FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE www.baa.org
BOSTON MARATHON FUNDRAISING REMAINS STRONG AFTER RECORD YEAR
$28.3 Million Raised
BOSTON, July 7, 2015—Participants running on behalf of more than 200
non-profit organizations raised $28.3 million for charity this year in the
119th running of the Boston Marathon. The overall total includes $15.6
million raised through the Boston Athletic Association's Official Charity
Program, $10.6 million raised through John Hancock's Marathon Non-Profit
Program, and $2.1 million raised by qualified and other invitational
runners.
The majority of the fundraising runners gained entry through the B.A.A.'s
Official Charity Program and John Hancock's Marathon Non-Profit Program,
which provide non-profits with guaranteed entry numbers ("bibs") that
enable runners to fundraise for their organizations. The average amount
raised per runner in both programs remained on pace with last year's
historic average, despite the field size dropping from 36,000 to 30,000.
Among the charitable organizations benefiting from the B.A.A's Official
Charity Program in 2015 were Boston Children's Hospital, Dream Big! and The
Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center.
"In addition to serving as a source of hometown pride, the Boston Marathon
is an eagerly-anticipated event for many charitable organizations and
non-profits in the community," said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director.
"As host to one of the world's truly special athletic competitions, the
B.A.A. and our principal sponsor John Hancock Financial acknowledge the
tremendous cooperation that we receive in organizing the race each year by
annually providing entries that allow participants in the field to raise
important funds, most of which stay local."
John Hancock-sponsored runners ran to benefit organizations including:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Medical Center, the Alzheimer's
Association of MA/NH, and the Special Olympics Massachusetts.
Team John Hancock, consisting of 175 employee runners, raised record funds
for the Boys & Girls Club of Boston and the Ron Burton Training Village,
along with several other non-profits. In addition, 36 employee runners
(included in that total) from parent company Manulife ran on behalf of
Pathways to Education Canada. Overall, John Hancock and Manulife employee
fundraising was up 17 percent from 2014.
"Our 2015 theme ‘There is Only One Boston' celebrated the collective
traditions, memories and experiences of the 119-year old legacy that is the
Boston Marathon," said Craig Bromley, President of John Hancock. "In our
30th anniversary year as the principal sponsor of this iconic race, we are
proud to continue to provide meaningful support to our community partners
through our non-profit program."
Over the past 30 years, the official B.A.A. Charity Program and John
Hancock's Non-Profit Program have combined to raise more than $234 million
for community-based organizations.
For the fourth consecutive year, John Hancock utilized a centralized online
platform to capture fundraising through a partnership with CrowdRise
(www.crowdrise.com/2015bostonmarathon), the world's largest and fastest
growing online platform dedicated exclusively to charitable fundraising.
About the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit
organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through
sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's
oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and
supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs,
including high performance athletes and running club. Since 1986, the
principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial.
The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with
the international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York
City. More than 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2015.
The 120th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 18, 2016. For more
information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.
About John Hancock Financial and Manulife
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based
financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the
United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as
John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a
diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management
services through its extensive network of employees, agents and
distribution partners. Assets under management by Manulife and its
subsidiaries were C$821 billion (US$648 billion) as at March 31, 2015.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE,
and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at
manulife.com.
The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of
the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and
administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance,
annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college
savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information
about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.
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