FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bank of America Chicago Marathon Honors Hillary Gelfman with the
Richard M. Daley and Maggie Daley Award
Charity Program Raised an Event Record $17.7 Million in 2014
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon recognizes Hillary Gelfman as the
fifth recipient of the Richard M. Daley and Maggie Daley Award.
The award was established in 2010 to honor the Bank of America Chicago
Marathon participant who raised the most funds for charity through the
annual world-class event. As a member of Team in Training, the fundraising
program for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), Gelfman raised more than
$88,000 during the 2014 race for Team Vickie, a team she organized in honor
of her sister.
Gelfman, a Marketing Director for PepsiCo's Global Nutrition Group, began
fundraising for Team Vickie in 2013 when her sister was diagnosed with AML
(Acute Myeloid Leukemia) just 11 months after Vickie ran her first
marathon. Vickie lost her battle with Leukemia in August 2014. Gelfman runs
to raise money to fund research for blood cancers like the one her sister
battled.
The fundraising efforts of more than 10,000 marathon runners contributed to
an event record $17.7 million raised for the benefit of 195 charities
during the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Since the charity program
was officially established in 2002, participants have raised more than $132
million for local, national and global causes.
"We're honored to recognize Hillary with this renowned award for her
dedication to LLS' Team in Training, an organization that exemplifies the
philanthropic values of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon," said Tim
Maloney, Illinois President, Bank of America. "Hillary's commitment to her
sister's memory is admirable, and her fundraising efforts demonstrate her
selfless dedication to helping improve treatment for those whose lives are
in need, furthering the Marathon's charitable impact in the Chicago
community and beyond."
Maloney will join Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski and a
representative for the Daley Family on June 29, 2015, at a charity
reception hosted by the Bank of America Chicago Marathon at the Park Grill
to present the award to Gelfman.
"I am proud to present this award to Hillary on behalf of the Daley
Family," said Mayor Daley. "Her passion for LLS' Team in Training is truly
an inspiration and an excellent example of the devotion and perseverance
that runners share. It is amazing how the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
brings out the best in so many people like Hillary."
The LLS' Team in Training charity team began participating in the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon in 1996. Since then the team has raised nearly
$30.4 million through Marathon fundraising efforts.
"On behalf of the LLS' Team in Training, I am incredibly grateful to accept
the esteemed Daley Award," said Gelfman. "My youngest sister Vickie was
full of life and taken much too soon by this terrible disease. LLS is
making amazing strides to fund research, therapies and one day cures for
those with blood cancers. I am thrilled I was able to raise these funds for
a cause so close to my family and am incredibly thankful to everyone on
'Team Vickie' who helped me surpass my fundraising goal."
Gelfman joins Jim Jenness, a co-trustee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Trust (2013, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls), John Nichols, president of the
Disability Resource Group (2012, Spinal Cord Injury Association of
Illinois), Dr. José Oberholzer, chief of the Division of Transplantation at
the University of Illinois Hospital (2011, The Chicago Diabetes Project),
and Carl Allegretti, CEO of Deloitte Tax (2010, Children's Memorial
Hospital), as a recipient of the prestigious Daley Award. These
award-winning fundraisers, along with the combined efforts of the thousands
who commit to running for charity each year, have made the Bank of America
Chicago Marathon a critical annual fundraiser for hundreds of nonprofit
organizations and one of the largest fundraising events in Illinois.
Although the registration lottery entry period for the 2015 Bank of America
Chicago Marathon has closed, registered runners can still opt to join a
charity team at this time by contacting one of the event's affiliated
nonprofits, or they can establish their own fundraising page for an
organization of their choice by going to www.chicagomarathon.com/charity
About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 38th year, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon welcomes thousands
of runners from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, including a
world-class elite field, top regional and masters runners, race veterans,
debut marathoners and charity runners. The race's iconic course takes
runners through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural
tour of Chicago. In 2014, an estimated 1.7 million spectators lined the
streets cheering on a record 40,659 runners from the start line to the
final stretch down Columbus Drive. As a result of the race's national and
international draw, the Chicago Marathon assists in raising millions of
dollars for a variety of charitable causes while generating $253 million in
annual economic impact to its host city. The 2015 Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, a member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will start and
finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 11. In
advance of the race, a two-day Abbott Health & Fitness Expo will be held at
McCormick Place Convention Center on Friday, October 9, and Saturday,
October 10. For more information about the event and how to get involved,
go to chicagomarathon.com
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions,
serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large
corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and
other financial and risk management products and services. The company
provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately
48 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately
4,800 retail financial centers and approximately 15,900 ATMs and
award-winning online banking with 31 million active users and approximately
17 million mobile users. Bank of America is among the world's leading
wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and
investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes,
serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the
world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3
million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use
online products and services. The company serves clients through operations
in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto
Rico and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE:
BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
###
|
