Traverse City Track Club Announces 2024 Grant Recipients

The Traverse City Track Club (TCTC) has announced the distribution of nearly $70,000 as part of its 2024 grant cycle. The seven grant recipients range from local schools to area parks and trails.

Founded in 1962, TCTC has awarded more than $2.5 million in grants since launching a charitable giving arm in 2007. Those grants are funded by proceeds from the annual Bayshore Marathon and typically go toward projects “aimed at enhancing accessibility, safety, and recreational opportunities for walkers, runners, and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages.”

This year’s grant recipients include:

>East Middle School, to help pay for a new records board for the track and field team.

>Forest Area Community Schools, to improve and expand the school’s cross country trail.

>Grand Traverse County Parks & Recreation, to help fund a nearly $1 million replacement of the walking track at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center.

>Kingsley High School Cross Country, to be put toward “improving the team’s equipment and infrastructure.”

>Kids on the Go, to enable that program to offer “more walking and running activities for local youth.”

>TART Trails, to “extend and improve the Three Mile trail system.”

>Thompsonville Area Recreation, to fund “improvements to the Thompsonville Junction Trailhead and visitor’s center.”

The numbers for this year’s TCTC grants are notably lower than last year, when the organization gave $97,000 to nine area organizations. Executive Director Lindsay McLaughlin had previously warned that newly-instituted event fees from Peninsula Township for the Bayshore Marathon would have a negative impact on the organization’s charitable giving. McLaughlin told The Ticker in February that the new Peninsula Township policy would likely cost TCTC about $30,000 more in fees for the 2024 Bayshore Marathon than it paid in 2023.