We will be collecting finsher and podium medals (marathon, half marathon or triathlon that are in good condition) to give to one of these children. again this season to help support Medals of Courage  Join USA Olympic Marathoner Meb Keflezighi and share your strength and courage with a child at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. Donate your race medal and light up their hearts.  Help us collect 2,012 medals between now and the 2012 Olympic Games!

We will be collecting medals at the meeting and the Goleta Beach Triathlon!

Loma Linda University Children's Hospital where the front lobby wing proudly displays many of the medals donated that will be shared with the critically ill children.

Message From Candace Ransom:

Last November you and your teammates were so kind to invite me over to your end of the year pot luck.  So many of your incredible family of runners, donated their treasured medals to critically ill children with the Medals of Courage program.  It was the one inspired by my son who had also shared one of his race medals a few months before he was tragically killed by a great white.    I wanted to share an update with you to also pass on to the others.

Last month, on the day before my son Luke would have graduated with his BS in Chemistry from UCSB, the university held an award ceremony where we awarded 2 $8,000 scholarships to 2 other very deserving chemistry students.  Ironically one of them has also found the passion for competing in triathlons as well.   It was so rewarding to see one of his dreams, to want to help others, be fulfilled last month.

 Next month we will be fulfilling Luke’s other inspiration, to share these Medals of Courage with the children at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. As we count down the days to the Olympics we are half way to our goal of 2012 medals, to have enough to share with the children in August following the Olympics.  We’re hoping to be joined by Meb Keflizighi the Olympic Silver Medalist in Athens when he returns from racing in the Olympics in London to help us at the hospital.

Again, from the bottom of my heart I would like to thank each and every one of you who shared their medals.  Without a doubt these medals will continue to bring a smile, lift the hearts and light up the faces of these young children. When you shared your strength, determination, and hope with your medal, it was a symbol of courage to one of these children helping them thru some of their toughest days.  I was so overwhelmed by such an outpouring of goodwill it was a true testament to the goodness of the human spirit all of you showed.

 For those who may not have had a chance to donate or hear the story, again this month they’ll have another opportunity to share one of those medals tucked away in a drawer.   If you do find there is again an overwhelming response from your club members, wanting to donate a medal from one of their past races or perhaps the upcoming Goleta race it would be greatly appreciated. Enclosed is the website www.medalsofcourage.org  where you read more.

Candace Ransom