Join Team Azalea Charities and
Run for Wounded Soldiers in
the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon (MCM)
October 25, 2009

You can reserve an entry NOW to the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) through Team Azalea Charities. You will get a lot of satisfaction from your 2009 marathon experience knowing you’re helping US and British 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 100 entries into this year’s 2009 marathon to be held on Sunday, October 25, 2009. Since the runs typically fill up within days after registration begins (April 1, 2009), the only way to get into the MCM after the race closes out will be through MCM Charity Partners like Azalea Charities, Inc.  This year we are proud to be partnering with the British Army Benevolent Fund America, whose Army soldiers serve side by side with our US service personnel – a long lasting tradition since WWII,  around the time the British Army Benevolent Fund was established.  

Fundraising 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 Soldiers is only $500.00 for the marathon and needs to be raised by November 1, 2009.  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 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 2009.  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 needs to be met by the November 1, 2009 deadline.  Team Azalea Charities will also give all runners a full refund on race entry fees ($88 for the marathon) if you raise $1,000 or more by October 15, 2009. 

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 (powered by Active Network) that you’ll be able to easily tailor, 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 September deadline for registering our 100 marathon runners for MCM, Azalea Charities will only require you to tailor your fundraising page and initiate your fundraising by August 15, 2009, 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 Soldiers and British Army Benevolent Fund America projects by at least showing solid progress toward meeting their minimum fundraising goal to support our November 1, 2009 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 2009 MCM.

If you are unable to solicit your minimum donation amount on or before November 1, 2009, you will be required 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 2010 charity partner team.

How do I register? 

Register for MCM at our webpage powered by Active Network where you’ll need your credit card for the $88 race entry fee (plus minimal Active.network fee) for your marathon entry.  This fee will be non-refundable after August 29, 2009, just prior to 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 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.  

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 2009 marathon

• Your own personal website, painless to set up 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 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 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 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    (available no later than at the Health and Fitness Expo on 23-24 October, 2009)

• 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 24th at 1 p.m. at Buca di Beppo, 1825 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Washington D.C., just north of Dupont Circle metro. Guests may 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 2010 Team Azalea Charities Marine Corps Marathon event for every runner meeting or exceeding their 2009 minimum fundraising goal

Still interested??

Please register for the marathon at our Team Azalea Charities MCM Registration web page. Once registered, tailor your fundraising page at our Team Azalea Charities Fundraising web page to begin your 2009 campaign early.

For further information, contact us or visit the
Marine Corps Marathon website. Also see Race Weekend information.