Attention RUNNERS and WALKERS!

Get a guaranteed spot in this year’s Marine Corps Marathon or 10K Run.  You’ll also get a lot more satisfaction from your marathon or 10K experience knowing you’re helping wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as veterans from previous wars.  Last year Team Azalea Charities had 48 marathon runners from 15 states, the District of Columbia and Belgium who raised over $69,000 from more than 750 generous donors.

Registration for this year's Marine Corps Marathon is sold out to the general public, but you can still register through Team Azalea Charities and participate for a great cause!  Though registration for the 10K is not open to the general public until June 4th, you can register now with Team Azalea Charities.

How does this work?? Azalea Charities Inc. is a Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) Charity Partner and has obtained 100 entries into this year’s 2007 marathon and 20 entries in the 10K run, both held on Sunday, October 26, 2008.  Since the runs typically fill up within days after registration begins, the only way to get into the MCM after the race closes out will be through MCM Charity Partners like Azalea Charities.
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Charities participating in the MCM Partner Program typically require a minimum fundraising goal for each of its participants.  Your minimum fundraising commitment to Azalea Charities, Aid for Wounded Soldiers is only $500.00 for the marathon or $200 for the 10K run by October 1, 2008.  This commitment is well below the minimum required by many other charities since we are looking to fill our team with individuals who are passionate about our cause and willing to set a higher individual goal to reach our $225,000 Team Azalea Charities fundraising goal for 2008.  As an added incentive for marathon and 10K runners to raise your minimum, Azalea Charities will give you a full refund on your race entry fee ($95 for the marathon, $50 for the 10K) if you raise $1,000 or more by October 15, 2008.  

See below for fundraising resources 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 (powered by Active Network) that you’ll be able to easily build at www.active.com/donate/azaleacharities, together with a secure on-line credit card donation capability hosted on your web page. 

Though many charities require runners to reach their minimum fundraising target by the August 1 deadline for registering our 100 marathon runners and 20 10K runners with MCM, Azalea Charities will only require you to create your fundraising page and initiate your fundraising by August 1, 2008, as evidenced by at least one $100 check or credit card donation received by the charity.  It’s important we know our runners are committed to our Aid for Wounded Soldiers project by at least showing solid progress toward meeting their minimum fundraising goal to support our October 1, 2008 deadline. 

If somehow you are unable to solicit your minimum donation amount before October 1, 2008, you will be required to make a personal contribution to Azalea Charities for the balance of your $500/$200 minimum in order to continue to secure your spot in our 2008 marathon/10K team.

Click here to register now

You will be required to register for the marathon or 10K at our online registration site powered by Active Network .  Using your credit card, you will be required to pay a $95 race entry fee for the marathon or $55 for the 10K run.  This fee will be non-refundable after August 1, 2008, the Marine Corps Marathon’s deadline for charity partners to finalize all registrations.  However, if Team Azalea Charities has runners on its waiting list to participate in the marathon or 10K and you have to drop from the race before the September 30th MCM deadline for transfers, you can complete the requisite transfer form and receive a refund for your entry fee.  

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

• A guaranteed slot in the 2008 marathon or 10K

• Your own personal website, painless to set up and manage your fundraising campaign

• 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 and email 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 emails (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 2008 a t-shirt and running singlet (made of a wicking fabric) to be worn on race day  with Team Azalea Charities, Run for Wounded Soldiers logo on front and back ( in the mail to you before October 1, 2008)

• 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 and  for an optional contribution from family & supporters, on Saturday, October 25th at 1 p.m. at Buca di Beppo, 1825 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Washington D.C., just north of Dupont Circle metro.  Last year’s lunch was fabulous!

• Team photo taken our pasta lunch, with candid photos taken along the course and at our start/finish line tent

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

• Team Azalea Charities Tent (near start/finish line) with food/drinks post-race, secure place to store personal items during the race, place for friends & family to meet with online access to laptop monitor the runner’s progress

• Guaranteed spot on our 2009 Team Azalea Charities for every runner meeting or exceeding their 2008 minimum fundraising goal

Still interested?? Please register for the marathon or 10K races online at www.active.com/registration/azaleacharities.  Then immediately create your fundraising page at www.active.com/donate/azaleacharities
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Questions about Team Azalea Charities?  For the marathon, contact team coordinator, Norm Albert, at normtreadingwater@yahoo.com.  For the 10K run, contact team coordinator, Joani Mills, at jbmills59@aol.com.

Questions about Azalea Charities, Inc. and our Aid for Wounded Soldiers project?  Contact charity President CEO, Mr Frank Lasch, at azaleacharities@aol.com or visit our home page at www.azaleacharities.org.              
Questions about the Marine Corps Marathon, go to www.marinemarathon.com.

*No Federal or Marine Corps endorsement of
advertisers or sponsors is implied.

Azalea Charities, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization
under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.