Charity

Challenged Athletes Foundation

The Official Charity of AdventureCORPS is the Challenged Athletes Foundation. One of the goals of our events is to raise funds for, and awareness of, this wonderful organization.

The Challenged Athletes Foundation was created on the belief that people of all abilities should have the opportunity to pursue a life full of physical activity and of sports. Be they recreational or in pursuit of a gold medal at the Paralympic Games, people with a physical disability are limited only by their access to funding. Since 1994, CAF has raised more than $12 million – allowing the Foundation to satisfy thousands of funding requests from challenged athletes in all 50 states and 10 countries.

Eighty-nine cents of every dollar raised by CAF provides funding and programs that get challenged athletes into the game. Whether it’s a $2,000 handcycle, helping underwrite a $15,000 running prosthetic or arranging enthusiastic encouragement from a mentor who has triumphed over a similar injury, CAF’s mission is clear: give those with the desire to live active, competitive lifestyles every opportunity to compete in the sports they love.

At the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece 45 of the 235 participating U.S. athletes (almost 20 percent) were supported by CAF. More recently at the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Torino, Itlay, CAF supported 23 of the 56 (41 percent) participating U.S. athletes.

Click here to donate to CAF right now through a secure and easy-to-use webpage.

Click here for the "Race For a Reason" program - You can personally participate in our events on behalf of CAF - and even earn cool incentive prizes in recognition of your efforts!

Click here to read about the events that AdventureCORPS' Chris Kostman has competed in on behalf of CAF.

Major Taylor Association

AdventureCORPS is proud to sponsor the Major Taylor Association each year.

The Major Taylor Association was formed by residents of Worcester, Mass., who became intrigued with the story of the 1899 world champion bicycle racer from Worcester who overcame racial prejudice to become the first internationally acclaimed African-American sports star.

The organization's mission is to memorialize Major Taylor with a statue on public land in Worcester, in recognition of his athletic achievements and strength of character—his sportsmanship, concern for those less fortunate, devotion to God, and personal struggle for equality. Further, the Major Taylor Association aims to create a living memorial to Taylor by conducting good works in his name and educating people about his life and legacy.

MTA hosts the annual George Street Bike Challenge for Major Taylor, a short, steep uphill time trial on a downtown Worcester street where Major Taylor used to train. Additionally, Major Taylor Association offers a free curriculum guide for schools, for grades 3 through 8, featuring lessons about the trailblazing black athlete Marshall W. “Major” Taylor. The materials are designed to be used at any time—such as Black History Month (February) or National Sportsmanship Day (first Tuesday in March)—in conjunction with an optional readathon to benefit the Major Taylor Association.

Click here to donate directly to the Major Taylor Association.

Click here or the logo above to visit the Major Taylor Association website. 

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

AdventureCORPS is pleased to produce the biannual Death Valley Ride to Cure Diabetes on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The Ride to Cure Diabetes is held in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation -- the world's leading nongovernmental, nonprofit funder of research to cure Type 1 diabetes, which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications.

Founded by parents of children with type 1 juvenile diabetes, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has always focused on a single goal—accelerating research progress to cure diabetes and its complications. To that end, their research management process is unique—they're organized as a diabetes cure enterprise. They take informed risks, continuously monitor the global diabetes research landscape, and make research investments strategically, to ensure that resources are effectively directed to research with the greatest impact leading to a cure as soon as possible.

This unwavering dedication has led JDRF to award more money for diabetes research than any other charitable organization—more than $900 million since our founding in 1970, including over $122 million in FY 2006 alone. More than 80 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and research-related education. In FY2005, JDRF funded 500 centers, grants, and fellowships in 19 countries. In addition, their advocacy has spurred government, especially the National Institutes of Health, to increase its investment in type 1 diabetes research to unprecedented levels.

Click here to donate directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Click here or the Webcast button at left to view our archived JDRF Ride webcasts.

Click here or the logo to visit the JDRF Ride website.