Join Team Azalea Charities,
Run for Wounded Warriors in the
Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) or 10K,
October 31, 2010

Last year Team Azalea Charities sponsored over 20 British Royal soldiers, airmen, and marines and raised approximately $100,000 for U.S. and British service personnel, collaborating with the British Army Benevolent Fund America.  This year our team is partnering with the new Allied Forces Foundation (AFF), under the leadership of Steve Cain who worked with us last year, to host several wounded and active duty Allied teams representing their regiments and their nations raising funds for their wounded in their respective countries, as well as U.S. personnel through Azalea Charities.  Like many of our U.S. Team Azalea Charities' runners who are active duty or veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq, AFF is helping us register active duty personnel to compete from the U.K. and Denmark, for which 50% of these allied runners have been wounded in action. They represent:

• Royal Engineer Commandos led by Corporal Ross Austen who lost a leg in March.  Competing with Royal Engineer Commandos last year, Ross completed the race using crutches and a wheel chair after 17 surgeries within 11 months preceeding the race.  He's since had one leg amputated, yet plans to join us again this year.  Unbelievable, isn't it! 

• The British Paratroopers with 3 wounded members in a 4-man team.  One member of the team is a triple amputee who never gives up.  L/Cpl Tom Neathway story is to be found at: http://tinyurl.com/6jxuzu
  

• The Rifles, bringing 10 men including 3 wheelchair warriors teamed with the riflemen who patrolled alongside them at the time of injury.  3 Rifles Battle Group returned from being the Sangin Battle Group in Afghanistan in May, having sustained 28 dead with many more wounded. It is a testament to their individual and collective courage that they are able to compete so soon.
  

• Nine Danish soldiers who serve under British command in Afghanistan.  They bring 2 double amputees in racing hand-cranks and proudly represent The Royal Life Guards, The Guard Hussars, The Jutland Dragoons and The Royal Danish Air Force.

You can reserve an entry NOW through Team Azalea Charities. You will get a lot of satisfaction from your 2010 marathon or 10K experience knowing you’re helping combat-wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as veterans from previous wars.

So how does this work?? 

Azalea Charities Inc. is an MCM Charity Partner and has obtained 125 entries into this year’s 2010 marathon and 25 entries in the 10K to be held on Sunday, October 31, 2010. Since the runs typically fill up within days after registration begins in April, the only way to get into these first class MCM events after the race closes out will be through MCM Charity Partners like Azalea Charities, Inc.  This year Team Azalea Charities is continuing its relationship with the British charities and active duty units, but is also seeking athletes and charities from Canada and Australia to get involved with our team as we recognize the commitment made by these nations to serve Side By Side with U.S. wounded service personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Fundraising Commitment and Goals 

Charities participating in the MCM Partner Program typically require a minimum fundraising goal for each participant. Your minimum fundraising commitment to Azalea Charities, Aid for Wounded Warriors is only $500.00 for the marathon or $150 for the 10K and needs to be raised by November 15, 2010.  We realize that some contributions may not arrive until after you complete the run.  This commitment is well below the minimum required by many other charities, and higher than a few others, because we are looking to fill our team with individuals who are passionate about raising awareness and funds for our cause and willing to set a higher individual goal to reach our $150,000 Team Azalea Charities fundraising goal for 2010.  As an added incentive, Team Azalea Charities’ marathon runners also competing in the Marine Corps Historic Half will only have the one $500 commitment which will need to be met by the November 15, 2010 deadline.  Team Azalea Charities will also offer all runners a full refund on the MCM race entry fees ($90 for the marathon, $45 for the 10K) if you raise $1,000 or more by October 15, 2010. 

Review the fundraising tips available to you as a Team Azalea Charities runner.  You’ll have some excellent web-based tools at your disposal, including an individual fundraising web page automatically set up by Active Network when you register for the race through Team Azalea Charities.  You’ll be able to easily customize your web page, and use a secure on-line credit card donation capability that will be hosted on your web page. 

Though many charities require runners to reach their minimum fundraising target by the August deadline for registering charity runners for MCM, Azalea Charities will only require you to tailor your fundraising page and initiate your fundraising by August 5, 2010, as evidenced by at least $100 in donations received by the charity.  It’s important we know our runners are totally committed to our Aid for Wounded Warriors fundraising goal to support our November 15, 2010 deadline.  If you have not started your fundraising campaign by August 15, 2009 (with at least a personal $100 donation), you risk that you will not be registered officially into the 2010 MCM or 10K.

If you are unable to solicit your minimum donation amount on or before November 15, 2010, you will be expected to make a personal contribution to Azalea Charities for the balance of your $500 minimum in order to continue to be considered as a Team Azalea Charities member for participation in our 2011 charity partner team.

How do I register? 

Register for MCM or 10K at our webpage powered by Active Network where you’ll need your credit card for the $90 MCM race entry fee or $45 fee for the 10K (plus minimal Active.network fee).  This fee is non-refundable.  However, if Team Azalea Charities has runners on its waiting list to participate in the marathon and you have to drop from the race before the mid-September MCM deadline for transfers, you can complete the requisite transfer form and receive a refund for your entry fee.  

Benefits of running with Team Azalea Charities

As a member of Team Azalea Charities, you will receive the following:

• First and foremost, the personal satisfaction of supporting the needs of our sick and wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in rehabilitation upon returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as a guaranteed slot in the 2010 marathon

• Your own personal website, painless to customize and manage your fundraising campaign (personal message, photo, goal, and ability to track fundraisers)

• Ability to fundraise for a worthy cause and solicit checks by mail or credit card donations online without handling any cash transactions

• Sample fundraising memo / email content that you can personalize

• Charity-generated receipts & thank you memos (for checks received by mail) & automated Active Network-generated email receipts and thank you notes (for online donations) to your contributors

• Charity-generated donation confirmation email (for checks received by mail) & Active Network-generated confirmation emails (for online contributions) sent to you so you know who has contributed to your fundraising campaign 

• A t-shirt and race day running singlet (made of a wicking fabric) to be worn with Team Azalea Charities, Run for Wounded Soldiers logo (available no later than at the Health and Fitness Expo on  October 29-30, 2010)

• Opportunity to meet Azalea Charity board members, volunteers, fellow runners & supporters at the Team Azalea Charities carbo-loading, family Style pasta lunch, free to you on Saturday, October 30th at 1 p.m. at Buca di Beppo, 1825 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Washington D.C., just north of Dupont Circle metro. Guests are encouraged to attend for a nominal contribution.

• Candid photos taken at our pasta lunch and at our start/finish line tent, with ‘official’ photos taken along the course (by MarathonFoto)

• Directions, signs & noise makers to charity volunteers and each runner’s supporters & family to form our Team Azalea Charities cheering squad along the course

• Guaranteed spot in our 2011 Team Azalea Charities Marine Corps Marathon event for every runner meeting or exceeding their 2010 minimum fundraising goal

Still interested??

Please register for the marathon or 10K at our Team Azalea Charities MCM Registration web page. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email from Active Network, inviting you to customize  your individual fundraising page linked from our team page at  Team Azalea Charities Fundraising web page to begin your 2009 campaign early.

For further information, contact us or visit the
Marine Corps Marathon website.