Charities

Dear Friends,

In recent years, Take The Magic Step has developed a close relationship with each of the following outstanding organizations. We applaud their ongoing efforts—the incredible personal commitment of their employees and volunteers—to provide education, medical research and treatment, and emotional support to underprivileged individuals regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic status.

The team of Take The Magic Step with the children, students, and staff of SOS Outreach. © Take The Magic Step/Betty Shepherd

It is both an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to stand alongside these organizations’ caring volunteers, experts, and supporters to help those in need.

Charities and institutions like these are strengthened by the contributions of their volunteers. We hope you will look for opportunities in your local area to lend a hand. Together we can make a difference by helping those who need care, love, and emotional support in their journey for a healthier and happier life.

Never Give Up!

SOS Outreach and Its Children’s Programs

Since 2007, our Take The Magic Step Foundation and SOS Outreach (“SOS”) are charity partners! Founded in 1993 in Vail, Colorado, SOS uses outdoor activities to help at-risk and underprivileged youth build character and self-esteem."What could be better? Kids playing outdoors, being healthy — and learning at the same time! We share their love of playful exercise!", says Uta.

Kinderhilfe Petershagen-Eggersdorf e.V.

We are happy to be able to support the Kinderhilfe, a wonderful organization in Uta’s childhood hometown, that was founded in 1993 by members who have dedicated themselves to helping children in need, not only in their own village, but also from a zone in Belarus that was affected by the 1986 disaster in the Ukrainian town Chernobyl.Here at Take The Magic Step, our wish is that every child receives adequate support and experiences a happy childhood. So we reached out to the Kinderhilfe and asked them what we could do to help. Over the years from that beginning a wonderful collaboration has developed.

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

The traditional and beloved Orchard House offers educational experiences in one of the nation’s most authentically preserved historic house museums. The proceeds from the annual Walk/Run fundraiser are used for educational programming and historic preservation.

The Hoyt Foundation

It is such an honor to have the courageous Team Hoyt and The Hoyt Foundation as members of our family of charities. Dick and Rick Hoyt and the entire Team are truly an inspiration to people all around the globe. Since 1978, 73-year-old Dick has pushed and pulled his wheelchair-bound son, Rick, across over a thousand finish lines around the world in their charitable drive to raise awareness of, and help, the physically challenged.

PeopleWeaver—Kyangwali Women’s Economic Assistance

We are delighted to have PeopleWeaver join our family of charities which we support. The organization is based near Boulder, Colorado, and has a unique way to offer economic assistance, such as microcredit loans, primarily to Congolese women refugees living in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in west-central Uganda.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute—The Jimmy Fund

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s ultimate goal is the eradication of cancer, AIDS, and related diseases and the fear that they engender. Participants in the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge raise millions for cancer research every year at the Boston Marathon.

Pan-Mass Challenge

Every year, the Pan-Mass Challenge raises more than $20 million for cancer research and treatment through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund. First held in 1980, the two-day event was the first fundraising bike-a-thon in the U.S., and now raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country.

KIMbia’s Charity Work

KIMbia is dedicated to using its position in the running world to improve the larger world. The KIMbia Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that funds secondary-school fees for academically promising students in Kenya. The goal of the foundation is to give these students a chance to earn a university degree overseas, and then return home and use their degree to improve their country.

American Liver Foundation

The American Liver Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization in the U.S. working on liver health and disease prevention. Since 1988, the New England chapter of the foundation has coordinated the Run for Research team. The team promotes awareness of liver disease and raises money to fund critical programs in research, education and advocacy.

Further charity projects Uta and Take The Magic Step<sup>TM</sup> supported

Further charity projects Uta and Take The Magic Step^TM supported

Over the years, Uta has supported Leukemia and Lymphoma Society — Team in Training —, South Boston Neighborhood House, American Liver Foundation, the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans and Run for South African Children.