RaceTrac to Host 'Coffee For A Cause' Week
ATLANTA — In recognition of Parkinson's Awareness Month (April), RaceTrac Inc. will once again partner with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) by hosting its annual "Coffee For A Cause" week to help raise money and awareness for Parkinson's research.
Beginning April 14 and running through April 20, all proceeds from the convenience store chain's coffee sales will be donated directly to MJFF. Additionally, RaceTrac guests will have the option to choose between adding $1 to their in-store purchases or selecting a special $1 candy bar available at the register to support the organization throughout the month of April.
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"RaceTrac's partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation is very personal for my family and we are so proud of the outpouring of support our guests have provided over the years, including raising more than $700,000 during 'Coffee For A Cause' last year," said Melanie Isbill, chief brand officer at RaceTrac and member of MJFF's board of directors since March 2021. "The foundation has made significant advances in the past year, and I am humbled by RaceTrac's unwavering presence in this fight as we work together to fund research towards advances in treatments and a cure in support of patients and their families."
Since 2011, RaceTrac has raised more than $8 million to support Parkinson's research through the "Coffee For A Cause" event and its yearly Run For Research 5K, which is scheduled this year for Sept. 14.
RaceTrac's 11th annual Run For Research 5K will be returning to Truist Park in Atlanta this year, with all proceeds, including 100% of registration fees, going directly to MJFF's research programs. Registration for the event is now open.
Last April, MJFF researchers discovered a biomarker breakthrough, opening a new chapter for better therapies. The test can detect a key pathology of Parkinson's disease in spinal fluid not only of people diagnosed with Parkinson's, but also in individuals who have not yet shown clinical symptoms of the disease.
Approximately 90,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder every year, including Isbill's father, RaceTrac executive chairman and current MJFF Patient Council member, Carl Bolch, Jr. Her grandfather, RaceTrac founder Carl Bolch, Sr., also lived with Parkinson's.
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Headquartered in Atlanta, and founded in 1954, family-owned RaceTrac operates convenience stores in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee. Its RaceWay franchise has been in business since 1976 and serves guests at more than 200 sites in 11 states.