CHARITY PARTNERS

The Philadelphia Marathon is pleased to partner with several wonderful and worthwhile programs that support local initiatives and benefit people from right here in the Philadelphia region,nationally and around the world.

Register now to run/raise money for one of the charities listed below. Be sure to enter the name of the charity when completing your online form.

Charity Partner - Students Run Philly Style

Students Run Philly Style is a unique program that offers marathon training to help young people succeed in life. The only one of its kind in Philadelphia, the program connects students with adult mentors who help them imagine and accomplish goals beyond their dreams, including the completion of a marathon.

2010 Official Charities

• The Hearts and Smiles Foundation provides assistance to low-income families with a special-needs child, with particular focus on the needs of siblings in those families. The volunteer based organization has served more than 1,000 children in the Greater Philadelphia region. Based on individual family needs, the organization provides a variety of services including providing clothing and grocery store gift cards and recreational items for the siblings of special needs children.
  
• Perpetual Prosperity Pumps Foundation uses a bottom-up approach to eradicating poverty by collecting used athletic shoes on a large scale. A donation of 600 pairs of sneakers helps lift a family from poverty through the M.O.R.E. (Modular Organic Regenerative Empowerment) program, a microenterprise model designed to increase small-farm productivity in the poorest rural farm areas in Africa. Last year, the Philadelphia Marathon was able to adopt families in Ghana, Africa through PPPF by collecting 1,000+ pairs of gently used sneakers at the 2009 Health & Fitness Expo. We look forward to helping even more families this year.
• Best Buddies is dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  
• Back on My Feet promotes the self-sufficiency of Philadelphia's homeless population by engaging people in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.
  
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training is the world's largest endurance sports training program, with over 360,000 volunteer participants. Visit the Team In Training website to find out how you can get involved and receive personalized fitness training by a certified coach, access to training clinics, your own personal website for online fundraising, and a supportive group of teammates.
  
• The Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter is the premier organization for the care and support of the 294,000 individuals living with Alzheimer's and related disorders throughout Southeastern PA, Southern New Jersey and Delaware. The mission of the Alzheimer's Association is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. A 24-hour Helpline is available with trained staff and volunteers to answer questions, make referrals and provide comfort to those with the disease and their families seven days a week.
  
• Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) is the only national non-profit organization dedicated solely to providing support and advocacy for people living with or at risk for the disease. LCA programs provide help and information to the thousands of patients, families and friends contacting us monthly through our live one-on-one support services, while raising national awareness and securing millions in public health dollars for lung cancer research. Join Team Lung Love today in support of our efforts! For more information, please visit: www.lungcanceralliance.org
  
• Liberty Resources, the Philadelphia Center for Independent Living, advocates with disabled people, individually and collectively, to ensure our civil rights and equal access to all aspects of life in the community. Liberty provides assistance to all people, regardless of disability type. Like all Centers for Independent Living, Liberty Resources enables persons with disabilities to live in a manner of their own choosing by providing individuals with a menu of services, including peer support, information & referral, individual and collective advocacy, and skills training.
  
• A Wider Circle provides basic and urgently needed items to families transitioning out of shelters or simply living without. Imagine an apartment where the only furniture is an old TV on the floor in the corner and a chair that is old and dirty. The dining room is a dining room in name only, there is no table, no chairs, and nothing else in the space. The bedroom is empty except for a thin, ripped blanket on the floor - no beds, no dressers. For the children and adults we serve, this is their reality. But with your support, we can transform these bare apartments into comfortable homes. We can make sure that every child has a bed in which to sleep and every mother has the stability and independence she needs and deserves. This is what A Wider Circle does seven days/week, creating homes, providing education in shelters and low-income schools, and with your help, helping one child after another, one family after another, to rise out of poverty.
  
• The American Cancer Society saves lives and creates more birthdays by helping you stay well, helping you get well, by finding cures and by fighting back against cancer. We hope you join us in the fight against cancer and make every mile meaningful by running in the Philadelphia Marathon with the American Cancer Society's DetermiNation endurance events program. The funds raised through this program directly impact those living with cancer in our community through research, programs and services. Training for a Marathon is a huge commitment. We'll provide the support and training to help you achieve your personal victory. And you'll have the extra strength you need to endure miles and months of training because you'll know you're helping save lives. With every step you take and every mile you conquer, you'll be helping create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Please visit our website to find out more about DetermiNation race and training benefits: www.acsdetermination.org/phillymarathon
  
• Tourette Syndrome Association's mission is identify a cause, control the effects and find a cure for TS through the funding a world-wide cutting edge research program. In addition, TSA is dedicated to raising awareness, providing educational programs and other services for people living with TS and their families. TS in an inherited neurobiological disorder characterized by involuntary sudden movements and vocalizations, known as tics. A common misconception is that those affected curse uncontrollably. In fact, less than 10 percent of those affected have what is known as coprolalia. What causes TS is not yet fully understood, and to date, a cure has not been found. It is estimated that one person out of a hundred has a mild form of the disorder and one in one thousand has a severe case of TS. For more information visit: www.tsa-usa.org/teamtsa