'Forrest Gump'-Inspired Charity for Wounded Vets: CAFAmerica Establishes Fund To Support Trans-Continental Race Named After Award-Winning Film

CAFAmerica Launches Donor Advised Fund to Invest Giving Proceeds from "The Gumpathon"; Benefiting Charities – HELP for HEROES; Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund; and The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CAFAmerica, a member organization of the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation international network of offices, today announced that it has created a new Donor Advised Fund (DAF) to allow Americans to support the movie-inspired "Gumpathon" marathon across the United States (http://www.thegumpathon.com/index.php).   

The nonprofit CAFAmerica (http://www.CAFAmerica.org) is working with race organizers to distribute the funds to charities helping severely wounded soldiers.

Five active soldiers and one triple amputee veteran will run from New York City to Los Angeles, in a relay formation, visiting military bases along the way – recreating the fictional character Forrest Gump's epic coast-to-coast run in the Oscar-winning film starring Tom Hanks.   The soldiers are representatives from the UK Royal Marines, the British Army and the US Marine Corps.  Charitable proceeds from the race will go directly to support three organizations helping wounded veterans:  The Marine Semper Fi Fund in the US and HELP for HEROES and The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund in the UK. 

The new CAFAmerica DAF was launched in late July in order to be available for US fundraising activities devoted to the race, which begins on September 10, 2010 and is anticipated to be concluded by November 11, 2010. 

CAFAmerica CEO Susan Saxon-Harrold said:  "Our new Donor Advised Fund for The Gumpathon will distribute charitable gifts to our most severely-wounded soldiers returning from conflict -- men and women suffering from horrific injuries such as limb-loss and permanent physical disabilities and impairments.  CAFAmerica is proud to work with The Gumpathon and partner in this noble effort of fundraising for disabled veterans who protect our freedoms."  

The Gumpathon runners will cover up to 88 miles a day - the equivalent of 34 marathons each over the two month period.  The team will run continuously for a 63 day period covering 4 time zones, 3 deserts and 10 mountain ranges.

This is not CAFAmerica's first DAF with an entertainment world connection.  CAFAmerica announced in December 2009 that Columbia/Epic, a label group of Sony Music Entertainment, opened a Donor Advised Fund for the purpose of donating royalties from Bob Dylan's Christmas album, "Christmas In The Heart," to make possible grants to Crisis, one of the UK's leading national charities dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change.  Columbia/Epic worked with CAFAmerica to establish the DAF to convert Bob Dylan's album royalties into grants for Crisis. 

In October 2009, CAFAmerica made the Chronicle of Philanthropy's "Philanthropy 400" list of U.S. private fundraising charities.

ABOUT CAFAMERICA

Charities Aid Foundation America (CAFAmerica) was founded in 1992, and is a member organization of the United Kingdom based Charities Aid Foundation international network of offices, which provides charitable financial services to individuals, global corporations, charities, and foundations.  CAFAmerica is dedicated to expanding borderless charitable giving by providing guidance and international grant making solutions for donors and charities. Together with its UK subsidiary for dual US/UK taxpayers, the CAF American Donor Fund, CAFAmerica makes over $40 million in grants to charities in 76 countries around the world.  CAFAmerica's range of charitable solutions include: Donor Advised Gifts, Donor Advised Funds, Matching Donor Advised Funds, Designated Funds, bequest planning and 'Friends of' Charity Funds.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tell your readers how to 'Donate Now' by clicking on the American flag at The Gumpathon homepage - http://www.thegumpathon.com/index.php.  Interested parties will be directed to the CAFAmerica online credit donation tool where they can contribute to the Gumpathon Fund at CAFAmerica.

SOURCE CAFAmerica, Alexandria, VA