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June 2, 2015
Reporters May Contact:
Diane Wagner, Bank of America, 1.312.992.2370
[email protected]
Alex Sawyer, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 1.312.992.6618
[email protected]
Bank of America Chicago Marathon Honors Hillary Gelfman With the Richard M.
Daley and Maggie Daley Award
Charity Program Raised an Event Record $17.7 Million in 2014
CHICAGO – The Bank of America Chicago Marathon recognizes Hillary Gelfman as the
fifth recipient of the Richard M. Daley and Maggie Daley Award.
The award was established in 2010 to honor the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
participant who raised the most funds for charity through the annual world-class event.
As a member of Team in Training, the fundraising program for The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society (LLS), Gelfman raised more than $88,000 during the 2014 race for
Team Vickie, a team she organized in honor of her sister.
Gelfman, a marketing director for PepsiCo’s Global Nutrition Group, began fundraising
for Team Vickie in 2013 when her sister was diagnosed with AML (acute myeloid
leukemia) just 11 months after Vickie ran her first marathon. Vickie lost her battle with
leukemia in August 2014. Gelfman runs to raise money to fund research for blood
cancers like the one her sister battled.
The fundraising efforts of more than 10,000 marathon runners contributed to an event
record $17.7 million raised for the benefit of 195 charities during the 2014 Bank of
America Chicago Marathon. Since the charity program was officially established in
2002, participants have raised more than $132 million for local, national and global
causes.
“We’re honored to recognize Hillary with this renowned award for her dedication to LLS’
Team in Training, an organization that exemplifies the philanthropic values of the Bank
of America Chicago Marathon,” said Tim Maloney, Illinois president, Bank of America.
“Hillary’s commitment to her sister’s memory is admirable, and her fundraising efforts
demonstrate her selfless dedication to helping improve treatment for those whose lives
are in need, furthering the marathon’s charitable impact in the Chicago community and
beyond.”
Maloney will join Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski and a representative for the
Daley Family on June 29 at a charity reception hosted by the Bank of America Chicago
Marathon at the Park Grill to present the award to Gelfman.
"I am proud to present this award to Hillary on behalf of the Daley Family," said Mayor
Daley. "Her passion for LLS' Team in Training is truly an inspiration and an excellent
example of the devotion and perseverance that runners share. It is amazing how the
Bank of America Chicago Marathon brings out the best in so many people like Hillary."
The LLS’ Team in Training charity team began participating in the Bank of America
Chicago Marathon in 1996. Since then, the team has raised nearly $30.4 million through
marathon fundraising efforts.
“On behalf of the LLS’ Team in Training, I am incredibly grateful to accept the esteemed
Daley Award,” said Gelfman. “My youngest sister Vickie was full of life and taken much
too soon by this terrible disease. LLS is making amazing strides to fund research,
therapies and, one day, cures for those with blood cancers. I am thrilled I was able to
raise these funds for a cause so close to my family and am incredibly thankful to
everyone on ‘Team Vickie’ who helped me surpass my fundraising goal.”
Gelfman joins Jim Jenness, a co-trustee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust (2013,
Mercy Home for Boys and Girls); John Nichols, president of the Disability Resource
Group (2012, Spinal Cord Injury Association of Illinois); Dr. José Oberholzer, chief of the
Division of Transplantation at the University of Illinois Hospital (2011, The Chicago
Diabetes Project); and Carl Allegretti, CEO of Deloitte Tax (2010, Children’s Memorial
Hospital), as a recipient of the prestigious Daley Award. These award-winning
fundraisers, along with the combined efforts of the thousands who commit to running for
charity each year, have made the Bank of America Chicago Marathon a critical annual
fundraiser for hundreds of nonprofit organizations and one of the largest fundraising
events in Illinois.
Although the registration lottery entry period for the 2015 Bank of America Chicago
Marathon has closed, registered runners can still opt to join a charity team at this time
by contacting one of the event’s affiliated nonprofits, or they can establish their own
fundraising page for an organization of their choice by going to
www.chicagomarathon.com/charity.
About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 38th year, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon welcomes thousands of runners
from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, including a world-class elite field, top
regional and masters runners, race veterans, debut marathoners and charity runners.
The race’s iconic course takes runners through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an
architectural and cultural tour of Chicago. In 2014, an estimated 1.7 million spectators
lined the streets cheering on a record 40,659 runners from the start line to the final
stretch down Columbus Drive. As a result of the race’s national and international draw,
the Chicago Marathon assists in raising millions of dollars for a variety of charitable
causes while generating $253 million in annual economic impact to its host city. The
2015 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a member of the Abbott World Marathon
Majors, will start and finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 11.
In advance of the race, a two-day Abbott Health & Fitness Expo will be held at
McCormick Place Convention Center on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10.
For more information about the event and how to get involved, go to
chicagomarathon.com.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual
consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full
range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk
management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in
the United States, serving approximately 48 million consumer and small business
relationships with approximately 4,800 retail financial centers and approximately 15,900
ATMs and award-winning online banking with 31 million active users and approximately
17 million mobile users. Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth
management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking
and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments,
institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading
support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative,
easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through
operations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico
and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed
on the New York Stock Exchange.
Visit the Bank of America newsroom for more Bank of America news.
www.bankofamerica.com
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