As Gunster shareholder Mike Freed prepares for his sixth annual Tallahassee-to-Jacksonville Freed to Run marathon series Nov. 14-19, he is counting on the support of community leaders to take his namesake event across its fundraising finish line of $2.25 million.
With $1.9 million raised in the past five years, Freed to Run 6.0 needs just $350,000 in additional contributions to fully endow the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership and enable Jacksonville Area Legal Aid to provide free legal aid to qualifying pediatric patients and their families in perpetuity.
Donations are matched at 125% by Baptist Health Jacksonville, up to a total of $1.25 million, so if other sponsors and donors can come up with $155,000, Baptist would contribute the remaining $193,750, enabling Freed to Run to reach the endowment goal.
Four community leaders representing the business, legal and health care sectors are helping Freed build support as event co-chairs. They are recruiting sponsors, donors and marathon relay teams, who also will seek donations.
Co-chairs Dan Bean and Mike Abel, partners at Abel Bean Law, are longtime Freed to Run supporters.
Freed to Run Co-chair Alex Jenkins is a shareholder of NestEggs Retirement Planning Services.
Dr. Stephanie Reeder of Reeder & Cherry Oral Surgery joined the effort this year as co-chair to raise awareness in the health care community. She has been practicing professionally in Jacksonville since 2012 and is chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Baptist Medical Center.
Visit jaxlegalaid.org/freedtorun to donate or learn more about corporate sponsorship and forming a relay team.