Green Bay, WI (November 12, 2013) – The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon has announced Golden House as its new charity partner for 2014-16. Golden House will join Unity and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin as the recipient of funds raised by the 15^th annual Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, which will take place May 16-18, 2014.

The charities operate on three-year terms, with one new charity added each year and one exiting charity each year. Charity organizations become a strong member of the operational team, comprised primarily of volunteers, to put on this event.

“We are very thankful to have been chosen as a charity partner for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. The partnership will allow Golden House to move forward with plans to meet the longer-term shelter needs of victims of domestic violence and their children,” said Karen Faulkner, executive director of Golden House. “This is an excellent opportunity to support victims on their path to becoming survivors and for our community to come together and say ‘no more’ to domestic violence.” 

The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon aims to support a community need when selecting a charity partner and chooses a charity partner that can effectively utilize the marathon’s platform.

“Golden House is the only agency in Brown County that offers emergency shelter and comprehensive support services for victims of domestic abuse,” said Brighid Riordan, president of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon board of directors. “The community relies heavily on this organization and the marathon looks forward to partnering with Golden House to raise funds and awareness for this cause.”

The organization has a proven positive impact. In 2012, over 1,500 individuals found assistance with outreach services from Golden House, more than 500 adult victims and children found refuge in its shelter, over 6,500 callers reached out to the group’s 24-hour helpline, and more than 17,000 students were taught about healthy relationships and domestic violence prevention.

In 2013, the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon donated $102,000 to its three charity partners. Over the past 14 years, the non-profit event has generated over $776,000 in proceeds for local non-profits.

To pledge to run for Golden House or another charity partner, runners can sign-up for the Run for a Reason program, which allows participants to raise funds for the marathon’s partners in exchange for a free entry into the marathon or half marathon. Participants must raise $300 to receive their free entry and all funds go directly to the charities. Registration for this program and the 2014 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon opened today.

Green Bay, WI (November 12, 2013) – Registration for the 2014 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon is now open. The 15^th annual event will take place May 16-18 and runners can register for the full marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K or WPS Kids’ Power Run.

“We are excited to be celebrating the fifteenth running of our event,” said Sean Ryan, race director for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. “What started as a small local event has grown into a world-class weekend of events that attracts runners from all over the country, provides a boost to the local economy and most importantly, gives back to local charities.”

From now until January 9, registration for the marathon is $80, half marathon is $65, and the marathon relay is $225 per team. Adult 5K registration is $20 and youth registration is $15. WPS Kids’ Power Run registration is $10.

Each event includes a lap around Lambeau Field. In order to ensure safety and enjoyment for all participants, the marathon capacity will be 2000 participants, the half marathon will be capped at 6000 participants and the relay marathon will be limited to 200 teams.  Elite marathon registration and registration for the Prevea Luv 2 Run program will open at a later date.

Runners can also register for the Run for a Reason program, which allows runners to raise funds for the marathon’s charity partners in exchange for a free entry into the marathon or half marathon. Participants must raise $300 to receive their free entry.

Registration for the 2014  Cellcom Green Bay Marathon will open on 11-12-13.   Runners can register for the marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K or WPS Kids’ Power Run.

From now until January 9, registration for the marathon is $80, half marathon is $65, and the marathon relay is $225 per team. Adult 5K registration is $20 and youth 5K registration is $15. WPS Kids’ Power Run registration is $10.

Elite marathon registration and registration for the Love to Run program will open at a later date.

The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon charity partners and their volunteers play a vital role in the planning and execution of this exciting community event. It is the intent of the Marathon’s Board of Directors to have three charity partners each year with staggered three-year terms. This structure allows one new charity to join the event each year. The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon is currently accepting applications for consideration in selecting our 2014-2016 charity partner.

The charity partners benefit financially from the net proceeds of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, as well as the pledge revenue they work to earn by using the marathon as a platform for their causes. In 2013, the event generated contributions of $102,000 for the marathon’s three charity partners, bringing the total cumulative contributions to $776,000 over the last 14 years. The charities also benefit from the community exposure provided by the event. Last year, the event attracted over 13,000 registrants.

There are three requirements for being a charity partner:

• A VOLUNTEER BASE of more than  100 local adults and teenagers (age 14 and over), willing to contribute a minimum of four hours per person. Over half of the volunteer hours will occur during marathon weekend. In addition, the charity is expected to provide 4-6 volunteers for six Saturday morning training runs from January through May.
• A CHARITY REPRESENTATIVE who will facilitate communication between the charity and the marathon’s volunteer coordinator. To help prepare for the event, the representative must be present at seven monthly planning meetings from December through May at the marathon office in Green Bay.
• A WRITTEN POST-EVENT REPORT from the charity summarizing their contributions in total volunteer hours,  equipment, and materials must be submitted by June 30, 2014 to the marathon office.

General Guidelines

In selecting a charitable recipient, Cellcom will give priority to organizations whose impact spans a footprint that includes greater Green Bay and beyond and encompasses northeast and central Wisconsin, that have a proven track record in positively impacting the community, promote volunteerism, and cooperate rather than compete with similar organizations. The key areas of Cellcom’s contribution guidelines are health and wellness, children and education. A charity that aligns with the marathon’s mission of promoting an active lifestyle and fostering community spirit, preferred.

Selection Questions and Criteria

Your charity partner proposal is limited to two pages and should include an overview of your organization and its mission, along with answers to the following questions. Provide specific, quantifiable support to your answers. Please answer and elaborate on the following questions in your proposal:

• How does the charity meet the general guidelines?
• Give evidence of past volunteer-run event management or participation. Illustrate how the charity      meets the volunteer requirements.
• Who will your charity representative be and where is he/she located?
• Describe the charity’s service area.
• Does the charity support one of the key areas of Cellcom’s contribution guidelines?
• Does the charity  offer additional resources that the marathon can utilize? Examples of this are facilities for volunteer projects, storage space, box trucks, etc.

We encourage past charity partners to wait five years after their term ends before reapplying. (Example: A charity partner whose term ended in 2013 would not be eligible to apply until 2018 for the 2019-21 charity opening.)

If your organization is interested in applying to be a charity partner, please send a proposal to info@cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com on or before October 4, 2013. Late applicants will be disqualified. Cellcom will select the charity partner by October 31^st. Those not selected will be notified by mail or e-mail. If you have questions, you may e-mail Sean Ryan, sean@netnet.net or call (920) 606-2458.

The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon presented checks to its 2013 charity partners today at its annual charity distribution. This year’s Cellcom Green Bay Marathon generated a total of $102,000 in proceeds for its three non-profit partners: Junior Achievement of Brown County (JA), Unity and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin.

“Junior Achievement is very grateful to have been a charity partner of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon for the past three years. Not only did it provide increased awareness of what Junior Achievement is, it also gave us the funds to increase the number of classrooms in Brown County that were able to receive our programs,” said Jennifer Maier, program manager for JA. “So far, we were able to add 155 JA programs in area classrooms. As our volunteers continue to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy, we are thankful to this event for the lasting impact it will have on local students.”

Junior Achievement is concluding its three-year partnership with the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, and the marathon is currently accepting applications for a new partner charity for the 2014-16 marathon events. More information is available on the marathon website.

This year a special fundraiser was also held for the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.

“The attack at the Boston Marathon shook the whole country, especially the running community,” said Sean Ryan, race director of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. “It was extremely important for us to find a way to pay tribute to the lives impacted and demonstrate solidarity with runners across the country who were not going to let this tragedy hold them back.”

Wristbands inscribed with “We Run as One – Boston 2013” were created and given to all distance runners for a special ceremony that took place before the start of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. Additional wristbands were sold and the $3,043 in proceeds from the sale was donated to the Boston One Fund for victims of the Boston attack.

With these donations, the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon has given more than $779,000 to charity in the last 14 years.

This year’s event included a renewed focus on the Prevea Luv2Run (L2R) program, which provides discounted race entries to students and coaches. The goal of L2R is to engage youth in a positive free-time activity that can turn into a lifelong hobby and healthy lifestyle. The program saw unprecedented growth, with over 1,300 students from 53 elementary and middle schools participating in the Cellcom Green Bay 5K.

“In addition to Prevea’s generous sponsorship of Luv2Run, the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon was proud to contribute over $28,000 in discounted race entries. It’s another gift to the community,” said Brighid Riordan, board president of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. “We’re excited to see further growth in the program and we are proud of our impact in the fight against childhood obesity.”

The tenth annual Mary Poppele Award, given to the top fundraiser, was also presented today. Recipient Jeff Csuy raised $2085 through the Run for a Reason program. The award is given in memory of Mary Poppele, an avid marathon fundraiser, who passed away in April 2004, while training for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.