361 Capital LLC's first effort to help raise money for U.S. veterans, as sponsor of the 9/11 Heroes Run on Sept. 9 in Denver, became so much more than just a charity event for Tom Florence, the firm's president and CEO.
The run benefited the Travis Manion Foundation, named in honor of a Marine first lieutenant who died in 2007 while fighting in Iraq. The foundation raises funds to help veterans in need, including those with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Sponsoring the race "helped bring meaning to what the foundation does and what this race means to them," Mr. Florence said. "Twenty-two veterans a day take their own life — a lot of that is PTSD-driven." With the $15,000 raised at the Denver race, he said, "we've saved one of them."
The race was one of 50 such 9/11 Heroes Runs held worldwide on or around Sept. 11 each year. Some of the runners in the 5-kilometer competition race wear backpacks, each weighing up to 50 pounds, to mirror the burdens carried by those on active duty as well as veterans, according to the foundation's website.
The money raised in the Denver race will be used to create a foundation chapter in Denver, Mr. Florence said, "which will ultimately lead to more exposure for the foundation and more entrants in next year's race."
361 Capital, a $1.5 billion Denver-based quantitative equity manager, will sponsor next year's 9/11 Heroes Race in Denver, Mr. Florence said.
