Lee is a member of the Rotary Club of Mentor and Assistant District 6630 Governor for Lake County.
He shared how this fundraiser is structured so Clubs who may be looking for fundraising ideas could implement this themselves or participate.
My wife and I participated in a 24-hour running event called “The 24 in 24”. We got involved after getting to know the gym owners that created the event.
This was a concept invented/created in 2015 by local gym owner, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Anna Dey. The event was intended to challenge participants to 24 hours of running, while simultaneously raising funds for a local child battling Leukemia. Specifically, they were to run one mile every hour for 24 consecutive hours, never double up on miles and no make-ups. Each runner found sponsors to support the giving portion of the event and they raised $13,000 for a local child and his family.
The first 24 in 24 was held indoors on the treadmills at Anytime Fitness Concord with 15 Challengers making the attempt. The local response was intense, and Anna realized that this fundraiser needed to do something more and for more families with for kids in need. She wanted to help provide their “wishes” and bring them joy. She added the mission statement "To grant wishes for children battling life threatening illnesses in our community by facilitating a physically demanding 24 hour challenge." She then had to partner with a local charity and chose A Special Wish Cleveland Foundation which has a $0.97 on the dollar pass through directly to the families.
The next year, 2016, was held outside with more runners at a local high school track; and in 90+ degree weather. This year raised $31,000 and received even more attention locally. Anna believed this could one day change the lives of hundreds of families for the better and became committed to its growth.
In 2017, the event moved to Classic Park, Home of the Lake County Captains, where it has been ever since. The field of Challengers grew every year until it arrived at 200 runners in 2019, which is where it now caps out. To date, the 24 in 24 has raised over $670,000 for children with life threating illnesses.
From a fundraising standpoint, the layout is as follows: 200 challengers are divided into 10 groups designated by a child for whom they are running. With the notoriety of the event, all 200 spots filled in less than a day of registration opening and there is a long waiting list for anyone that must drop out. Each runner was asked to raise $700 to support the costs and the donation. Further, each child/team had a $1500 sponsor; again, these are usually filled within a few days of announcing. Lastly, each of the 24 miles had a $500 sponsor. All ages are welcome, I think this year we had from 10 years old to 71. All fitness levels are accepted, only need to commit to raise funds and the will to finish.
This year alone, the event raised approx. $250,000 by the check presentation at 1 pm Sunday Oct 11. Money will still come in for a week or two as the challengers continue to post pictures online and discuss recovery at work and in their peer groups.
My wife and I raised a little over $4,600 most of which came from ROTARIANS – THANK YOU.
We also sponsored a mile and my company sponsored Team Penelope and supplied some food and energy drinks. Mentor Rotary also sponsored a mile. Anna gave a special recognition to the club’s Be the Match bone marrow program since one of the children was saved by that matching program and each challenger took information to get on the registry.
We did have to wear masks except for when running and we had “campsites” so we can do contact tracing. They limited the normally enormous crowd and hourly visits to 2 non-challengers per runner at a time. We had to wash our hands every hour after our run and all the donated food was handled by a non-challenger who followed normal food protocols for COVID.
www.the24in24.org for more information.
Yours in Rotary Service
Lee Quignano, RFC®
Voice (440) 350-7510 xt 105
Lee.Quignano@RaymondJames.com
If your Club would like more information about doing a fundraiser of this nature, you can reach out to Lee or visit www.the24in24.org