The Stratton Faxon Fairfield Road Races, hosted and created by the Fairfield Firefighters, recently donated $17,000 to Operation Gift Cards, a locally cosponsored program that visits troops in military hospitals who were wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since October 2005, the Operation Gift Cards’ 74 monthly/bimonthly visits have presented over $499,000 in post exchange (military department store) gift cards, special group product donations (Girl Scout cookies, laptops, corporate gift certificates etc.) and over $50,000 worth items on the “wish list” for both the wounded troops and their families.
The Derby/Shelton AMVETS Post 43, the Shelton American Legion Post 16, the Derby/Shelton Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 1, the Huntington Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10466, the Ansonia Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 597, the Derby Disabled American Veterans Chapter 4, the Derby Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10585, and the Seymour American Legion Post 12 are local veterans organizations who have cosponsored visits to the wounded troops.
A total of 176 representatives from 60 cosponsors have participated by presonally delivering the thank you kits and the donated items to the wounded troops and their families.
Thanks to the incredible effort of the Fairfield Firefighters this years Stratton Faxon Fairfield Road Races were the best ever.
This year alone firefighters raised approximately $440,000 for local charities, the Hole in the Wall Gang and several veterans and wounded soldier groups. The firefighters have raised more than $2 million since its inception back in 1981.
In 1981 there were 161 participants and over the years entries have increased to nearly 6,000 runners in 2011.
The half marathon has not only been a great source of revenue for the Non-profits, it has also been ranked by Runners World magazine among the top races in the United States having hosted the Women’s United States Half Marathon Championship as well as the U. S. Men’s Masters Championship.