Making The Training Miles Meaningful in Madison
The IRONMAN Foundation® will distribute over $88,000 in charitable giveback to non-profit initiatives and groups in the greater Madison, Wisconsin region in conjunction with the 2016 IRONMAN® Wisconsin triathlon taking place on Sunday, September 11, 2016. The IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund provides community and volunteerism grant opportunities to non-profit organizations where IRONMAN events are held. The IRONMAN Foundation’s contribution will provide support to non-profit needs and initiatives within the local community, and brings the total giveback to more than $967,000 in the region since the first event in Madison in 2003. During 2016, The IRONMAN Foundation will distribute more than $1.6 million in grant funding to support the needs of IRONMAN race communities across North America.
Community Grants
The IRONMAN Foundation provides charitable support to a variety of local non-profit organizations that recognize citizens in need and support The Foundation’s mission. The Foundation works with community leaders to identify projects and initiatives and to provide funding in order to support worthwhile causes. This year, The IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund will provide a $35,000 Community Grant to the Madison Area Sports Commission (MASC) to support their youth grant initiative, which provides support to organizations that serve adolescents under the age of seventeen throughout Dane County. “Grant funding is one way that The IRONMAN Foundation leaves a lasting legacy in the communities where IRONMAN races take place,” said Dave Deschenes, Executive Director of The IRONMAN Foundation. “We are thrilled to support the Madison community with this community grant award.”
The IRONMAN Foundation/MASC partnership will be recognized at the Athlete Welcome Banquet at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 9, 2016 at the Monona Terrace Exhibition Hall.
Volunteerism Grants
Within IRONMAN’s race communities, The IRONMAN Foundation provides a grant program to support organizations that have a volunteerism component. This year, The IRONMAN Foundation’s Community Fund will provide over $35,000 in volunteer grant donations for the IRONMAN Wisconsin triathlon. “We are thrilled to continue our support of so many tremendous organizations that selflessly serve others within the Madison region year-after-year,” said Christine Perkins, Community Relations Manager for The IRONMAN Foundation. Last year, volunteer grant funding was distributed among 43 community groups in the region.
Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation
The IRONMAN Foundation, in partnership with the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation (FHSPSF), will provide a grant of $7,483 to the City of Madison Police Departm
ent K9 Unit to provide protective equipment for the K9 Unit’s first bomb dog
, which will include an explosive storage magazine, bit suit, and four training collars.
“Having a K-9 Unit in Madison has proven invaluable in advancing the public safety needs of our community,” said City of Madison Police Department Chief Michael Koval. “Our well-trained dogs and handlers have supplemented our Patrol Officers in tracking fugitives, evidence recovery, drug detection, cleared dangerous places and spaces, located missing and/or endangered persons, bomb detection, and serve as premier ambassadors of the department at various community gatherings and engagement opportunities. Most people do not realize our team is funded almost entirely by a not-for-profit. In these challenging financial times, we are truly grateful to the Firehouse Sub Public Safety Foundation and IRONMAN Foundation for the generous grant they awarded our K-9 unit. This grant has helped provide the team with much-needed equipment necessary to do the job and to grow our team’s capacity in serving an ever-expanding metropolitan area.”
An additional $15,510 grant will be awarded to the City of Madison Fire Department to purchase a Hurst E-Hydraulic “Jaws of Life” extrication tool that will help save victims in life-and-death situations.
“We as a department truly appreciate the generosity and opportunity the IRONMAN Foundation and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has given the department to provide ‘state of the art’ extrication equipment,” said City of Madison Fire Department Chief Steven Davis. “The Madison Fire Department responds to thousands of motor vehicle accidents annually. This donation allows the fire department to provide improved response when dealing with motor vehicle accidents. The IRONMAN Foundation and Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation are strong partners in the commitment to better serve the citizens and visitors to the City of Madison.”
“Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, along with The IRONMAN Foundation, is grateful for the opportunity to give back to those who loyally serve our communities,” said Robin Peters, Executive Director of FHSPSF. “As IRONMAN athletes prove that ‘Anything is Possible,’ we feel that the mantra also represents what can be done to support the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting others.”
The IRONMAN Foundation and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation will recognize both departments at the start of the 2:00 p.m. Athlete Briefing on Thursday, September 8, 2016 at the Monona Terrace ballroom.
TEAM IMF
TEAM IMF is The IRONMAN Foundation’s fundraising triathlon team. Team members have the opportunity to race in the IRONMAN event of their choice when they commit to raise $3,500 for The IRONMAN Foundation’s Community Fund. Twelve athletes participating in this program through the 2016 IRONMAN Wisconsin triathlon have raised over $41,000, while collectively all of The Foundation’s TEAM IMF athletes have raised over $462,000 for The IRONMAN Foundation’s Community Fund in 2016.