Race Charities Give 1% Of Donations To Research

by Gary Snyder

A Minnesota-based non-profit organization that claims it is "Helping Research One Race at a Time" actually donates only about a penny-and-a-half for every dollar it raises for medical research, according to financial records obtained by Kare 11.

Team Ortho Foundation sponsors some of the most popular running events in the Twin Cities. Their races include the just-completed "Monster Dash" on Halloween, the "Polar Dash" in January, the "Get Lucky" race in March, and "Women Rock" in August. 

Team Ortho also sponsors similar races in Chicago and Dallas-Ft. Worth.

The most recent report shows that in 2013 Team Ortho brought in $4,362,877. Of that, what went to charities like Shriners Hospital was just $72,700. A year earlier, it was a similar story. Of $3,599,851 raised, just $36,550 trickled down to charity.

Do the math. The average amount going to charity is just a penny and a half out of every dollar raised.

Some trips to China to bring back customized Team Ortho outfits sound more like all expense paid vacations. The executive director personally took as many as a dozen trips a year overseas in recent years. Some of them are documented with personal photos on his Facebook page.

Enjoy reviewing how much of your money is actually going to medical research, check out Team Ortho's financial reports.

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