San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run is a nonprofit race benefiting the Lake City EMTs, graduating Lake City seniors and other public safety and public service entities of Lake City.

 

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Stipend Program

First and foremost every year, the race funds a Stipend Program for our volunteer emergency medical team, most of whom will be helping at the aid stations on race day! The Stipend Program provides 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 an ambulance call.

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On Call Program

The race also funds an on call program to pay EMS team members for signing up to be on call.  .

 

Scholarships 

The race has created and funds annual 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.  This year, we granted the 3 applying seniors $1,500 each.  We hope to grow that fund and offer multi year scholarships in the future. 

 

Grants

Remaining funds were made available to public service entities in Lake City through a competitive grant process and were awarded in December of 2023.  Those included  $1,300 to the Peer Support Team for first and last responder mental wellness; $2,200 to Search and Rescue for a helmet for the new Helicopter Hoist Operations team; $1,875 to Wee Care for playground equipment; $1,875 to the Historical Society for train car restoration, $1,125 to the Lake Fork Valley Conservancy for interpretive signs; $1,875 to Lake City Arts for theatre and stage enhancements; $750 to the Alpine Outdoor Association for volunteer support; $1,000 to Lake City Ice Climbs for farming ice; $1,000 to DIRT toward Pickle Ball Courts; $1,125 to the Lake City Library for a new computer; $2,340 in two grants to the Lake City Community School for handicapped accessible play ground equipment and communications equipment; $1,125 to the Silver Thread Public Health District for senior lunch program; and $2,500 to the Town of Lake City for portable toilets for special events and communications.  

The race became a benefit run in 2002 and between then and 2021 it contributed over a quarter of a million dollars to Friends of Lake City EMTs.​  In the two years since San Juan Solstice Inc was incorporated as a 501c3 organization and taken over distribution of funding,  it has contributed over $70,000 to Hinsdale County EMS and other public safety and public service organizations in Lake City.

  

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