Run to TrackShack.com 4 Community I foundation update Track Shack Youth Foundation Celebrates 25 Years! In addition to Samuelson, Dave Tibbetts,Track and Field & Cross- Country coach at Oviedo High School, shared a story on how a grant from TSYF saved the track season for the team. They are state champs and had zero funding this year. He said he had no idea how he was going to get the much-needed equipment but then the grant came through and he was able to purchase hurdles and other training devices to help his team train and prepare for the season. In addition, the annual Smile Mile is put on by the Foundation every March. This race brings elementary school age children from around the five-county area to participate in a one mile, kids only race. Age groups start at five years old (boys and girls) and runs through 11 years old. In 2019, nearly 120 schools participated, and we saw some extremely fast results! How can you support the Track Shack Youth Foundation? There are a variety of ways you can support the Foundation. First, there’s a good chance if you’ve run a Track Shack race, some of the entry fees raised have gone to the Foundation. You can also select to make a donation to the Foundation when you’re signing up for a race online at TrackShack.com. Finally, you can make an individual donation to the foundation online or in the store. You can learn more about us by visiting our web page at TrackShackFoundation.org. The Track ShackYouth Foundation (TSYF) was established in 1994 by Jon and Betsy Hughes with the purpose of promoting and encouraging health and fitness with an emphasis on youth programs.To date since its inception, the foundation has contributed over $2.5 million dollars to community programs. These include schools and non-profit organizations who are working hard to make sure that our youth have the opportunity to participate in fitness programs. Unfortunately, when schools are required to cut budgets, one of the first cost reductions made are in the sports programs. That’s where the Foundation comes in. Over the course of a year more than 200 grants are submitted to the board for review. Every quarter the grants are reviewed and determined if the program meets the foundation’s mission, which is to promote lifelong health and fitness emphasizing youth and running programs in our Central Florida community. In April 2019, a 25th anniversary fundraiser was held, featuring guest speaker Joan Benoit Samuelson. Samuelson was the first woman to win gold in the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles and just recently completed the Boston Marathon, 40 years after she won the same race in 1979. Smile Mile is an annual running festival just for children ages five to eleven. sinceitsinception, thefoundationhas contributedover $2.5milliondollars tocommunity programs. Track ShackYouth Foundation Board (left to right): Back row: BillVanos, Jason Kaiser, Scott Milson, John Calpey,Adam Fenichel. Front row: Betsy Hughes, Carl Wilhelm, Susan Godorov, Joan Samuelson, Rebecca Church, Joel Remigio, Jon Hughes, Charles Cook (Not Pictured: Mark Fugett, Joan Caroll, Mike Masur)