Run DC, Run: the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon

On October 25, 2009, men and women of Washington, DC will run 26.2 miles across the city as a part of "Team Fisher House'" in the annual Marine Corps Marathon.

They trained hard for months to be able to express their support to the military families in need and be part of my "Five for Fisher House" fund-raising campaign – of 100 friends who donate $5 each). You can still support this runner online by using the “Make a Contribution” box on this page.

Many of these participators do it for personal reasons as well – to build the strength and endurance, thus, it works both ways – they push themselves as soldiers push themselves. Cheer as they will be crossing the finish line at the Marine Corps "People's Marathon".

Fisher House has provided more than 17,000 airline tickets to hospitalized service members and their families, worth more than $22 million.

Fisher House is supporting America's military by providing 'a home away from home' that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time -- during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.

Team Fisher House is hosting a team of 300+ runners at the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon. The members of their fourth annual team at the “People’s Marathon” in Arlington, VA have set a Team Contribution Goal of $400,000!

The Fisher House™ Program

The Fisher House™ program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House™ Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times - during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.

There is at least one Fisher House™ at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House™ program serves more than 12,000 families, and have made available nearly 3 million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990. By law, there is no charge for any family to stay at a Fisher House operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Fisher House Foundation uses donations to reimburse the individual Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. No family pays to stay at any Fisher House!

Fisher House Costs:
• $10 – cost of one night’s stay
• $50 – airlines fees for a Hero Miles’ ticket
• $3,000,000 to $6,000,000 – cost to build one Fisher House (depending on location and size of home)

In addition to constructing new houses, Fisher House™ Foundation continues to support existing Fisher Houses™ and help individual military families in need. We are also proud to administer and sponsor Scholarships for Military Children, the Hero Miles program, and co-sponsor the Newman's Own Award, http://fisherhouse.org/programs/newmans.shtml.

The Foundation has received the highest possible ratings from the “watch dog” organizations that evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of nonprofit organizations: For every dollar donated to Fisher House™ Foundation, 97 percent goes directly into the Fisher House program.

Online donations are completely safe and the most efficient way of donating (saving time and money), but checks are accepted. Please download and print the 2009 MCM Check Donation Form, and mail the check and completed form to the address on the form.

Fisher House™ Foundation, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.

Donations are tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law.

No Federal or Marine Corps endorsement of advertisers or sponsors is implied.

I’ve done my contribution, and one of my friends will be running the marathon. What was amazing about her running is that she has never trained for a marathon, so rain or no rain, heat or no heat – she was devoting her free time to pushing herself to train for this marathon. We, on the other hand, can support endurance-free by just making a contribution online.