History of track fridayTrack Friday was born in 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy when a few friends put together an informal fundraiser to promote awareness for reputable causes supporting relief and recovery efforts.
The spark for Track Friday was an informal social media challenge by Eric Rubinson, one of Track Friday's founders, to make donations to a local food bank (see post on the right). If his friends could collectively raise $5,000 by Thanksgiving (a three week window), Eric would run a full marathon (105.5 laps) on his old High School track. As the idea picked up steam, others started committing to laps, supporting the food bank as well as other charities providing storm relief. The founders of Track Friday were concerned about the unverified charities that were spontaneously popping up after the hurricane, and wanted to give people an option to donate with confidence to reputable charities. Instead of setting up a fund or collecting the money themselves, they set up a giving page on Razoo and asked people to make direct donations, and backed their commitment to the giving spirit by meeting to run laps. In just a few weeks, the idea spread to six tracks in four states! The movement grew to 27 participants and generated over $22,000 in donations to charities helping recovery efforts! In 2013, Track Friday returned with a broader focus on supporting any charity of the participant's choice. With Track Friday events occurring in multiple states, over 300 donors raised more than $15,000. 2014 was Track Friday's biggest year yet in every possible way. Over $23,000 was raised for 45 causes. 56 fundraisers received support from over 400 donors, and participants walked and ran at almost 20 locations across the country. You can help. Join us and be a part of Track Friday 2015! |
The original Track Friday logo
Post by Eric Rubinson. The original Facebook post that launched it all.
An additional $15,000+ was raised in 2013!
More than $22,000 was raised in 2014!
Over $50,000 raised in 2015!
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