June 24, 2023
BENEFIT
San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run is a nonprofit race benefiting the Lake City EMTs, graduating Lake City seniors and other public service entities of Lake City.
Stipend Program
First and foremost every year, the race will fund a stipend program and an on call program for our volunteer emergency medical team, most of whom will be helping at the aid stations on race day! This will provide a nominal payment for each out of county ambulance call that team members take while still maintaining their volunteer status. Most of our EMS Team members are working folks with young families who lose pay when they leave work to make and ambulance call.
On Call Program
The 2022 race has funded the first 6 months of an on call program to pay EMS team members for signing up to be on call. Local Town and County Governments are being approached to also contribute to this essential program.
Scholarships
The next focus of funding will be an annual scholarship or scholarships to graduating seniors for the Lake City Community School. The Garry Curry CLIMB scholarship was set up to honor our departed friend and ultra runner Garry Curry. The first $1,000.00 scholarship was awarded to graduating senior, Bennet Levine and $500 each to the other 4 applicants.
Grants
Remaining funds were made available to public service entities in Lake City through a competitive grant process and were awarded in December of 2022. Those included two for Hinsdale EMS, $2,229 for a high tech Resusci Annie training manikin and $1,300 for wellness coupons for EMS team members. Those, along with $6,930 for the Stipend Program and $8,600 for the On Call program, totaled $19,059 for EMS. Other grants funded this year include: $1,700 to Search and Rescue for pagers, $1,750 to Wee Care for staff retention, $1,750 to the Historical Society for train car restoration, $1,750 to the Lake Fork valley Conservancy for Earth and Sky Education Center, $1,750 to Lake City Arts for tables and paint,
$1,725 to the Alpine Outdoor Association for volunteer support and $1,750 to Downtown Improvement and Restoration Team for a Dark Sky appropriate street light. That makes $34,734 that the 2022 San Juan Solstice has donated to the Lake City Community.
Since the race became a benefit run in 2002 it has contributed over a quarter of a million dollars to Lake City EMS Team.