SUBLETTE COUNTY – For almost 20 years, the Pinedale Half Marathon and 10K brought many runners and walkers from across the country on the third Saturday in September. It was a fun time for the community and visitors.
Four years ago, volunteer organizers decided “to give the race a purpose,” said Sue Holz, president of the Foundation 23 Board. That purpose became highlighting and educating citizens about the county’s many formal nonprofit agencies and helping them raise donations.
“Number 1 was the incentive to make the race of something with meaning,” she said. “Number 2, we really wanted to help the nonprofits. Number 3, there are amazing people out there. … We want to educate people about these nonprofits. This puts their names out there.”
Last year, the event’s name was changed to “Race to Raise.” It still features the half-marathon and 10 with different age and gender categories for entrants. New are the 5K and 1-mile free fun run.
Foundation 23 encourages public donations, matching sponsors and the nonprofits’ involvement.
The first year, Foundation 23 raised $50,000, Holz said. A portion of each race entry was dedicated to the entrants’ choice of nonprofits.
“With this change arose the need for a broader scope of fundraising, community awareness and organization, therefore Foundation 23 was born,” according to Foundation23.org. “We are a community foundation here to strengthen and build the Sublette County community through fundraising and advocacy for our local nonprofits.”
Pinedale runner and organizer Ken Konicek serves as board vice president.
Thirty-one runners completed the half-marathon; 53 registered for the 10K race, 31 for the 5K race and a whopping 116 people dipped their toes into the 1-mile fun run. Results appear below.
Cally’s Helping Hands
As of the end of September, the Race to Raise brings in more than $240,000 for the 42 nonprofits that registered.
“Every year we’ve done this, we’ve gone up,” Holz said.
A longer and stronger push extended the nonprofits’ donation time period for eight weeks, from the end of July through Sept. 27 to raise $5,000 on their own, she explained.
Sponsors proudly advertised themselves as part of Foundation 23’s “match pool,” resulting in $93,000 of matching funds to be divided percentage-wise among the 42 nonprofits, based on how much each entity raised on its own.
A “match” is capped at $5,000; if the nonprofit raised that much on its own, it will be matched dollar for dollar, according to Holz.
The 42 nonprofits will have supporters on hand to cheer them at the annual Cally’s Helping Hands get-together on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Pinedale Library’s Lovatt Room.
Cally’s Helping Hands began as a nonprofit recognition event in the name of the late community supporter Cally McKee.
It is now the night to honor all of the nonprofits that participated in and benefit from the Foundation 23’s Race to Raise. For more information, visit Foundation23.org.
