On October 22, my staff at UC Funds and I will be running in the Marine Corps Marathon to raise money through the Palmier Foundation for InterVol, one of the main charitable organizations in which we invest. Our goal is ambitious. We’re hoping to raise $26,200 for InterVol—a rate of $1,000 a mile. We have 100 days to make this happen, and I know we can do it.
The Marine Corps Marathon selected InterVol as one of its charity partners this year, creating a confluence of personally significant opportunities: I’ll get to help out a dear friend, raise money for an organization I believe in, and on top of that, I’ll finally get to run in the Marine Corps Marathon.
Training for the Marine Corps Marathon further motivates me to achieve my personal and charitable goals
InterVol: Engaging health-focused humanitarian efforts worldwide
InterVol, a not-for-profit based in Rochester, New York, has a simple mission: to recover viable unused medical supplies from hospitals and clinics and distribute them to those in need. To date, InterVol has shipped supplies to 73 countries around the world. In addition, each year InterVol supports multiple medical mission trips to countries in dire need of healthcare.
My friend and Notre Dame colleague Dr. Ralph Pennino founded InterVol in the late ‘80s after observing a desperate need for new medical supplies while doing his own volunteer work in developing nations. The organization has grown not only in the amount of supplies it provides, but also in the medical services it offers. The good Intervol does can be seen worldwide.
If you’d like to help us reach our donation goal to help this great organization, you can make a pledge on The Palmier Foundation’s CrowdRise page.
What can your donation achieve? Here’s a glimpse:
Here’s a sampling of what your contributions can achieve:
- $26.20 Gas needed per week to help trucks transport medical supplies to cargo ships
- $260.20 A monthly supply of desperately-needed antibiotics for a child in their local villages who have little immunity protections
- $2,620 Seven pallets of medical supplies can get shipped to a supported village
- $5,240 Seven pallets of life-saving surgical equipment can get shipped to a larger community
- $12,620 Help a village add a new surgical doctor that can respond to emergencies in hours versus days or weeks, saving countless lives
Marine Corps Marathon: Run with purpose, finish with pride
We could simply donate money to InterVol and skip the grueling 26.2 mile race, but where’s the fun in that? I’ve always wanted to participate in the Marine Corps Marathon, and this year I’ll finally get a chance. It’s called “The People’s Marathon,” and it’s in the spirit of what we do at the Palmier Foundation.
There’s no prize money at the finish line, just the satisfaction of perseverance and participating in a great cause. They say that those who run in this marathon can’t help but be overcome by patriotism, and I’m eager to get out there and run with the marines past all the memorials in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
October 22 will be a momentous day for me. It’ll be my seventh marathon (I’ve run five in Boston and one in New York). It’s 2017. The number seven holds a lot of significance to me—it’s more than just luck, it’s a biblical number symbolizing divine perfection and completeness, which I find inspiring. Raising funds for InterVol aligns with the mission of the Palmier Foundation, where we believe serving others is divine, and that giving is not a choice, it’s an obligation.
Teamwork is a core value in my business, so my entire team at UC Funds is getting involved in raising money for the cause. I believe in promoting physical fitness in the workplace; it’s incredible for morale and team spirit. Working together for a common goal energizes us and brings us closer together—and as a bonus, helps us work harder for our clients, too.
