The charity program has raised more than $15 million for local, national and global causes since 2009
PITTSBURGH, PA – P3R proudly has announced that the Run for a Reason Charity Program, presented by Microsoft, raised more than $940,000 during this year’s DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend of Events. Since the Run for a Reason Charity Program launched in 2009, participants have raised more than $15 million for local, national and global causes.
“Giving back to the community and changing lives is important to P3R, and we are proud that the Run for a Reason Charity Program once again had such a positive impact in our community and beyond,” said Troy Schooley, P3R CEO. “We celebrate all of our charity MOVERS who not only crossed the finish line and accomplished their fitness goals this year but also made sure their miles counted for more and raised funds for important causes.”
More than 2,200 charity program participants inspired more than 11,300 charity donations for 34 official and 27 contributing charities. This year’s top charity MOVER was Arlen Janet, who raised $22,267 for UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation. His daughter Alaina was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease that caused scarring in her liver, and the only cure was a liver transplant. When his daughter was 15 months old, Janet donated part of his liver to Alaina at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Alaina is now 15 years old and is doing great.
“I love being a part of this marathon,” Janet said. “I was never a runner until nine years ago when I participated in the FedEx Pittsburgh Marathon Relay for the first time as a member of the Team Children’s team. This run is always inspirational to me because it reminds me how much we have been through, how far we have come and how blessed we are. It reminds us of all the personal commitment, care and dedication the UPMC Children’s team of transplant doctors, nurses and supporting staff provides to those in need. What an amazing group of individuals!”
The charities who received the most donations include:
UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation, $77,248.41
Urban Impact Foundation, $69,672.04
American Cancer Society DetermiNation, $61,486.50
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, $52,857.53
Light of Life Rescue Mission, $47,271.13
“This year’s program connected charity runners with causes close to their heart and raised both awareness and an incredible amount of fundraising dollars for Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities,” said Ron Bianchini, Site Lead for Microsoft Pittsburgh. “People come to work at Microsoft in Pittsburgh to change the world with technology, and that same drive fuels our employees’ passion to make a difference in their communities through programs like this. We applaud all the charity runners for the difference that they have made in their community.”
For the first time this year, P3R unrolled the red carpet and celebrated outstanding charity runners with the new UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh BACK Half Marathon. Limited to participants who fundraised $1,500 or more for charity, the new race started in Shadyside and was an opportunity for runners to see the second half of the marathon course, sights only seen before by marathon participants.
For more information about the Run for a Reason program, presented by Microsoft, go to: www.thepittsburghmarathon.com/pages/RFAR-pittsburgh-marathon
About the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend of Events
The Pittsburgh Marathon was held annually from 1985-2003. After a five-year hiatus, the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon was relaunched in 2009 and debuted with a sold-out field of 10,000 participants. It has grown each year since, evolving from a single race day into a weekend of events for the whole family that annually attracts nearly 40,000 runners.
Read more at: ThePittsburghMarathon.com
FACEBOOK: DSGPM TWITTER: @PghMarathon INSTAGRAM: pghmarathon
About P3R
P3R is the engine behind Pittsburgh’s greatest races. We strive to inspire any and all to move with us. Best known for organizing the acclaimed annual DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, P3R runs a variety of other high-quality races, events, and health and fitness programs throughout the Pittsburgh region. While many of our races attract some of the nation’s highest-profile professional athletes, we offer activities for all ages and ability levels. Anyone and everyone is invited to #RUNwithP3R! Read more at: P3R.org
FACEBOOK: RUNwithP3R INSTAGRAM: RUNwithP3R TWITTER: @RUNwithP3R
