Run With Purpose: Join JCS Team Blue Card For The 2027 Miami Marathon

Organized by Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS), Team Blue Card gives runners the opportunity to turn every mile into meaningful support. By participating in the Miami Marathon or Half Marathon, team members help raise critical funds for Holocaust Survivors who are facing the growing challenges of everyday life.

Last year, JCS Team Blue Card raised nearly $50,000. Those funds helped provide essential services and assistance to Survivors throughout the community. This year, the team is aiming to make an even greater impact—and every runner can play a part.

Whether you are a seasoned marathoner, a dedicated half-marathon runner, or someone looking to take on your first major race, Team Blue Card welcomes you. The goal is not simply to cross the finish line. It is to help ensure that Holocaust Survivors can continue to live with dignity, security and independence in their own homes.

Making Every Mile Count

For many Holocaust Survivors living in Florida, rising inflation and the increasing cost of housing, utilities, food and medications have made it more difficult to make ends meet. Expenses that once seemed manageable can become overwhelming when they are living on fixed or limited incomes.

JCS and The Blue Card work together to help address these needs by providing financial assistance and essential services to Holocaust Survivors. That support can make the difference between having to make an impossible choice and having the resources to meet basic needs.

A donation raised through Team Blue Card can help a Survivor avoid having to choose between paying an electric or air-conditioning bill and paying rent, or between buying food and purchasing necessary medications. These are not abstract needs. They are the everyday realities facing members of a generation whose lives were forever changed by the Holocaust.

By joining the team and fundraising, runners become part of a community effort to make sure Survivors are not left to face those challenges alone.

A Team With a Mission

Team members who participate in the Half Marathon commit to raising a minimum of $500. Full Marathon participants commit to raising at least $1,000. In return, runners receive fundraising support from JCS, a JCS Team Blue Card race shirt and the chance to participate in one of South Florida's signature running events while supporting an extraordinarily meaningful mission.

For those who have ever wanted their miles to have a greater purpose, this is an opportunity to lace up and make a difference.

Be Part of the 2027 Team

The race may only last a few hours, but the impact of the funds raised can extend far beyond race day. Every training run, every fundraising conversation and every mile on Sunday, January 31st, 2027 can help provide vital assistance to Holocaust Survivors living in the Miami-Dade area.

The finish line is only one part of the journey. The real measure of success is knowing that your effort helped someone in need live with greater dignity and peace.

Registration for the Miami Full Marathon with JCS Team Blue Card is open, and runners are encouraged to reserve their spots.

To learn more about joining JCS Team Blue Card and participating in the 2027 Life Time Miami Marathon & Half Marathon, contact Jake Rider at: jrider@JCSFL.org to learn more and reserve your spot.

Run for the team. Run for the community. Run for the Survivors.

About Bluecardfund.org

The Blue Card was founded to respond to urgent need. Since its earliest beginnings in Germany and its reestablishment in the United States in 1939, the organization has remained focused on helping victims of Nazi persecution rebuild their lives and access essential support.

Antisemitism intensified in the years before World War II. Jewish families faced growing discrimination across daily life, including employment, commerce, and access to opportunity. In 1934, The Blue Card was established by the Jewish community in Germany to help those already suffering under Nazi restrictions, business closures, and forced loss of livelihood.

In 1939, the organization was reestablished in the United States to continue aiding refugees of Nazi persecution as they sought safety and a new beginning in America.

How The Blue Card Got Its Name

The organization’s name comes from the original blue paper cards issued to Jewish donors who contributed funds for individuals harmed by rising antisemitism before the war. Each contribution was marked with a stamp on the card, creating a visible record of generosity and shared responsibility.

After the Holocaust, The Blue Card’s mission expanded to help survivors of the Shoah establish stable new lives in the United States. As the survivor population continues to age and shrink, the need for financial support grows more urgent. Since its inception, The Blue Card has remained committed to improving daily life for survivors and helping create a more secure future.

Credit: bluecardfund.org