It seems like it was just last week that the staff and volunteers of The DONNA Foundation were hustling around putting the final touches on the 12thAnnual DONNA Marathon Weekend. With a complete relocation of the weekend’s events, as you can image, there was no shortage of things to attend too. But thanks to our amazing Race Director, Tiffany Davis and her dedicated volunteers along with the rest of our staff, the new course, new Athlete’s Village venue, new Expo location and all of the behind the scenes magic came together in one unforgettable experience.
This year’s weekend treated runners to a brand new, beach side course featuring a new Start/Finish Line in the Beaches Town Center. Half marathon runners were able to enjoy the majestic neighborhoods of Atlantic Beach for the first time, while full marathons continued their journey through Neptune and Jacksonville Beach. Once again hosting runners from every state and at least a dozen countries from around the world, the weekend was full of heartwarming stories of survivorship, love and community. True to tradition, the beaches residents were out in full force offering encouragement and other goodies to all of our runners and their families. This out pouring of love and support is truly what makes our beaches and our event so special.
The weekend also allows us the opportunity to celebrate and empower survivors and raise funds to fuel our programs. This past season our fundraisers rallied to the task and raised more than $417,000. We are truly grateful. However, we are on pace to serve more than DOUBLE the number of breast cancer patients from last year, which means we still need your help to ensure families are getting the assistance they need. Later in the newsletter we will share how you can make a small monthly gift that will result in a BIG impact in the lives of breast cancer patients. We are already well into planning for the 13thAnnual DONNA Marathon Weekend and are looking forward to seeing you there.