Boys & Girls Clubs Selected as Youth Beneficiary for Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K

World-class road race returns to Saturday running – August 6 in coastal Cape Elizabeth

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine (March 10, 2005) – Peoples Heritage Bank announced today that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Portland and Auburn/Lewiston has been chosen as the beneficiary for this year’s Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race.

Race officials also announced that the eighth annual Peoples Beach to Beacon, one of New England's marquee road races, will take place on Saturday, August 6 – marking a return to the traditional first Saturday in August schedule.

The Boys & Girls Clubs, a non-profit youth development organization, provides programs, activities and a nurturing environment to thousands of children in Maine. Peoples, through the Banknorth Charitable Foundation, will provide a cash donation of $30,000. Additionally, the organization will benefit from fundraising activities and publicity valued at more than $40,000.

With four locations, the Boys & Girls Clubs serves young people from 36 different Maine communities. Known for its positive atmosphere, the organization offers a broad spectrum of opportunities for school-aged children primarily during after-school hours and school vacation weeks.

Combining a safe and supportive environment, trained professional staff and a nationally-recognized “curriculum”, the Clubs focus on developing skills in teamwork, personal health and safety, conflict resolution, resisting peer pressure, and citizenship and community service.

“Peoples has a wonderful record as a corporate citizen of Maine and we’re honored and grateful that we have been selected as a partner for this world-class event,” said Robert A. Clark, the chief professional officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs.

He added, “As a youth development organization serving kids, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Greater Portland and Lewiston-Auburn areas, we provide a wide variety of programming in the areas of health, nutrition and fitness. So it seems very appropriate to be affiliated with a road race of this magnitude.”

Also, Clark said more than 300 youths in membership are from immigrant and refugee backgrounds. “We hope to be able to share some of the great diversity of runners and world backgrounds that this race brings to Maine with our diverse population of kids,” he said.

Michael W. McNamara, president and CEO of Peoples Heritage Bank, the race’s title sponsor, said the bank has found another good fit in the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“The work being done by this fine organization is impressive and worthy of recognition,” McNamara said. “Countless Maine children have benefited from the programs. We’re so pleased to be able use this year’s race to shine a light on the Boys & Girls Clubs.”

The 2005 Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K is set for Saturday, August 6, along the picturesque shores of Maine’s rocky coast in Cape Elizabeth. Race organizers returned to the traditional first Saturday in August schedule after a one-year switch to a Sunday in 2004 to accommodate scheduling conflicts and other factors.

In its relatively brief history, the Peoples Beach to Beacon has established itself as one of Maine’s premiere sporting events and one of the most popular events on the U.S. road race circuit, drawing a field of 5,000 runners from throughout the region and the world to the small coastal community in Maine. As many as 10,000 spectators line the course to cheer the runners, and more than 700 volunteers help ensure a smooth operation.

The race begins near the Crescent Beach entrance on Route 77 and ends at the historic Portland Head lighthouse at Fort Williams Park. Online race registration begins in mid-March and usually fills by late May or early June.

More than $50,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers and place winners in the various categories for men and women. The event also features a children's 1K race with 500 kids participating. For more information, visit www.beach2beacon.org

Peoples sponsors the race founded by Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Olympic gold medalist from Maine who also serves as a spokesperson for the bank during the year to promote the race and the bank’s giving programs, which benefit Maine youth with scholarships, sponsorship programs and charitable gifts. Last year’s race beneficiary was Riding To The Top, and the year before it was Seeds of Peace.

Samuelson, who learned to swim as a child at the Boys & Girls Club in Portland, has a unique connection to this year’s race beneficiary – she was the first female inductee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (B&GCA) Alumni Hall of Fame.

“I can’t say enough about the good works of this organization, both locally and nationally,” said Samuelson. “Many of the participants in the race have benefited from the programs and mentoring. I’m just thrilled to have the Boys & Girls Clubs be a part of the race this year.”

Incorporated in 1909, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Portland is a member of B&GCA and operates Clubhouses in Portland (277 Cumberland Ave.) and South Portland (169 Broadway), an extension in Portland’s Riverton Park Housing Development (61 Riverton Dr.), and an affiliate Club in Auburn (43 Second St.).

The organization’s reach is extensive, with well over 3,000 youths from 36 different Maine communities participating. The Boys & Girls Clubs mission is “to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.” For more information, visit the organization’s web site at www.bgcmaine.org.

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