IRONMAN Foundation Gives Back to Louisville

The IRONMAN Foundation® Community Fund will distribute $60,000 in grant funding to non-profit initiatives and groups in the greater Louisville, Kentucky community in conjunction with the 2015 IRONMAN® Louisville triathlon presented by Norton Sports Health taking place on Sunday, October 11, 2015. The IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund provides community and volunteer grant opportunities to non-profit organizations where U.S. IRONMAN® events are held. With this most recent donation from The IRONMAN Foundation, a total of $540,000 has been given back to the Louisville community since the race began in 2007. In 2015, The IRONMAN Foundation will provide more than $1.5 million 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’s Community Fund will provide a $10,000 community grant to the Louisville Sports Commission to support the funding of sporting events within the community, and another $10,000 community grant will be awarded to the Oldham County Fiscal Court to fund its participation initiatives for its sprint triathlon as well as to support youth-based athletic programs in Oldham 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 Louisville community with these community grant awards.”

The IRONMAN Foundation and Community Grant recipients will be recognized at the Athlete Welcome Dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2015 at the Kentucky International Convention Center.
Volunteer 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 an additional $40,000 in volunteer grant donations. “We are thrilled to expand The IRONMAN Foundation’s reach and impact through volunteer grants in the Louisville community,” said Christine Perkins, Community Relations Manager for The IRONMAN Foundation. Last year, volunteer grant funding was distributed among 25 community groups in the region.
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 $3,000 for The IRONMAN Foundation’s Community Fund. Athletes participating in this program through the 2015 IRONMAN Louisville triathlon presented by Norton Sports Health have raised over $176,000, while collectively all of The Foundation’s TEAM IMF athletes have raised over $795,000 for The IRONMAN Foundation’s Community Fund in 2015.

Your Journey, Your Cause
The IRONMAN Foundation also provides registered athletes with the platform to fundraise for The Foundation or a non-profit beneficiary of their choice as they train for their IRONMAN event. These athletes have signed up to participate in The IRONMAN Foundation’s “Your Journey, Your Cause” fundraising program. Through their participation with The Foundation, these athletes are racing for something greater than themselves, and are giving back to non-profit organizations to make their race experiences more than just crossing the finish line – they are racing for a cause. Several of these athletes will tell their incredible stories during the athlete panel taking place at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 9 at the South Great Lawn. Collectively, all of The Foundation’s Your Journey, Your Cause athletes have raised over $362,000 for their respective causes in 2015.

Move for Hunger
The IRONMAN Foundation will continue a partnership with the national non-profit organization Move For Hunger at IRONMAN Louisville in order to fill our nation’s food banks. In an effort to give back to the local community, The IRONMAN Foundation has agreed to donate leftover food from select races throughout the United States to neighborhood food banks. By teaming up with moving companies, Move For Hunger arranges pickup and delivery directly from the event to the local food bank. With moving trucks and forklifts, the movers devote their free time by volunteering for the non-profit organization.

“We are beyond excited about the partnership with the IRONMAN Foundation for these select races,” said Adam Lowy, Move For Hunger Executive Director. “Not only is IRONMAN making a big impact in the fight against hunger, the food donated is of high nutritional value, great for those who are malnourished.” One in six Americans, including 17 million children, are considered food insecure. Move For Hunger and The IRONMAN Foundation have partnered in 5 other race communities in 2014 and 2015, transporting a total of over 105,000 pounds of food for delivery to those in need.