I’m excited. I’m In!
I have an entry ticket for the 2012 ING New York Marathon, a much coveted race. I did this race back in 2006 and I had a blast. The New York crowd is phenomenal and really spurs you onwards making the 26.2 miles more enjoyable, exciting and not least doable.
Someone recently told me there are more than 50,000 runners for this event and I have heard that the crowd amasses an astonishing 2,000,000 people. To get your entry ticket is not easy. I got mine because I committed to raise funds for the Team For Kids cause and since I really didn’t wish to ask left and right people to step up and chip in, I basically just signed up for donating the funds myself. So today the final amount was donated making my contribution for this worthy cause a full US$ 2,620.
Team for Kids was established in 2002 as the primary charity fund-raising vehicle for New York Road Runner’s youth services division. Funds raised through Team for Kids provide free or low-cost school and community-based health and fitness programs to children who would otherwise have no access to regular physical activity. Currently, our programs serve nearly 100,000 children each year in more than 400 schools across New York City, the nation, and South Africa. With obesity still on the rise, NYRR’s youth services equip children with the tools they need to become physically fit for life, while also incorporating goal-setting, character-building, and nutrition education.
With a third of the US population being in the weight category obese and another third of the population being overweight, and with a recent number I saw that stated that by 2030 more than half the US population will be obese this is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. The costs of such a problem on society and not least to each individual suffering from such a state are enormous. I think Team For Kids are doing a great job by focusing on this problem at an early stage of life for the individual kid and I hope they shall succeed in changing many people’s lives for the better.
Mary Wittenberg, President and CEO of Team For Kids sent me this thank you note for my donation:
Dear Mikkel:
Thank you for joining Team for Kids and Mikkel Pitzner in their commitment to raising much-needed funds for NYRR youth programs. Your generous gift of $2420.00* will have a significant impact on the lives of the more than 115,000 at-risk children who will take part in NYRR youth running programs this year.
With health and fitness programs in New York City, all 50 states, and parts of Africa, NYRR is working to transform the way our children live, learn, and play. By participating in our Mighty Milers or Young Runners programs at school or by attending a free weekend running event in their neighborhood, kids are learning to get active and be healthy – and they’re enjoying it! This spring, Yashiya, an 11-year-old runner from Flatbush, Brooklyn said, “Joining my school’s running team was the best decision I have ever made in my life!” Valuing health and fitness as a child will help Yashiya avoid the health problems that stem from obesity and inactivity that, unfortunately, plague her generation.
Your gift will enable more children in underserved communities to benefit from the life-changing programs offered by NYRR. These programs are funded entirely by donors like you, and we deeply appreciate your support. To learn more, please visit www.nyrrfoundation.org.
Thank you again for helping Mikkel Pitzner reach the finish line of the 2012 ING New York City Marathon and for giving kids like Yashiya a head start toward good health.
Many thanks,
Mary Wittenberg
President & CEO
Team For Kids Thank You Note 2012
Mikkel Pitzner’s Donation page For Team For Kids
