June 20, 2016. Louisville, KY. – The 2016 Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Charity Module Program raised nearly $200,000 in 2016 for local charities. 33 different charitable organizations benefitted from the program by having individual runners and running teams participate in the 2016 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon and miniMarathon presented by Walmart and Humana on April 30. The Charity Module has raised over $2 million since its inception in 2005.
The charities will be recognized at a luncheon on Tuesday, June 21, at the Audubon Country Club at 11:30 a.m. A check will be presented to all organizations for the monies they raised over the course of the 2016 Charity Module Program.
House of Ruth, a Louisville charity that offers housing and support services with a holistic focus on individuals who are HIV-positive, will also be recognized as the “Charity of Year” for this year’s program. The “Charity of the Year” is determined by the best charity to administer the program through recruitment, retention and fundraising. 2016 was the fourth consecutive year House of Ruth participated in the program, and they raised over $5,000.
Coverage Note: The luncheon event is open to the media. It will begin at 11:30 a.m.; the check presentation will take place at approximately 12:30 p.m. James DeBow from the House of Ruth will serve as the guest speaker.
The following organizations were Official Charity Partners of the 2016 KDF road races: Active Heroes, Inc., Alliance for a Healthier Generation, ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Alzheimer’s Association, American Printing House for the Blind, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, Boys & Girls Haven, Bridgehaven Mental Health Services, Catholic Charities of Louisville – Human Trafficking Program, Colon Cancer Prevention Project, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Cure SMA, Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT), Family and Children’s Place, Family Scholar House, Gilda’s Club, Girls on the Run Louisville, Hope Scarves, House of Ruth, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Kentucky Animal Relief Fund, Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky – Walking to Wheeling, Noah’s Styling for UofL Pediatric Oncology Clinic, Orphan Care Alliance Center, Parkinson Support Center, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, Summit Academy, Teach for America, The Shamrock Pet Foundation and Twisted Pink.
The charities were assisted by the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, the Derby Festival’s charitable arm. The KDF Foundation established criteria for organizations to be recognized as Official Charity Partners of the races and Foundation board members and volunteers were assigned as liaisons to help coordinate the fund-raising efforts.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, a 501 C 3 not-for- profit charity, receives and manages charitable contributions on behalf of the Kentucky Derby Festival, Inc., its supporters and the general public. The Foundation perpetuates the Festival’s impact on the community by developing projects that highlight the Festival’s influence on the area’s cultural heritage. It works to further the Festival’s educational and charitable mission through exhibitions and performances.
