Teach For America • Chicago is assembling a team of participants for the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 10, 2010. Everyone who commits to run with our team and to raise at least $500 will receive access to free marathon training through the Clocktower Runners, and a commemorative Chicago Marathon singlet that will be available exclusively to members of our team. Additionally, those who commit to and raise $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, and $2,500 will receive additional thank-you gifts. The money you raise will fuel Teach For America's progress toward closing the academic achievement gap between students growing up in low-income communities and their peers growing up in more affluent areas.

Balyasny Asset Management has committed to matching – dollar-for-dollar – the first $100,000 raised by our team members. This means that if our team raises $100,000, BAM will match those funds to bring our fundraising total up to $200,000. We are incredibly grateful for BAM’s generosity, especially as this is their second consecutive year as our lead sponsor. We deeply appreciate BAM’s commitment to our team and to Teach For America’s work in Chicago.
We will be able to offer our team members several amenities on race day. Team Teach For America will have its own tent in Charity Village in Grant Park, where our participants will have access to team-exclusive gear check, food, water, sports drinks, blankets, and other services that will enhance the Marathon experience.
We are deeply grateful to those running in the Marathon on Teach For America's behalf, and we have established a sliding scale of thank-you gifts for participants who reach fundraising benchmarks between $500 and $2,500. When joining the team, participants will commit to raising $500, $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, or $2,500 for Teach For America–if participants exceed their fundraising commitment and reach a higher benchmark, they will receive the thank you gifts for that higher benchmark. Information about the gifts is listed below.
$500
|
$1,000
|
$1,500
|
$2,000
|
$2,500
|
Please note: We anticipate offering the gifts described above, but we may need to make some equivalent substitutions based on availability of some items. The most updated information will be posted here. |
| Date | Action |
| as soon as possible | Register for the Chicago Marathon at www.chicagomarathon.com, and select Teach For America as your charity. Contact Shuhei Yamamoto once you have registered. |
| as soon as possible | Create a fundraising page through activegiving.com/donate/teachforamerica, and e-mail the link to people link in your network. Please see instructions below. |
| as soon as possible | Begin fundraising |
| mid-June | Begin training |
| September 1, 2010 | Complete your fundraising (minimum $500) and submit all funds to Teach For America. |
| October 10, 2010 | Run the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon |
Once you’ve registered for the Marathon and joined our team, please contact Shuhei Yamamoto to receive support on your fundraising goals.
Please note that every member of our team must commit to raising a minimum of $500, but can also commit to raising $1,000, $1,500, $2,000, or $2,500. As mentioned above, team members will receive thank-you gifts based on what they are able to raise. Team members are welcome to pay part or all of the amount themselves. All funds must be submitted to Teach For America by November 1, 2010.
You may mail checks made out to "Teach For America" along with an accompanying cover sheet (provided), or bring them to our office, whichever is most convenient for you. Our contact information is below.
Attn: Marathon Program
Shuhei Yamamoto
Teach For America
300 West Adams Street, Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 283-2484
shuhei.yamamoto@teachforamerica.org
Teach For America aims to end educational inequity—the reality that in our country where a child is born determines his or her educational outcomes and, in turn, life prospects. We do this by building a highly selective corps of our nation's most promising future leaders – outstanding recent college graduates from all academic backgrounds – who commit to teach for two years in low-income urban and rural communities and become lifelong leaders in pursuit of educational equity for all. Our vision is that one day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.