Wander Project
INSPIRE • ENGAGE • SUPPORT
Through the generosity of the Vacation Races and Virtual Running Club athletes, we have been able to grant out over $165,000 to a variety of community partners in 2020!
Learn more about some of our community beneficiaries in our most recent blog.
Our mission is to engage with athletes and endurance racing events to support local communities through inspiring fundraising and service.
We seek to live our values of: inspiration, engagement and support with every athlete, racing event and partner organization that we have the opportunity to serve.
Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia, running barefoot, about to win the 1960 Rome Olympic marathon in the record time of 2 hours 15 minutes 16 seconds.
Our Story:
People have been running since the beginning of time, and in 1908, people participated in the first marathon (with a distance of 26.2 miles) at the London Olympics. Since then, the racing industry has evolved. Around 1969 was the first run for a charity; their focus was to raise funds to fight against hunger in North Dakota. Our communities have come a long way since then, and there are races for charities all across the nation.
In 2012, our Founder and Board President, Salem Stanley, started Vacation Races. His vision was to create a half marathon (13.1 miles) series that inspired people to explore the beauty of America’s greatest treasures, the Nationals Parks! Early on, as the company began to grow, he realized that Vacation Races has a moral obligation to create positive impacts in the communities where the races are being held. In 2015, Vacation Races began raising money through the Charity Bib program to give more than just commerce back to these communities.
This grew organically, and in 2018, Wander Project was created to serve as a nonprofit leader in the racing industry. Our goal is to engage other endurance racing events and racers to support local communities through inspiring fundraising and service. With grassroots fundraising efforts through peer-to-peer fundraising, we have raised over $600,000 since our inception.
We look forward to expanding our race event partners, the number of athletes who participate in the Charity Bib program, as well as the impact we have with community organizations around the globe in 2020 and beyond!
Wander Project Board & Staff
Salem Stanley
Founder & President
Salem is a believer in real corporate responsibility, and that not every worthy pursuit should have a profit motive. Wander Project was born out of his desire for his company to be an asset to the communities in which it operates.
Salem has a bleeding heart and will try to help anytime someone asks. He loves supporting outdoor preservation, responsible entrepreneurship, and providing better opportunities for those born into less ideal financial situations.
Contact Salem
Megan Stanley
Secretary
Megan has worked with Vacation Races since its beginning. She loves the National Parks and running in the great outdoors. She is excited to help support the mission of Wander Project.
Contact Megan
Matt Gunn
Vice President
Matt loves trail running, exploring the world, and service oriented activities- so being a part of the Wander Project was a natural fit. Some of Matt's most rewarding work has been on post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti and several sustainability-centered service projects on the Navajo Nation.
Matt helped to develop a "Zero Waste" system for events in order to recycle, upcycle, and compost as much as possible of the waste stream from these large gatherings. He is currently an elementary Spanish teacher where he oversees the Young Runners program at his school.
Amy Ben-Horin
Executive Director
Amy has worked in the nonprofit sector for the past 13 years. While her work has primarily been focused within the youth and education realm, she, like most people in the nonprofit sector, has worn almost every hat imaginable, including co-founder for an organization in 2014. Amy has also had the honor of presenting at TEDx Vail in 2016, sharing what she believes is the key to helping youth reach their full potential. Stepping into the role of Executive Director for another start-up organization, Amy is passionate about service to others and is extremely excited to help support the amazing mission of Wander Project.
Contact Amy
We're currently looking to expand the Wander Project Board of Directors. If you're interested in joining us please email our BOD President Salem