Desjardins signs on as Ottawa Half-Marathon presenting sponsor
The partnership also sees Desjardins taking on title sponsorship of the Charity Challenge program
April 5, 2022 – Run Ottawa is pleased to announce its newest major partner, Desjardins, as the presenting sponsor of the Half-Marathon at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and the principal partner for the Charity Challenge. The partnership also makes Desjardins the title sponsor of Run Ottawa’s Run to Empower and its popular Great Big Cookie Run.
“We are very pleased with this partnership as it strongly aligns with Desjardins values of contributing to the economic and social wellbeing of individuals and communities,” said Chantal Lajoie, Regional Vice-President for Ottawa at Desjardins Ontario Credit Union. “We believe in Run Ottawa’s mission and look forward to promoting healthy and active lifestyles and giving back to the local community through the Charity Challenge.”
In addition to its role as the Ottawa Half-Marathon presenting sponsor, Desjardins will also be the financial and banking partner for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.
“Desjardins is a great supporter of young people and healthy lifestyles through its philanthropic work with a number of Canadian organizations,” said Ian Fraser, Executive Director of Run Ottawa. “We are looking forward to working with them to enhance our Charity Challenge program.”
Last year, runners and walkers in the virtual Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend raised a record-breaking $1,064,163.58 for local and national charities through the Charity Challenge. With the support of this new partnership, organizers hope to surpass this amount in 2022. Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 2022 is set to take place May 28-29, 2022 with 15,000 people currently registered to run, walk or roll in one of 6 events throughout the weekend.
About Desjardins Ontario Credit Union
Desjardins Ontario Credit Union serves 132,000 active members mainly in the private, commercial, real estate and agricultural sectors and has 48 branches. It has a business volume of more than $18.92 billion and assets of more than $9.86 billion. This strong, high-performing organization, with rich and diverse expertise, has 750 employees, making them a major employer in Ontario. It is governed by a board of directors consisting of 17 elected directors and 2 young intern directors. This new credit union ranks 2nd among Ontario caisses populaires and credit unions according to assets and business volume.
About Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend is Canada’s largest running and walking festival with six races, including the Ottawa Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 2K and Kids Marathon, as well as the Lumberjack, Voyageur or Bytown distance challenges. In 2021, runners and walkers in the virtual event raised a record-breaking $1,064,163.58 for local and national charities through the Charity Challenge. The 2022 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend will take place May 28-29.
Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend was named Event of the Year at the 2019 Canadian Tourism Awards, and in 2020, its title sponsor Tamarack Homes won the Sport Tourism Canada’s Canadian Sport Event Sponsorship Initiative of the Year Award. The event is one of only two running events in Canada to host a World Athletics Gold label marathon, and is host to Athletics Canada’s Canadian 10K Championships. For more information or to register: www.runottawa.ca.