations
Leftover food from marathon weekend will be donated to Second Harvest
Heartland, a Twin Cities based food bank. American Dairy Association has
committed to a corporate match, which will also provide financial support
to our selected food partner.
T-shirt Drive
Thousands of T-shirts will be distributed in third world countries through
Hand In Hand Together. Shirts are gathered during the TCM Training Teams
Network T-shirt Drive Contest and from individual participant donations at
the TCM HealthFair 11 Fitness Expo on Marathon Weekend. For more
information on Hand In Hand Together call 763-420-3591.
Sponsor for Community Partner Efforts
In its third year, Seagate Technology is the official sponsor of the TCM
Community Partners program. This program develops events and opportunities
for the TCM Community Partners and scholarship program to raise awareness
through activities such as the TCM Mile 20 Community Partners Water Stop,
proudly presented by Seagate Technology. In addition, thanks to Seagate
Technology's support, other TCM sponsors have shown interest and
contributed to the program, allowing the TCM to reach its goal.
In 2002, TCM contributed over $25,000 in cash, and over $110,000 of in-kind
product and sponsor-matching funds was also distributed among the TCM
Community Partners. Online donation opportunities were available for the
first time, and silent auction were also added to the total.
The 2003 Twin Cities Marathon weekend is October 3-5. The three-day
weekend celebration of fitness includes a 5K run/walk, children's fun runs,
pasta dinner, two-day health and fitness expo and a 10-mile race in
addition to the marathon. Twin Cities Marathon continues its 12th
consecutive year as the designated USATF National Masters Championship for
men and women. Major corporate sponsors for the marathon are Cub Foods and
Seagate Technology.
The major media sponsors are KARE 11 and Cities 97. Twin Cities Marathon,
Inc. is a non-profit organization that directs the TCM weekend as a
community service for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Visit us at www.twincitiesmarathon.org.
2003 TCM COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Assistive Technology of Minnesota
Assistive Technology of Minnesota (ATMN) is a non-profit organization
dedicated to improving access and assistive technology devices and services
for people with disabilities. ATMN's mission is to provide a statewide,
comprehensive, consumer responsive system of assistive technology for
people with disabilities. To achieve our mission we embrace the following
strategies: Increase awareness throughout Minnesota of assistive technology
devices and services available for people with disabilities; Collaborate
with other providers in the delivery of services and training to enhance
the most effective utilization of assistive technology; Provide resource
and referral information to persons with a disability to access assistive
technology devices and services; Fill a gap in the delivery of services
through innovative programs that meet the assistive technology need of
persons living with a disability; Extend opportunities for disabled persons
by working with national, state and local agencies to benefit people with
disabilities through the provision of assistive technology devices and
services. For more information, www.atmn.org or call 763-479-8239.
Bolder Options
Bolder Options is a year round, short term, one on one mentoring program
that uses running and biking to reach at-risk youth ages 10-15. Youth are
paired with adult mentors and either run or bike together twice a week for
twelve weeks while training to complete three races together. At the heart
of the program is the matching of youth with a suitable mentor. Together,
pairs establish agreed upon distance goals, which progressively increase
participant's stamina, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Making a 12-week
commitment to a youth makes a difference in the life of a mentor as well.
Use your love for running, discipline and patience to help a young person
set goals for running and their future. For more information on how you can
get involved visit www.bolderoptions.org, email volunteer@bolderoptions.org
or call 612-871-8777, ext. 207.
Team USA Minnesota
The Team USA Minnesota Distance Training Center is a coordinated effort to
bring local resources together to improve post-collegiate American distance
running and develop future Olympians. It is part of the Team USA Distance
Running Program launched in 2000 by USA Track & Field and Running USA.
Based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Team USA Minnesota
was formed in January 2001 and began selecting athletes in April of that
year. The training center provides coaching, training groups, stipends,
travel assistance, medical care and other support for up to 10 athletes.
The Minnesota training center's major sponsor is LIFE TIME FITNESS. For
more information, as well as profiles of athletes and coaches, visit the
web site at www.teamusaminnesota.org.
Second Harvest Heartland
Second Harvest Heartland solicits, warehouses and distributes food and
other grocery products for more than 700 agencies in 61 counties in
Minnesota and western Wisconsin. These agencies, which serve those in
temporary or long-term need, include food shelves, on-site meal providers
and shelters. Second Harvest Heartland also operates a prepared food rescue
program and a community kitchen. Additionally, it provides direct service
to seniors and families through several publicly funded nutrition programs.
Second Harvest Heartland advocates on behalf of hunger relief in Minnesota
and nationally through its affiliation with America's Second Harvest. For
more information visit www.2harvest.org.
TCM Scholarship Program
The TCM scholarship program provides a $1,000 scholarship to one female and
one male graduating high school student-athlete planning to go to college.
The student-athlete must be a cross-country and/or track and field runner
and have participated in distances of 800 meters and longer. Eligible
student-athletes must also be students at a high school in the seven-county
Twin Cities metro area. Applications will be available October 2003. For
more information, call 763-287-3888.
The American Lung Association's TEAM LUNG
American Lung Association of Minnesota (ALAMN) works to prevent lung
disease and promote lung health. TEAM LUNG, a pledged-based program for
runners and walkers, raises money for ALAMN in partnership with the Twin
Cities Marathon. Proceeds of this program will benefit ALAMN programs and
TCM designated charities. ALAMN provides advocacy, research, education and
programs to promote outdoor and indoor air quality, asthma and lung disease
management and smoking prevention and cessation. Everyone deserves to
breathe easier - help make that a reality. For more information, please
call 651-227-8014 or visit www.alamn.org.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was founded in 1962 to serve as a
resource for the international medical community in the struggle against
pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. Since its
inception, the goal of St. Jude has been to develop cures that could be
freely shared with the medical community around the world. That effort has
been successful. St. Jude has pioneered treatments for childhood cancer and
was responsible for transforming acute lymphoblastic leukemia - one of the
most common and lethal forms of childhood cancer - into one of the most
curable. Research breakthroughs at St. Jude have saved tens of thousands of
lives around the world, and St. Jude has been instrumental in increasing
the overall survival rate for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent to
more than 70 percent today. With the help of Clear Channel Radio and K102,
St. Jude has started a marathon training team to help runners train for the
TCM as well as raise some money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
So run for a reason, train for the most beautiful urban marathon while
helping fight childhood cancer. To find out more out our marathon training
team call 952-893-0442 or email john.wolff@stjude.org. To find out more on
St. Jude visit www.stjude.org.
Hand In Hand Together
Hand In Hand Together is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing
humanitarian aid and encouragement directly to people of Ukraine, Russia,
and Moldova where people live in tremendous levels of poverty. Hand In Hand
Together is organized and operated by a Minnesota couple. For more
information on Hand In Hand Together call 763-420-3591.
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