Boston Marathon Raises Historic Amounts For Local Non-Profits

BOSTON, July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Participants running on behalf of non-profit organizations raised $38.4 million for charity this year in the 118^th running of the Boston Marathon.  The 2014 figure is a record amount and nearly doubles the $20 million raised in 2013. 

In this year's race on April 21^st, with an expanded field size of 36,000 registered runners, more than 300 organizations received donations in support of their missions.  The majority of the fundraising runners gained entry through the Boston Athletic Association's Official Charity Program and John Hancock's Marathon Non-Profit Program, which provide non-profits with guaranteed entry numbers ("bibs") that enable funds to be raised for their organizations. 

In addition, many qualified runners, along with deferred runners who did not finish the 2013 Marathon, contributed by raising money for charity.  The B.A.A. also made special allocations to the One Fund Boston, the Martin W. Richard Charitable Foundation, local hospitals, and many other organizations and individuals who were touched by the bombing at last year's race.  

Included among the charitable organizations benefiting from the B.A.A.'s Official Charity Program in 2014 is the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which marked its 25^th year of fundraising with the B.A.A. for the Boston Marathon.

"This year's Boston Marathon was like no other that we have witnessed," said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director.  "We worked in cooperation with the community, especially the eight cities and towns which comprise the Boston Marathon route and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to accommodate as many participants as possible, and we were delighted that so many chose to channel their dedication and commitment towards fundraising for worthwhile causes.  The 2014 Boston Marathon will go down in history as a special day for the sport, for the City of Boston and for unprecedented fundraising, all benefitting local charities."

"The world bore witness to the resilience of the Boston community and the true spirit of the Marathon this year," said Craig Bromley, President of John Hancock.  "The Boston Marathon will forever be defined by compassion, courage, competition, and extraordinary generosity.  We are proud of our partnership with the B.A.A. and join them in congratulating our charitable partners for raising an unprecedented amount of funds to support their important missions." 

In the 2014 race, funds raised by John Hancock-sponsored runners amounted to slightly over $10 million, a 27 percent increase over the $7.9 million total raised in 2013.  Some of the 125 non-profit organizations participating in the John Hancock program were:  Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston Medical Center, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Hoyt Foundation Inc., Horizons for Homeless Children, and Bottom Line.

In addition, Team John Hancock, consisting of 118 employees, ran while raising funds for the Ron Burton Training Village and the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, and 37 employees of parent company Manulife ran on behalf of Canadian charity Pathways to Education.  Employees raised nearly $370,000, a 28 percent increase over 2013 results.

2014 marked the 29^th year of John Hancock's landmark sponsorship of the legendary Boston Marathon.  Over the past 29 years, the official B.A.A. Charity Program and John Hancock's own Non-Profit Program have combined to raise more than $208 million for community-based organizations. 

For the third consecutive year, John Hancock utilized a centralized online platform to capture fundraising through a partnership with CrowdRise™ (www.crowdrise.com/2014bostonmarathon), an innovative online fundraising web site.   

About the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors, along with the international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. More than 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2014. The 119th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 20, 2015. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were C$635 billion (US$574 billion) as at March 31, 2014. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com. The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

For more information about the Boston Marathon:

www.johnhancock.com/bostonmarathon/index.html              Twitter @jhboston26
www.baa.org                                                                          Twitter @bostonmarathon

For more information about John Hancock Boston Marathon Non-Profit Fundraising:
http://www.johnhancock.com/bostonmarathon/bostonmarathon_nonprofit.html 

SOURCE John Hancock Financial