Dear Business Owner,

We are excited to invite you to sponsor and participate in the TherapyWorks Lawrence Half Marathon and 5K, benefiting the Health Care Access Clinic which will be held on Sunday, April 20, 2008.  This is the second year for the run, but the first for us to have TherapyWorks, P.A. as the title sponsor.  We are proud and excited to have them onboard.                                                                                                                               

One of the race highlights for our runners was the course. The ½ marathon ran throughout Lawrence, highlighting historic places.   It was a huge success, with a total of almost 2000 participants coming from 19 states, Washington D.C., and Canada.    With volunteers and spectators, the race drew over 3500 people to Haskell Indian Nation’s campus, with hundreds of people lining the course.   The response was so overwhelmingly positive, we expect our number of participants to increase substantially next year.

Last year we raised $42,000 for Health Care Access Clinic, which had lost local funding, plus a one-time donation of  $1500 for the Gibson Huston LoveFund.  Health Care Access will be our only beneficiary this year.  Health Care Access Clinic is a local nonprofit organization, which provides health care for those in Douglas County who do not have health insurance.  They are providing for more of our local residents, and they are desperately in need of funds. Money raised will fund primary care services and medication for uninsured children and adults of Douglas County (more than 10% of our community).  Common services include treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure, and breast and cervical cancer screenings.  This is a beneficiary who serves the Lawrence community in a very important way.  We hope you agree that this is a cause worthy of support from the TherapyWorks Lawrence Half Marathon and 5K.

            As race directors, our goal is to provide our runners with a top-quality race, and our sponsors with an event they can be proud to be associated with. The TherapyWorks Lawrence Half Marathon and 5K will have all of the features as in the past:  three well-run races, a fabulous food fest, and a festive atmosphere.  These components have helped the run become one of the largest running events in Kansas, and with your support, it will continue to grow. 

Our greatest need this year will be equipment.  We need over 400 traffic cones, 50 water coolers, 20 tables, a laptop, and a place to store them.   With the planned addition of the marathon in 2009, our equipment needs will only double.   If you know of any equipment sources, or wish to donate to our equipment fund, please write equipment in the memo portion of your check.

            If you are interested in sponsoring us, please complete and mail or email us the following form. Your form may also be faxed to 785-842-4351, and your donation sent in at a later date (we would like to have all donations in by Feb. 1, 2008).   In order to be included on our 15,000 race entry forms, we would need to receive your sponsor pledge by November 1^st.   You can email us at srmriley@sunflower.com for more information.

            As always, thank you for supporting a worthy cause and for helping the TherapyWorks Lawrence Half Marathon and 5K remain the quality event that it is.

                                                                                                Sincerely,